STAB 2018

In connection with the novel Among the Hidden , the students discussed the various "projects" that the United States government undertakes on behalf of its citizens. They engaged in lively debates about the relative importance of the government's different goals, such as educating people, protecting people, providing services (like health care) to people, and protecting the environment. A highlight of my day was the way that Cole interacted with the other members of his discussion group. Noticing that one of his classmates was not participating very much, Cole reached out to the classmate -- by name -- and encouraged her to share her perspective. Sure enough, once Cole encouraged her to participate, she became a more active part of the conversation. Drawing other people into a conversation is an important skill, and I love the way that Cole gave us a chance to talk about how we can do so.

Thank you, Kelsey, for repairing the classroom castle!

Sonia demonstrated initiative by writing short summaries about the lives of three fictional medieval women: a noble, the wife of a knight, and a peasant. I love the accurate historical details that Sonia included! For example, Lady Lilliana is literate: unlike most people during the Middle Ages, she has learned to read and write. In addition, Lilliana travels throughout the kingdom, rather than spending all her days toiling in the fields. Peasant Nora , on the other hand, has four sick children and a husband who works days and  nights building a castle for the lord. I'm curious whether Nora's husband is a mason , a carpenter , or one of the other castle workmen that the students are diligently learning about... Thank you, Sonia, for your clever creations!!

The students are busy learning about medieval castles. Several of them have decided to focus on the topic of food . These students are going to write paragraphs about the ways that various types of food were prepared and served in medieval castles. During the Middle Ages, refrigerators had not yet been invented. The lack of refrigerators posed a challenge for chefs: many foods (including meat, milk, and certain vegetables) will quickly spoil if they are not kept cool. Fortunately for hungry lords and ladies, the chefs came up with some ingenious techniques to prepare food that could not be refrigerated. For example, fish could be salted or smoked. Salted (or smoked) fish doesn't last forever, but it does taste  considerably  better than the alternative!! Here's a photo of smoked bluefish... A common method for preparing vegetables during the Middle Ages was to pickle them (some people prefer to pickle their own cucumbers, even today; check out this website ). What oth...

Who was the WACKIEST of them all?!!

Battlements have always been one of my favorite features of medieval castles. Their distinctive pattern, along the walls of a castle, is almost magical for me. Battlements were certainly an important form of protection for the archers who stood behind them, but they were not perfect. Can you identify a potential weakness? As you have begun reading about castles, which feature do you think was especially important for protecting the people living within the castle's walls? Many of you did a good job reading and taking notes during today's class. Tomorrow, Mr. Passmore will work with you on an underrated (and valuable) skill related to this kind of research: highlighting . Andrew worked on a list of important techniques used in the construction of castles.

Here are some of our initial questions about medieval castles: 1.  What materials were typically used to build castles? 2.  How long did they take to build? 3.  Was there a certain design that was the most popular or "the best"? 4.  Were castles easier to attack or to defend? 5.  What was the most effective method for attacking a medieval castle? 6.  Why don't people continue to build castles today? One of the readings mentions that some castles contained "dovecotes and stables", and an inquisitive student asked me about the word " dovecote ."  A dovecote was a special building for keeping pigeons and doves. These birds were especially valued in medieval England, for both their meat and their eggs. Here's a sketch of the inside of a dovecote... Why do you think pigeons were so popular during the Middle Ages?