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TEACHER’S GUIDE
• Have students research the major elements of a typical medieval
monastery, including the chapter house, cloisters, refectory, scriptorium,
infirmary and fields and gardens. Using this information, students can
then design their own medieval monastery! Encourage students to draw
a detailed floor plan for their monastery. (See www.officine.it/montecassino/tour_e/index.html for an example of a medieval monastery’s
floor plan.)
• Many different monastic orders were founded during the Middle Ages,
like the Cistercians, Cluniacs, Augustinians, Premonstratians and
Carthusians. In small groups, students can research these monastic
orders and find out what each order was known for, how strict it was,
where it was located and who founded it.Then students can find similarities and differences among these different groups.
• Encourage students to research famous medieval nuns like Hilda of
Whitby, who established several monasteries that became great centers
of learning, and Herrad of Landsberg, who was the head of a monastery
and created a medieval encyclopedia called The Garden of Delights.
• Music played an important role in the religious services of medieval
monks. Students can listen to chants and religious music from the
Middle Ages. (See classicalmus.hispeed.com/medieval.html for some
examples.)
• Medieval monks ate a very simple diet of bread, eggs, cheese, fish and
vegetables.Try a monastic style of cooking using recipes from a book
like From a Monastery Kitchen by d’Avila-Latourrette (Gramercy Books,
2000).
• As a class, research information about medieval monasteries in terms of
where they were located, when they were built, and the design elements
they contained. Using a large map of Europe, encourage students to map
the location of each of the monasteries they researched.
Suggested Internet Resources
Periodically, Internet Resources are updated on our Web site at
www.LibraryVideo.com
• www.officine.it/montecassino/main_e.htm
This Web site offers information about the Montecassino monastery,
founded by St. Benedict in about 529. Students can learn about the
history of the monastery and details about St. Benedict’s life, in addition
to taking a beautiful virtual visit of the monastery’s grounds.
• www.leavesofgold.org/#
“Leaves of Gold” is sponsored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and
offers a beautiful collection of different types of medieval illuminated
manuscripts for viewing. Students visiting this site can also make their
own illuminated manuscript online.
• emuseum.mankato.msus.edu/history/middleages/nun.html
Minnesota State University sponsors this “Nun’s Realm” page, which features information about how the medieval Church worked, and how
monks and nuns lived during this time.
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TEACHER’S GUIDE
TEACHER’S GUIDE
• www.ceu.hu/medstud/manual/MMM/home.html
“The Medieval Manuscript Manual” presents a great deal of information
about the creation of illustrated manuscripts during the Middle Ages.
Aspects of the actual materials and techniques of this art are described in
detail, in conjunction with clear illustrations.
Suggested Print Resources
• Child, John, Nigel Kelly and Martyn Whittock. The Crusades. P. Bedrick,
New York, NY; 1996.
• Hinds, Kathryn. Life in the Middle Ages: The Church. Benchmark Books,
New York, NY; 2000.
• Robertson, Bruce. Marguerite Makes a Book. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los
Angeles, CA; 1999.This story describes Marguerite, a French girl from the
1400s, who carries on her father’s profession of manuscript illumination.
• Sherrow,Victoria. Life in a Medieval Monastery. Lucent Books, San Diego,
CA; 2001.
• Temple, Frances. The Ramsay Scallop. Orchard Books, New York, NY;
1994.This fictional account details the adventures of a young girl and boy
in the 1300s who are prompted by the village priest to take a religious pilgrimage together.
T
his guide is a supplement designed for teachers
to use when presenting programs in the video
series Life in the Middle Ages.
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Kristen Lovett Casel, M.S.
Curriculum Specialist,
Schlessinger Media
Before Viewing: Give students an introduction
to the program by relaying aspects of the summary
to them. Select pre-viewing discussion questions
and vocabulary to provide a focus for students
when they view the program.
COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES
• THE DOCTOR
• A HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE AGES
• THE KNIGHT
• THE MERCHANT
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
• THE MONK
• THE NOBLE
• THE SERF
• SOCIAL STRUCTURE
After Viewing: Review the program and vocabulary, and use the follow-up questions and activities
to inspire continued discussion. Encourage students
to research the topic further with the Internet and
print resources provided.
IN THE MIDDLE AGES
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Program Summary
novice — An adult member of a monastery who is in training to become a
Medieval monks were religious men who often lived sequestered from
society in self-contained monasteries. Although most monks in the Middle
Ages lived simple lives devoid of luxuries, there were benefits to living in
monasteries during this time. Monks gained a sense of order, purpose and
community in their lives, and they were often the most highly educated
members of medieval society. Life in a monastery was often much safer than
life in the surrounding areas that were plagued with war, violence, confusion
and hunger in many parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. Due to these
positive aspects of monastic life, wealthy and powerful members of the
medieval nobility often wanted their children to become monks. Children
learning to become monks were called oblates and were required to take
vows that dedicated them to a religious life. Medieval monks worked hard in
their monasteries, tending the fields, educating the oblates and copying and
illuminating manuscripts. Although many monks remained in monasteries
their whole lives, some actually entered the Crusades in an order of knighthood called the Knights of the Temple, or Templars.
Vocabulary
monk — A religious man dedicated to a simple life devoid of luxuries.
Medieval monks were devoted to study, prayer and manual labor, and were
forbidden to possess personal property.
Middle Ages — Also known as the medieval period, the time period that
stretched roughly from the 5th to the 15th century.The term was coined to
describe the era in between the time of ancient Rome and the Renaissance.
monastery — Also known as an abbey, this residence is a place where communities of monks vow to live their religious lives. Communities of nuns also
often live in monasteries, which are also called nunneries.
priest — A religious man appointed to represent the Church within a given
parish.
Church — The organization of believers in the Christian religion.
parishes — Local Church communities, each with its own priest.
Christianity — The religion derived from the life, teachings and death of
Jesus Christ.
St. Benedict — (c. 480–547) The writer of a monastic rule known as St.
Benedict’s (or Benedictine) Rule that described the balance of prayer, work
and study that many monks still follow today.
matins — A religious service of morning prayers, often celebrated by monks
following St. Benedict’s Rule.
psalms — Religious songs or poems used during Christian religious services, often from the Book of Psalms in the Bible.
cassock — A shapeless garment worn by monks during the Middle Ages.
Cassocks hung loosely on monks and were often made out of rough material.
tonsure — The shaven crown of a monk’s head.
oblate — A child dedicated to a monastery by parents with the goal of eventually becoming a monk.
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monk, but has not yet taken final monastic vows.Adults are usually novices
for about a year before taking their final vows and becoming a monk.
friars — Religious men who devote themselves to a life of poverty and
preaching.
scriptorium — A special room in a medieval monastery where books were
copied, or scribed, by monks.
abbot — Ruler of a monastery.
chant — Also known as plainsong, a simple religious song often sung by
medieval monks.
cathedral schools — Medieval schools that often taught wealthy, noble
children.These schools were usually held in cathedrals, or places of Christian
worship.
nuns — Religious women who take vows of poverty and service.
Crusades — A series of wars fought between Christians and Muslims during
the 11th to the 13th centuries in the hopes of taking possession of Jerusalem
and other places considered to be holy by the Christians.
Knights of the Temple — Also known as Knights Templar or Templars,
this religious order of knighthood was established at the time of the Crusades
in the Middle Ages.
11.What role did monks play in establishing schools?
12. How did people become nuns during the Middle Ages?
13.What responsibilities did medieval nuns have?
14.Who were the Knights of the Temple, and what role did they play in
the Crusades?
Follow-up Discussion
• Have students discuss how the life of the medieval monk was different
from that of the nun.What do these differences tell us about society in
the Middle Ages and its beliefs about women?
• Discuss with students the potential conflicts of being both a knight, as a
member of the Templars, and a monk. Based upon what they know
about knights and monks, do students feel that one person could have
filled both roles effectively?
• Monks, although they often kept themselves separate from society, made
many contributions to the medieval world. Encourage students to
discuss these important duties performed by monks.
• Brainstorm with students a list of motivating factors for becoming a
monk during the Middle Ages. Do students feel that these benefits outweighed the costs of being a monk?
Pre-viewing Discussion
Follow-up Activities
• Medieval monasteries were the home to many religious people during the
Middle Ages, like monks and nuns.These were places of quiet, solitude and
prayer. Discuss with students what it might have been like to live in a
monastery during this time.
• Monks often lived secluded from medieval society. Generate with students
a list of the pros and cons of being separated from the world. Can students
think of groups of people today who live in such a manner?
• Christianity played a significant role during the Middle Ages, organizing
society and promoting a spiritual life of medieval people. Encourage students to discuss the various roles that religion plays in today’s society.
1.What is a monastery?
2.What are the differences between monks and priests?
3.What kinds of families did most medieval monks come from?
4.Why did nobles donate money to monasteries?
5.Who was St. Benedict, and why was he an important influence for medieval
monks?
6. Describe the type of clothing worn by monks.
7. How did people become monks during the Middle Ages?
8.What were some of the rules of medieval monasteries?
9.What responsibilities did medieval monks have?
10. How did monks preserve texts of ancient literature?
(Continued)
• Examine the Rule of St. Benedict in greater detail. (See www.fordham.
edu/halsall/source/rul-benedict.html for a copy of the Rule.) Discuss
with students why a rule like this one might help structure the lives of
monks. Students can write their own “Rule” that provides guidelines for
structuring their own lives.
• Monks developed their own form of sign language for communication
during meals when they were prohibited to speak. Encourage students
to learn about other forms of sign language used today, like American
Sign Language.Your class can even invite a sign language expert to visit
and to teach some basic skills of the language.
• Medieval monks copied many books, and often decorated, or illuminated, these manuscripts with elaborate designs in gold, silver and bright
colors. Encourage students to research and examine manuscripts that
were illuminated during the Middle Ages. (See wally.rit.edu/cary/manuscripts/index.html and www2.art.utah.edu/Paging_Through/ for examples of illuminated medieval manuscripts.) Based upon this research,
students can create manuscripts of their own, using similar coloring and
design to those of medieval artists.
• Students can learn more about the Knights Templar by reading the rules
that they lived by during the Middle Ages. (See orb.rhodes.edu/
encyclop/religion/monastic/T_Rule.html for a translation of the original
Rule of the Templars.) Using this information, students can write an
imaginary journal entry by a member of this religious order of knights
that describes what his daily life was like, including information about
the type of clothing worn, activities participated in and food eaten
during an average day.
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Focus Questions