I decided to put a little art on my last four-page history test. (When I give them a four-page test which includes maps and an essay question, I think it's okay to add some art.) During part of our discussion about Gothic architecture and stained glass windows, one of the students asked me why our Anabaptist churches weren't that pretty. To answer him, I told the students about a church I sang in that had an amazing, stained glass window. I asked the sexton if it was original. He assured me that it was. He also told me that they had just spent over $90,000 having it repaired. I was speechless, and that doesn't happen very often.
We also studied the Magna Carta and the early English legal system. We made a list of indictments against an imaginary person, and talked about how the court system works, along with a discussion of why we don't take part in the legal system. That should explain the next picture. I love when students remember interesting facts and apply them to what we're learning.
We also learned about trebuchets. One student remembered that word by calling them "tree buckets" for fun. Hey, it worked. I also tell my students that if they can't remember the exact word, that it is all right to describe it as best they can so that I know they learned the concept. Sometimes the descriptions are quite correct and amusing. Did you know that trebuchets could catapult fireballs, beehives, and dead animals over city walls during a siege?
And sometimes my students just remember strange, funny things-- like that the picture of King Edward I have hanging in my room was referred to as "The Creepy Baby" by my family as they were helping me set up my room. It is amazing what students remember when they are having fun!
And finally, I leave you with an illuminated letter done by one of my junior high students for extra credit.
"K" is for kite, kangaroo, koala, kitten, and key.
