Medieval Education - History Comes Alive! - Secondary School Programs

Days of Knights, the medieval education specialists, bring the world of the Middle Ages alive in your classroom.

Through interactive sessions students learn the answers to these questions, and more, by actually performing the dances, playing the games, using the tools and taking part in the same activities a person in the Middle Ages would have been involved in. This sort of heuristic (hands on and learning by experience) learning mirrors the medieval education most people would have received.

The Days of Knights staff have formulated a number of 40-60 minute sessions that are directly targeted at the outcomes specified in the curriculum guidelines for The Humanities - History, and that also access the VELS standards and progression points to maximise our incursions across all the learning areas. Attention is paid not only to meeting and exceeding expectations in this regard, but also at introducing students to the methods of historical enquiry and making the sessions relevant to them in today's society.

Sessions

	The Peasant - Peter adopts the persona of a 12th century peasant living in rural England. Students will learn what the life of a peasant entailed. The clothing, food and shelter a peasant would have used will be examined. Students will learn to use a drop spindle to make woollen thread and a game that peasants entertained themselves with. By the end of the session, they will have had a glimpse of how and where the peasant fitted into society, the kind of life they had and what daily life would have been like for them.
	The Armorer - For this session, Jason takes on the role of a 13th century armorer. Students will learn about the emerging middle-class of tradesfolk, merchants and professionals. Guilds will be discussed, along with other social and political developments in the preceding century. Students will have the opportunity to try their hand at crafts and examine and wear items of armor.
	The Noble Lady - In this session, Lillian plays the part of a 12th century noble-woman. The role of women in the Middle Ages will be examined. Students will learn about Courtly Love, and the development of the notions of Romantic Chivalry through the works of the Troubadours and other entertainers of the Medieval Courts while learning a court dance and the art of calligraphy with a quill and ink.
	The Knights - The final session, which for many students is the highlight of their day, sees two knights pitting their skills against one another in full armor in a tourney combat held in the presence of a great lady. Students learn about the important role the Tournament played in the life of the knight, and feel the thrill spectators would have known as these trained warriors vie with one another for the prize. The armor, weapons and equipment of a 14th century knight are explained, as are the differences between the sport that was the Tourney, and the reality that was war. We've captured the excitement of the Tournament session on video . You can also acces it by clicking the picture to the left.

Schools and the set up for the day

Days of Knights come to you with everything they need to create the ambience and learning environment for your students. All we need are one classroom each (three total) for the three single presenter sessions (The Peasant, The Armorer & the Noble Lady) and a larger space such as a gym, theatre, courtyard or oval for the group presentation session (The Knights). If the weather is likely to be inclement, a sheltered alternative to an outdoor venue is requested for the comfort of the students.

For simplicity's sakes we assume your school has a standard 6 x 45-50 minute period day. Using this assumption, the students rotate through the individual sessions (The Peasant, The Armorer and The Noble-Lady) for the first 3 periods, and then all come back together for the 4th session (The Tournament). The students need to be divided into three equally sized groups for the first three sessions. Please note, our maximum class size for any of the three raotational sessions is 35 students.

If your school uses another timetable, that isn't a problem at all. We just ask that you let us know when booking so we can adjust our timings accordingly. Knowing your bell-times is also very useful, so we can be sure to give each group the best medieval experience. Having the three classrooms in close proximity also is useful, as it speeds up the change-over between sessions.

We require that a member of staff be present in each session. As an interactive display, students are required to obey all instructions from the Days of Knights staff. Students may not pick up or attempt to use any of the equipment except with explicit permission and with direct supervision. Questions are welcomed at any time, but they must be relevant and the needs of the rest of the students will be taken into account if the session appears to be getting off track at all.

Pricing Estimate and Class Sizes

Our pricing structure is based on a 4 session day either commencing at the start of the day and finishing at lunchtime, or commencing after the morning break and going until the end of the school day. Most schools use a 6 period day, but we can work with you to fit in with any scheduling needs your school may have. We have attempted to set our fee structure in a way that allows the smaller schools to avail themselves of our services, as well as the larger ones. Our fee is based on a $10.00 per student charge, with a minimum of $450.00 for the day (equivalent to 45 students, or approximately 2 classes).

Generally we are happiest with a maximum of 4 groups for the day, and in order for every student to participate in at least one hands on activity per session we try to keep groups to less than 30 students. The maximum size for a group for the rotational sessions is 35 students. We have that groups larger than this reduce the benefit of the sessions for the individual student considerably. We would far rather book extra sessions (either 2 presentations in a day, or another day all together) for the sake of the students' learning and enjoyment. We find it preferable to run over 2 days with class sized groups to ensure the students derive maximum benefit and enjoyment from the day. The staff at Days of Knights welcome the opportunity to discuss any specific needs your school may have with regard to time-tabling, class sizes and special needs students.

Days of Knights Pty Ltd

Medieval Education, Entertainment and Consulting
History comes alive!

Secondary School Sessions

Sessions

Schools and the set up for the day

Pricing Estimate and Class Sizes