Medieval Europe - Charles Martel

The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe by George Holmes, ed.

Discussion:
Review of Ummayad expansion to Spain
Battle of Poitiers
Beginning of the Carolingian era

Activity:
History journal
Map study - Ummayad expansion, Poitiers, Southern France (beginning of unification under Charles Martel)

Earth Science - Meteorology - Temperature

The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting by Mark Breen and Kathleen Friestad
Meteorology Projects with a Weather Station You Can Build by Robert Gardner

Discussion:
Uneven distribution of the sun's energy - effect on the weather
Fahrenheit vs. Celsius
How a thermometer works

Activity:
Build a thermometer

Medieval Europe - The Papacy

Ubi Caritas by the Cambridge Singers
(it would not have sounded like this in the 9th century, but the text is probably the same)

Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn and Ansgar Holmberg
Charlemagne and the Early Middle Ages by Ruth Greenblatt

Discussion:
Evolution of the papacy
Pope St. Gregory the Great (Gregorian chant), Calendar
Power and influence of the Roman Catholic church

Activity:
History journal

Earth Science - Meteorology - Air Pressure

Meteorology Projects with a Weather Station You Can Build by Robert Gardner
The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting by Kathleen Friestad and Michael Kline

Discussion:
Warming air vs. cooling air
Changes in air pressure
Movement of air - effects on weather

Activity:
Make a barometer

Earth Science - Meteorology - Atmosphere

Air is All Around You by Franklyn M. Branley and John O'Brien

Vocabulary Added:
atmosphere: vapor-globe
The layers of the atmosphere:

• troposphere: turning-globe
• stratosphere: layer-globe
• mesosphere: middle-globe
• thermosphere: heat-globe
• exosphere: outer-globe

Discussion:
Composition of air
Atmospheric layers
Weight of air

Activity:
Science experiments in Air is All Around You

Medieval Europe - Geography

A Brief Political and Geographic History of Europe by Frances E. Davey

Discussion:
Traditional borders of Europe
Major rivers and mountain chains
General geographic areas (Britain, Scotland, Iceland, Scandinavia, German-speaking regions, Italian-speaking regions, Hispaniola, Slovak-speaking regions)

Activity:
Map study - blank map of Europe with rivers

Earth Science - Water - Rivers and Lakes

Rivers by Andy Owen and Miranda Ashwell
Lakes by Andy Owen and Miranda Ashwell

Discussion:
Origin of rivers
River flow patterns
Formation and types of lakes

Activity:
Create a river and lake in the sandbox.

Medieval Europe - The Vikings - Colonization

The Real Vikings by Melvin and Gilda Berger
The Vikings by Virginia Schomp
D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths [read-aloud]

Discussion:
Iceland
Greenland and the Americas
End of the Viking era - minor ice age

Activity:
History journal
Map study: oceanic journeys
Picture study: colonies discovered in the Americas

Earth Science - Water - Floods

Floods 101

Rising Waters: A Book About Floods by Rick Thomas and Denise Shea

Discussion:
Types of floods
Causes of floods
Effects of floods

Activity:
Make a little town in the sand box.  Show what happens when snows melt quickly and rains falls heavily.

Medieval Europe - Vikings - Sea-Faring and Raiding

Mythical Viking Sunstone is Real

The Real Vikings by Melvin and Gilda Berger
The Vikings by Virginia Schomp
D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths [read-aloud]

Discussion:
Navigational equipment, sea-faring - long journeys; colonization, boat-building
Why did Vikings raid?
Locations of major raids
Warriors - equipment, fighting methods

Activity:
History journal
Map study: Viking raids and journeys
Build a model Viking ship

Earth Science - Water - Ice Ages

The Ice Ages by Don Nardo

Discussion:
Description of an ice age - how many, how often they occur
Possible causes of ice ages
Plant and animal adaptations in ice ages

Activity:
Draw a schematic of how ice ages happen, listing possible causes

Medieval Europe - Vikings - Social Structures and Lifestyle

The Real Vikings by Melvin and Gilda Berger
The Vikings by Virginia Schomp
D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths [read-aloud]

Discussion:
Life on a Viking farmstead
Family life and values
Men's and women's roles, children and childhood
Foods

Activity:
History journal
Viking feast!

Earth Science - Water - Glaciers

Glaciers by Sally M. Walker

Discussion:
Formation and types of glaciers
Glacier movement
Melting glaciers - causes, effects

Activity:
Glacier science experiment

Medieval Europe - Vikings - Religious Beliefs

The Real Vikings by Melvin and Gilda Berger
The Vikings by Virginia Schomp
D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths [read-aloud]

Discussion:
"Mortal" gods, monsters
Geography of the spiritual world
Loki and Odin - evil and good struggle

Activity:
History journal
Re-enact Loki and Odin's blood brother story

Earth Science - Water - Snow

The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino with Jon Nelson
Flakes and Flurries by Josepha Sherman and Jeff Yesh

Discussion:
Formation of snow
Types of snow crystals
Types of snowfalls

Activity:
If there's snow, see if you can catch a flake on a slide and look at it under the microscope.
Draw the different kinds of snow crystals.

Medieval Europe - Vikings - Geography

The Real Vikings by Melvin and Gilda Berger
The Vikings by Virginia Schomp
D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Myths [read-aloud]

Discussion:
Base locations of Vikings
Use of waterways

Activity:
History journal
Map Study - major waterways of Europe, Viking territories and routes using this blank European map

Ancient Celts - War, Slavery, and Exile

The Ancient Celts by Patricia Calvert
Read-aloud: The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation by James J. Wilhelm, ed.

Discussion:
Celtic warriors and their accoutrements
Women at war
Why they couldn't beat Rome

Activity:
History journal - three sentences
Playmobil people Celtic wars against Rome

Earth Science - Water - Oceans - Climate and Weather

The Illustrated Atlas of the Sea by Stephen Hutchinson et al.

Discussion:
Ocean weather patterns
El Niño and La Niña
Wind
Production of hurricanes

Activity:
Choose an El Niño project

Ancient Celts - Social Structure

The Ancient Celts by Patricia Calvert
Arthur of Albion: Marvelous Tales of the Round Table by John Matthews and Parvel Tatarnikov
Read-aloud: The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation by James J. Wilhelm, ed.

Discussion:
Family, tribe, roles of women/men - responsibilities
Farming and raising livestock
Buildings - homes, meeting places
Food and entertainment

Activity:
History journal
Celtic feast!

Earth Science - Water - Oceans - Waves and Tides

The Illustrated Atlas of the Sea by Stephen Hutchinson et al.

Discussion:
Tide cycles and effects on sea coasts
Five kinds of waves (capillary, plunging, deepwater, spilling, forced)
Using waves as energy

Activity:
Waves change the shape of the beach

Ancient Celts - Religious Beliefs

If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Mystery of Stonehenge by Marc Aronson and Mike Parker Pearson
The Ancient Celts by Patricia Calvert
Arthur of Albion: Marvelous Tales of the Round Table by John Matthews and Parvel Tatarnikov
Read-aloud: The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation by James J. Wilhelm, ed.

Discussion:
Druids
Human sacrifice and other rituals
Stonehenge, sacred groves, and other holy places

Activity:
History journal - three sentences
Use blocks and a compass to recreate positioning of Stonehenge

Earth Science - Water - Oceans - Currents and Circulation

The Illustrated Atlas of the Sea by Stephen Hutchinson et al.

Vocabulary added: 

thermohaline: flow of ocean water based on changes in water density and temperature

Discussion: 

Movement of ocean waters

Composition of currents

The six largest currents and their direction of movement

Activity: 

Science Buddies - Ocean Currents Modeling

Ancient Celts - Geography

The Ancient Celts by Patricia Calvert
Arthur of Albion: Marvelous Tales of the Round Table by John Matthews and Parvel Tatarnikov
Read-aloud: The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation by James J. Wilhelm, ed.

Discussion:
Tribes of the Celts
Distribution across Europe
Major settlements

Activity:
Regions of Europe with their Roman names; ability to map out where various tribes lived; note major rivers and mountain ranges - blank map of Europe

Earth Science - Water - Oceans - Composition

The Illustrated Atlas of the Sea by Stephen Hutchinson et al.

Vocabulary added:
salinity: how much salt is in the water

Discussion:
Salinity - how seas became salty
Variations in salinity
Density, depth, and light

Activity:
Make salt water of varying amounts.  Recreate ocean environments with plant life, mud, sand, and other available ingredients.

Earth Science - Water - Oceans - Geography

The Illustrated Atlas of the Sea by Stephen Hutchinson et al.

Discussion:
Geography of ocean regions (major seas, and rivers that feed oceans)
Sea floor (review) - major points of interest (Mariana Trench, Mid-Atlantic Ridge), continental shelf locations

Activity:
World map for ocean geography study

Medieval Middle East and Africa - Review - History

Empires - give one to two sentences about the following empires: 

• Byzantine 
• Sasanid
• Ummayyad
• Abbasid
• Fatimid
• Ghana/Mali/Songhay
• Benin
• Kongo
• Great Zimbabwe

Art and Architecture - name some distinctive features of the art and architectural styles of each empire.

Social customs - give some examples of what society was like in each empire. 

Religion - briefly describe the religious views of each empire and how tolerant of other religions they were.

Government - describe the nature of governance in each empire.

Decline (if applicable) - explain why each government eventually fell into decline

Earth Science - Water - The Water Cycle

The Magic School Bus: Wet All Over
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss and Rosemary Woods

Vocabulary Added:
condensation: water vapor turning into liquid water

Discussion:
The water cycle
Water pollution and its effect on the water cycle

Activity:
Create a water cycle experiment
Draw the water cycle on a poster

Earth Science - Water - Properties of Water as Ice

A Drop of Water by Walter Wick
Glaciers by Sally M. Walker
Science Experiments: Water by John Farndon
The Science Book of Water by Neil Ardley

Discussion:
How ice forms
Volume differences between ice and water
Glaciers

Activity:
Various water experiments (see books; student picks activities and there are plenty of interesting ones)

Medieval Middle East and Africa - Review - Islam

History of Islam

• Who were the Quraysh?  Who are the Bedouin?  
• Give a brief overview of Muhammad's life. 
• Why are Mecca and Medina important to the history of Islam?
• How did Islam expand under Muhammad?  Under the first four caliphs?
• Why is there a divide between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims?

Beliefs of Islam

• What is the Qur'an?
• What are the five pillars of Islam?  Explain what each one means in practice.
• What religious differences are there between Shi'ites and Sunnis?
• How do Muslims settle disputes?

Religious Practice

• What kinds of food/drink restrictions do Muslims practice?  
• Describe Ramadan.
• What is a mosque?  Explain its main features and how it is used.
• What happens on the Hajj?

Medieval Middle East and Medieval Africa - Review I - Geography

Bodies of Water:

• Atlantic Ocean
• Mediterranean Sea
• Black Sea
• Caspian Sea
• Persian Gulf
• Red Sea
• Lake Victoria
• Nile River
• Niger River
• Tigris River
• Euphrates River
• Jordan River
• Niger River
• Zambezi River
• Limpopo River
• Congo River

Regions and Empires:

• Byzantine Empire
• Sasanid Empire
• Ummayyad Empire
• Abbasid Empire
• Ghana, Mali, Songhay Empires
• Great Zimbabwe
• Kongo
• Arabian Peninsula
• Sinai Peninsula

Cities:

• Byzantium (Constantinople)
• Rome
• Mecca 
• Medina
• Damascus
• Baghdad
• Cairo
• Jerusalem
• Gao
• Timbuktu
• Great Zimbabwe

Earth Science - Water - Properties of Water as Vapor

A Drop of Water by Walter Wick

Vocabulary Added:
evaporation: liquid water turning into water vapor

Discussion:
How water becomes vapor
Barometers
Steam power in engineering

Activity:
Various water experiments (see books; student picks activities and there are plenty of interesting ones)

Medieval Africa - Kongo

Kongo Ndongo by Kenny Mann
African Beginnings by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, and Floyd Cooper
A Brief Political and Geographic History of Africa by John Davenport
Wonders of the African World by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Discussion:
Foundation of Kongo after the Bantu expansion
Trade - cloth
Social and government structures

Activity:
History journal
Mapping Kongo
Picture Study

Earth Science - Water - States of Water - Properties of Water as a Liquid

A Drop of Water by Walter Wick
Science Experiments: Water by John Farndon
The Science Book of Water by Neil Ardley

Discussion:
What water is
How it behaves
Surface tension, density

Activity:
Various water experiments (see books; student picks activities and there are plenty of interesting ones)

Medieval Africa - Great Zimbabwe

African Beginnings by James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, and Floyd Cooper
A Brief Political and Geographic History of Africa by John Davenport
Wonders of the African World by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Discussion:
Zimbabwean architecture and building techniques
Trading partners - goods (gold, porcelain, glass)
Decline of Great Zimbabwe

Activity:
History journal
Mapping Great Zimbabwe
Picture Study