Weblinks for History Quest: Middle Times Study Guide
History Quest: Middle Times Study Guide
Main Spines
1. History Quest: Middle Times
2. The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History with Internet Links
Hygge History Literature
There are four units in this study guide that employ the Danish concept of hygge—a joyful mix of coziness, togetherness, and a general feeling of well-being—where enjoyment of classic literature is your only assignment for the week.
#1 Literature of the Middle East. Choose from the following options:
- The Arabian Nights retold by Wafa’ Tarnowska (ISBN 978-1846865688)
- Tales from the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love, and Betrayal retold by Donna Jo Napoli (ISBN 978-1426325403)
- One Thousand and One Arabian Nights retold by Geraldine McCaughrean (ISBN 978-0-19-275013-6)
#2 Arthurian Literature. Choose from the following options:
- Knights of the Round Table by Gwen Gross (ISBN 0-394-97579-0)
- Choose one or more of the following from the Tales of King Arthur series by Hudson Talbott:
King Arthur: The Sword in the Stone (ISBN 978-0688094034) King Arthur and the Round Table (ISBN 978-0688113407) Excalibur (ISBN 978-0688133801)
Lancelot (ISBN 978-0688148324)
#3 Japanese Folktales. Choose from the following options:
- A Treasury of Japanese Folktales: Bilingual English and Japanese Edition by Yuri Yasuda (ISBN 978-4-8053-1079-3)
- Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories, Anniversary Edition compiled by Florence Sakade (ISBN 978-4805312605)
- Family movie night with The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
#4 Tales from Africa. Choose from the following options:
- Choose any number of the following from the Anansi series:
Ananse’s Feast: An Ashanti Tale retold by Tololwa M. Mollel (ISBN 0-395-67402-6)
Anansi Goes Fishing retold by Eric A. Kimmel (ISBN 0-8234-0918-X)
Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock retold by Eric A. Kimmel (ISBN 0-8234-0689-X)
Anansi’s Party Time retold by Eric A. Kimmel (ISBN 978-0-8234-1922-7) Anansi and the Magic Stick retold by Eric A. Kimmel (ISBN 0-8234-1443-4) Anansi and the Talking Melon retold by Eric A. Kimmel (ISBN 0-8234-1104-4)
Here’s a TEDEd video about Islamic Art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg1NpMmPv48
Here’s a quick retelling of the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okph9wt8I0A
This TEDEd video summarizes the life of Anna Komnene: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-princess-who-rewrote-history-leonora-neville
Here are a couple of guys having a fun time showing us how to build a house, wattle and daub style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIJlFBAAjvE
This TEDEd video teaches about the origins of gunpowder and also covers some of the science behind how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqHVRgCkCDE
Here’s an article with a photo tour of a modern-day fireworks factory in Liu Yang: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/liuyang-china-fireworks-born/index.html
Watch the Mythbusters explain how the Mentos and diet soda reaction from this week’s project works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjbJELjLgZg
Here’s a TEDEd version of a Norse myth- “How Thor Got His Hammer”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qytj-DbXMKQ
Learn about Viking runes with this TEDEd video: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/spells-threats-and-dragons-the-secret-messages-of-viking-runestones-jesse-byock
Watch modern-day workers build a Viking longship. It’s hard work! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ3u0jjWCkc
Here’s another resource from TEDEd on Viking ships: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-was-so-special-about-viking-ships-jan-bill
§This video shows what everyday life in Norman villages was like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6i4eetM_No
How the Normans Changed History TEDEd – Here’s a brief overview of the influence of the Normans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owf5Uq4oFps
Here’s a sample of Beowulf in Old English. Take a look and see if you can understand the words. The word “under” seems to appear a couple of times…that might be about all we can understand! https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=_K13GJkGvDw&feature=emb_title
Here’s a quick tour of a medieval siege tower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXsYJD3BJlQ
Ever wondered where the legend of King Arthur comes from? Check out this video: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/is-there-any-truth-to-the-king-arthur-legends-alan-lupack
Here’s some background information on Robin Hood, along with extra photos and illustrations: https://kids.kiddle.co/Robin_Hood
Here’s some more information on the Magna Carta, including a photo of a real manuscript of the document: https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Magna-Carta/353409
Want to learn more about Cahokia’s Woodhenge? Check out this link: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/solar-calendar-native-america/solar-calendar-native-america/
There’s a wealth of information at the website for Cahokia Mounds: https://cahokiamounds.org
Crow Canyon Archaeological Center’s website for kids. This site has great information about Puebloan culture, from thousands of years BCE up until modern times: https://www.crowcanyon.org/EducationProducts/pueblo_history_kids/introduction.asp
Check out this “History vs. Ghengis Khan” video on TEDEd:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq-Wk3YqeH4
Here’s a nice overview of the Mongol Empire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUVvTqvjUaM
Check out another TEDEd- “A Day in the Life of a Mongolian Queen”: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-mongolian-queen-anne-f-broadbridge
Read more about samurai at this website: https://kids.kiddle.co/Samurai
Here’s a very brief overview of the history of samurai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2opogq3QsNY
TED Talk about Khmer Classical Dance- In this video, artist Prumsodun Ok will teach you a lot more about the dancing featured in the History Hop, and you can even learn a few of the main hand gestures the temple dancers performed. Please note that shortly after the 5-minute mark in the video, the focus shifts to how Cambodian traditional dance was almost wiped out by the Khmer Rouge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEIYHTlbeLA
Here’s a YouTube video showing dancers from the Royal Cambodian Ballet performing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erbp1Isk96M
Here’s a tour of how the rock churches of Lalibela look in modern times. You will see that many religious pilgrims still visit the site today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBq_zOzhTqw
Great Zimbabwe TEDEd- this brief video gives an overview of the ancient city, and it also explains some fo the controversy surrounding the origin of the city caused by colonizers with a racist agenda: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-built-great-zimbabwe-and-why-breeanna-elliott
Here’s a TEDEd video about the Black Death. Since it is illustrated in a TEDEd cartoon style, it is not particularly gory or graphic. However, we recommend watching it before your kids (It’s under 5 minutes long) as there are some details that could cause anxiety about the possibility of future outbreaks: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-past-present-and-future-of-the-bubonic-plague-sharon-n-dewitte
Here’s one version of the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales read aloud in Middle English. See if you can understand any of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GihrWuysnrc
After you have listened to the sample of Middle English, go back and listen to a bit of Beowulf in Old English again. Which one was harder to understand? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=_K13GJkGvDw&feature=emb_title
Animated version of “The Knight’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deRyhTuny3w
Tells how builders used squirrel cages to help build cathedrals. Check out this link to see a real medieval squirrel cage in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnfD3gIJ0as
This website might be helpful in designing your own coat of arms. It lists all the meanings of the various colors and symbols: https://www.heraldryandcrests.com/pages/heraldic-symbolism-a-z
Here’s a quick overview of Joan of Arc that would be appropriate for younger or more sensitive students. It does not include the fact that she was killed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmPsBqovrVU
Here’s a little more information on the Hundred Years’ War, including a short quiz to test your knowledge: https://www.ducksters.com/history/middle_ages/hundred_years_war.php
Check out Laurence Olivier perform a monologue as King Henry V in the 1944 move version of Shakespeare’s play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x26GN6rQbZI&list=PLzL29jMnv3Hf9ZL4HZf1gU3qrF4Mm1h5k&index=11
This TEDEd does a great job of explaining Polynesian way finding: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-did-polynesian-wayfinders-navigate-the-pacific-ocean-alan-tamayose-and-shantell-de-silva
Learn more about Hokulea’s modern-day journey around the world: https://hokulea.com/
Learn about the history of surfing with this TEDEd video: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-complicated-history-of-surfing-scott-laderman
Here’s a TEDEd overview of the life of Mansa Musa: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/mansa-musa-one-of-the-wealthiest-people-who-ever-lived-jessica-smith
Here’s a brief video about Timbuktu from UNESCO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4V-QAzKQ3A
Here’s a YouTube video with the history of the game “Snakes and Ladders,” which originated in India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzLYKY1nPsY
Razia Sultan is the subject of a bio-pic from the 1980s and also a more recent TV series. Here’s the big, famous song from the movie. The TV series is sometimes available on various streaming services and it does included English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQu0OgUUZEU
Check out Marco Polo’s journey through the Mongolian Empire: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ff32837d-b085-40d4-8d60-ac9a676cb857/marco-polo-pbs-world-explorers/
Here’s a video about the Ming Dynasty: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/hongwu-story-of-china/hongwu-story-of-china/
Here’s some background on the Great Wall of China from TEDEd: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-the-great-wall-of-china-so-extraordinary-megan-campisi-and-pen-pen-chen
Google Earth Voyager/PBS- Use this site to start your own “guided tour” using Google Earth. Scroll down to “Explorers: Early Connectors” and click “Connect With” to launch Google Earth’s interactive section on Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and Zheng He. Highly recommend! https://www.google.com/earth/education/explore-earth/
This TEDEd recounts Magellan’s efforts to circumnavigate the globe: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-magellan-circumnavigated-the-globe-ewandro-magalhaes
Here is PBS’s take on the same Magellan story. If you watch both videos in a row, you’ll have a great opportunity to discuss how two sources tell the same story in slightly different ways: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/pbs-world-explorers-ferdinand-magellan/pbs-world-explorers-ferdinand-magellan/
More information on Christopher Columbus from PBS: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/58b6bd78-c924-4d32-b48d-d9590b862ff5/columbus-pbs-world-explorers/
This TEDEd puts Christopher Columbus on trial- was he a historical hero or a historical villain? Note: Parents should preview this video, as it mentions atrocities that may not be appropriate for younger viewers. Even if you don’t show this video to your child, you could watch it on your own time and use its content to have a discussion about Columbus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD3dgiDreGc&list=PLJicmE8fK0Ehj95_A5aaOvfzkKTrt3G3W&index=5
A brief PBS video summarizing the life and travels of Ibn Battuta: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/b338a2c9-3067-4a0d-836d-b43711843956/ibn-battuta-pbs-world-explorers/
Here’s some information about the building of Zheng He’s ships: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.zhengii/the-voyage-of-zheng-he-ii/
A brief overview of the life of Zheng He from the PBS World Explorers series: https://wgvu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/e27de4d3-c939-4d55-ab55-2dc300db99ff/zheng-he/
This TEDEd video illustrates a famous Aztec myth: https://www.ted.com/talks/kay_almere_read_the_aztec_myth_of_the_unlikeliest_sun_god?language=en#t-237895
This video tells what life was like for kids in the Aztec Empire. Highly recommended: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsNdYD8DODo
Here’s another good TEDEd video- “A Day in the Life of an Aztec Midwife”: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-aztec-midwife-kay-read
This chapter mentions the deadly disease smallpox. Here’s a TEDEd explaining how smallpox was eradicated: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-we-conquered-the-deadly-smallpox-virus-simona-zompi
Here’s some background on Michelangelo’s David: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-many-meanings-of-michelangelo-s-statue-of-david-james-earle
This quick video is packed with helpful information about Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IOPlGPQPuM
Here’s a brief discussion of the meaning behind Machiavelli’s The Prince from TEDEd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUlGtrHCGzs
Here’s an overview of the history of the Mona Lisa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooz3u9y7P7I
A TEDEd with a great explanation of the history of Russia: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-did-russia-come-from-alex-gendler
Learn more about the Taj Mahal with this interactive website: https://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/gallery/photos/20.html
Here’s some additional information on the Peacock Throne, along with lovely illustrations: https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/the-peacock-throne-of-shah-jahan/
Here’s some more general information on the Mughal Empire, along with some additional photos: https://kids.kiddle.co/Mughal_Empire
Ottoman Empire in the news: Check out this article on Suleiman’s tomb being found: https://www.seeker.com/tomb-of-suleiman-the-magnificent-possibly-found-1770594856.html
Here’s some additional reading on the Ottoman Empire: https://kids.kiddle.co/Ottoman_Empire#Sultan.27s_family
Here’s a great kid-friendly explanation of air resistance, i.e., why a feather and a hammer don’t hit the ground at the same time on Earth. (Related to Galileo’s experiment): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxcx35x5L9Y
A brief overview of the life of Galileo Galilei: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UyV6yg9hqM
Ever wondered why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans? Has anyone ever tried to straighten it? Check out this TEDEd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFqf6aKdOC0
What kind of leader was the infamous King Henry VIII? Check out “History vs. Henry VIII” in the “History vs.” series from TEDEd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdZcqAss92w&list=PLJicmE8fK0Ehj95_A5aaOvfzkKTrt3G3W&index=10
This is part of the scene from a Midsummer Night’s Dream that you watched at the Globe in your History Hop! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGgsJd4_r4k
