Wyoming — From turrets and drawbridges to kings, queens and knights, the elements of medieval life were on the minds of Oriole Park fourth-graders as they spread out on the classroom floor to build cardboard castles.
Ethan Rodriguez-Zapata said he could picture his friends as lords and knights, and, “I was going to make the teacher the queen.”
These cardboard castles, embellished with toilet paper rolls, aluminum foil, strings, miniature flags, pipe cleaners and other household items, showcase the creativity and knowledge of students who have studied the Middle Ages, spanning 500 to 1500 CE.
“We are making a door with a lever and we are going to add designs,” said Sariyah Ezell.
As part of their English Language Arts unit in the Core Knowledge Language Arts curriculum, students read and wrote about life centuries ago, including the feudal system, knights, serfs, lords, merchants, kings, rulers, chivalry, and the ways society works, said teacher Cheyenne Cooper.
Students also wrote persuasive and informative pieces on whether they wanted to be a serf, lord, knight, merchant or craftsman, and why.
“We learned that castles are for protection, and they just love castles,” Cooper said. “We wanted an ending activity that is just fun and will be a core memory of medieval times.”
To fashion their structures, students cut, taped and colored, remembering what they had learned about castles.
It helps to put them in that perspective so they can relate to it and be excited,” Cooper said. “Getting to build your own castle and look forward to that can help you pay more attention to the details.”
Levi Brown showed he was paying very close attention when asked what he had learned about the Middle Ages.
“The Battle of Hastings changed history. If William (duke of Normandy) didn’t win the battle, we might be speaking a different language.”
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