Published: May 23, 2008 01:47 am            

EDUCATION: Albion students experience Medieval Day

ALBION — They arrived dressed as lords and ladies, knights and pages, and Robin Hood’s men — excited for the day ahead.

When they left, it was with the understanding that life during the Medieval age, though glamorous in retrospect, was not without its hardships.

In place of regular classes Thursday, the sixth-graders at Albion Middle School enjoyed educational workshops and storytelling as part of Medieval Day. Each period was filled with something new, providing students with a first-hand look at a bygone culture.

In gym class, they learned how to play bocce. In English, they became skilled in calligraphy. And in health class, they made medieval “weaponry.”

For lunch, they enjoyed a medieval feast prepared by the cafeteria staff, complete with turkey, peas and apple crisp. A processional trumpet fanfare started the celebration.

The day is a culmination of the sixth-grade medieval unit, said special education teacher Jane Bentley. Each teacher hosts a different workshop.

“They get to live the day in the life of a person in medieval times,” Bentley said. “It’s not just crafts. They’re taught the significance of (everything).”

Students were required to attend school wearing a medieval hat for class credit. Many went above and beyond, dressing in full costume.

Everywhere you turned, there were queens, kings, small peasant farmers and girls dressed in long, flowing dresses with flower wreath crowns. Jesters, knights and members of the royal court lined the halls, as well. One boy dressed as a monk, with brown robes and a religious cross — kind of like Friar Tuck.

In English teacher Mary Bannister’s class, students were given a taste of medieval cooking. They learned that herbs and spices often doubled as sources of medicine. Samples of herb butter, apples with cinnamon and sugar, chamomile tea, ginger and parsley were circulated around the room.

The lesson helped Connor Barleben appreciate modern society’s medical technology, he said.

Next door in science teacher Michele Borello’s classroom, the sixth-graders made their very own soap with chunks of glycerin and dried lavender. At a second station, they made personal sachets — potpourri covered in lace — to add a sweet scent to a bed, pillow or stored clothing. Afterwards, they sipped at mead, a popular Medieval drink consisting of honey and lemon.

In Ralph Englert’s science class, they created the crest for a shield; in Karen Vanderlaan’s fine arts class, they learned about illuminated letters; and in Kristen Martin’s technology class, they learned about catapults and their importance in warfare. In Pat Uveino’s health class, they made a type of weaponry called “flails” using pipe cleaners, tape, styrofoam, string and a wooden dowel.

Suzanne Swindon’s math class transformed into a sewing class as students made “almoners,” the equivalent of a modern day purse. Theirs were made of felt and decorated with beads, but these pocket substitutes worn by the upper-class were usually made out of leather, silk, wool or linen for holding coins.

Sounds of “aye” or “nay” could be heard from social studies teacher Jonathan Sanford’s Barony Court, where the lucky were knighted or given plots of land. The sole student accused of committing a crime — he gossiped about Sanford’s nose hairs — was forced to stand with one leg up in the air in front of the entire class.

The punishment was mild compared to more common punishments of the bygone era, such as drinking poison or carrying a hot rod of iron, Sanford said. Medieval justice wasn’t always so just. Those accused of crimes were forced to endure a “trial by ordeal” or “trial by battle.” If they survived unharmed, they were deemed innocent.

“It would have been awfully hard to have been proven innocent,” Sanford said.

Students who stopped by Bentley’s class learned how to play Nine Mens Morris, a simple game once played with white and black pebbles. At the final workshop, they learned how to make a beaded necklace. The jewelry worn by women was a sign of their hierarchy, Bentley said.

Even the feast was packed with educational lessons, said social studies teacher Bruce Blanchard. They taught the students about proper techniques to eat with one’s hands.

“They used bread as plates — they were called trenchers,” Blanchard said. “Forks weren’t developed until the 1600s.”

The day ended with a special presentation from a medieval storyteller.

Contact reporter Nicole Coleman at 798-1400, ext. 2227.

        

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