FirstLine Schools

East Meets West: Effects of the Crusades – Grade Seven

Ohio Standards Lesson Summary:
Connection: This lesson focuses on how the Crusades affected the
cultures of the people involved. Students will investigate
People in Societies
how the Crusades allowed for the spread of cultural
practices, products and perspectives between Europe and Benchmark A
Compare cultural practices, the Middle East. This lesson contains a brainstorming
products and perspectives activity for the pre-assessment, a graphic organizer for
of past civilizations in
guided research and an essay for the post-assessment. order to understand
commonality and diversity
Estimated Duration: Five to six hours of cultures.

Indicator 2
Explain how the Silk Road
trade and the Crusades Commentary:
affected the cultures of the During this lesson, students will experience both small-
people involved. group and large-group instruction and collaborative

research. The post-assessment challenges students to Social Studies Skills and
organize the information they acquired during the research Methods
phase of the lesson to produce a three paragraph essay. One
Benchmark C of the teachers who field tested the lesson commented, “I
Present a position and think the lesson caused the students to think and realize the
support it with evidence
history of the Middle East.” and citation of sources.

Indicator 2 Pre-Assessment: Compare multiple
• Distribute Attachment A, Pre-Assessment. Instruct viewpoints and frames of
reference related to students to brainstorm a list of everything they know
important events in world about life in Europe and the Middle East prior to the
history. Crusades. Instruct students to answer the three focus
questions: What were the Crusades? Why did Christians
and Muslims fight? How did the Crusades affect the
cultures of Europe and the Middle East?
• Allow students ten minutes to think through their answers.
• Divide students into heterogeneous groups of three or
four, and allow five to ten minutes for them to share ideas
and create a combined list of information.
• Ask each group to share one idea from their list. Move
from group to group, with each sharing only those ideas
that have not already been shared by the other groups.
• Record student ideas on chart paper titled: Government,
Education, Religious Beliefs and Trade. Write each
response under the proper heading.
• Discuss the three focus questions.

1
East Meets West: Effects of the Crusades – Grade Seven

• Display the record of student ideas on chart paper. These brainstorming ideas will be
revisited during the lesson to include the new learning.

Scoring Guidelines:
Collect the brainstorming papers to assess the needs of individual students and to adjust the
lesson as necessary. See Attachment B, Pre-Assessment Suggested Answers.

Post-Assessment:
Have students write a two-paragraph essay describing the effects of contact between
Christians and Muslims during the Crusades. Students may use their notes and other
available resources. Directions for the post-assessment are given in Attachment C, Post-
Assessment.

Scoring Guidelines:
A rubric is provided in Attachment C.

Instructional Procedures:
Day One
1. Complete the pre-assessment activity.
2. Assign a textbook reading, or distribute an article or picture trade book, that portrays life
during the Crusades in Western Europe 1096 - 1270 A.D. to half of the class.
3. Assign a textbook reading, or distribute an article or picture trade book that portrays life
during the Crusades in the Middle East 1096 – 1270 A.D. to the other half of the class.
4. Working in partners, have students read the same article and make a list of information
learned.
5. Conduct a class discussion of information found in the articles.
6. Discuss student findings using the following guiding questions:
• Why did these people fight during the Crusades?
• Were their reasons alike or different?
• How did the Crusades affect their lives?
7. Return to the pre-assessment worksheet and ask students to make any needed adjustments
to their answers. Have students use a different color pen or pencil for the adjustments.

Day Two
8. Discuss the concept that whenever people of two cultures interact, changes may occur.
This may lead to diffusion of ideas from one culture to another. In order to draw a
parallel, ask students what happened when Columbus came to the Western Hemisphere.
(Changes occurred in Europe and in the Americas.) What kind of changes occurred to the
European culture as a result of this contact? (Example: people began eating new foods
like corn and tomatoes.) What kind of changes occurred in the Western Hemisphere?
(Example: people were introduced to Christianity, horses and new weapons.)
9. Explain to students that changes also occurred in the cultures of those who experienced
the Crusades. The next activity will focus on discovering these changes.
2
East Meets West: Effects of the Crusades – Grade Seven

10. Divide students into two groups. One group will research European cultures, and the
other will research Middle Eastern cultures.
11. Divide each of the groups into eight working teams, assigning one of the following areas
of research to each team:
• political system(s)
• belief system(s)
• education
• art
• trade
• science
• mathematics
• medicine
12. Give each group a large sheet of chart paper to gather notes and make illustrations that
present to the class the information they have gathered.
13. Provide students access to books, textbooks and pre-selected Web sites where related
information can be found. This activity should be finished in one class period.

Instructional Tip:
Teachers may refer to Attachment E, Research Matrix Suggested Answers, for background
information and to help select appropriate resources for the students’ research. Attachment G,
Life in the East, and Attachment H, Life in the West, can also be used as resources.

Day Three
14. Distribute two copies of Attachment D, Research Matrix, to each student. Create a large
version of the research matrix for sharing of student information.
15. When the research teams have completed their work, have them post their work so that it
is organized like the matrix. Students can be given note cards to write on and attach to the
chart, or they can write their notes directly onto the chart. Remind them to write large
enough and clearly so that the class can read and copy their information.
16. Have students complete their section of Attachment D, Research Matrix, describing the
culture they researched before and after the Crusades. Explain how to use the matrix and
record information in the appropriate boxes.
17. Have each team share its results orally, allowing two minutes per group.
18. Instruct students to complete their matrices with notes from the large class matrix
containing all of the research.

Day Four
19. Guide students in a discussion of what they have discovered about the effects of the
Crusades on the cultures of the people involved.
20. Instruct each research team to write three pieces of information, or “clues,” regarding
their area of research on separate note cards.
3
East Meets West: Effects of the Crusades – Grade Seven

21. Create two large T-charts on the board. Title one “European Culture” and one “Middle
Eastern Culture.” Label one side of each “Before the Crusades” and the other side “After
the Crusades.”

European Culture Middle Eastern Culture
Before the After the Before the After the
Crusades Crusades Crusades Crusades


22. Collect the clues. Read related clues to the class. Have students decide to which culture
each clue refers and whether each statement belongs under the column titled “Before the
Crusades” or “After the Crusades.” Attach each note card to the large chart in the
appropriate column. Clarify any statements that students do not understand.

Day Five
23. Distribute Attachment F, Results of the Crusades. Have students work in teams to
complete the questions. Allow students to use their Research Matrix and any other
resource materials available. Remind students to include details and examples in their
answers.
24. Conduct a discussion of questions six and seven about the differing points of view. Guide
students to an understanding of how Muslims and Christians would have had differing
perspectives of the Crusades. Ask students to explain why their points of view were
different.
25. Encourage students to read aloud their responses to questions six and seven. Have them
use first person and speak as if they were historical characters.

Day Six
26. Assign the post-assessment on Attachment C. Review the instructions and scoring guide