The history of the Middle Ages is fascinating, especially where wars and fighting are involved. The iTunesU collection that Jeff and I created is called "Medieval History and Crusades" and contains podcasts relating to both Medieval history and some specifically about the Crusades. The story of the many Crusades is complex, involving political, social, military, and religious histories. Due to the length of the podcasts, I would select excerpts from one or two to provide my students with background knowledge on the Crusades.
Without supplementation, though, listening to podcasts is hardly different from sitting in class while a teacher lectures. I found a worksheet that would be a good way to introduce students to a variety of primary sources from this era and get them thinking about the issues driving the Crusades. I would then present the students with several more primary sources, such as those from Eyewitness to History, The Avalon Project, and Primary Sources on the Crusades. To help students visualize the situation in Europe and the Middle East I would supply students with maps that note important aspects of the conflict. In small groups students would analyze the various sources, then answer guiding questions to synthesize the information and draw conclusions about the conflict driving the Crusades.
After this work with primary documents, I would present students with more recent sources, such as news articles, videos, or podcasts that address current or recent issues in the Middle East. This does not provide a full time line of Middle Eastern history, but it will help students relate past conflicts to current events. Like before, the students will work in small groups to analyze each source to determine the causes of current Middle Eastern conflicts.
After listening to podcasts, completing the worksheet, reading through primary source documents, examining maps, and investigating current events, students will be equipped to analyze the causes, goals, and strategies of the opposing parties in the Crusades, and the outcomes of their efforts. Individually, the students would consider and discuss whose side in the Crusades they would have supported. I would ask them to describe the lasting impact of the Crusades, given the intense conflicts that still threaten the "Holy Land" today. Some of the sources used in the lesson are podcasts, videos, and newspaper articles, so I would let the students choose to present their response in any of those formats. This gives them the opportunity to synthesize all of the different sources and their small group discussions into their own creatively expressed but well-supported opinion.
The combination of these easily found, online resources facilitates meaningful learning for students as they examine primary material and make connections between history and current issues.
Non-Podcast Resources for this Lesson:
-Maps of the Crusades
http://www.emersonkent.com/wars_and_battles_in_history/history_of_the_crusades.htm
-Worksheet- "Two Sides in a Crusade"
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss/7/unit/act5.1blm.html
-"Eyewitness To History"
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/crusades.htm
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lionheart.htm
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/crusade1250.htm
-"The Avalon Project"
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/richard.asp
-"Primary Sources on the Crusades"
http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/categories/crusades1.htm
