Lesson plan (English)
Topic: Many faces of medieval art
Target group
5th‑grade students of elementary school
Core curriculum
5th‑grade students of elementary school
IV. Society and culture of medieval Europe. Pupil:
3) (...) recognizes the monuments of medieval culture, indicates the differences between Romanesque style and the Gothic style;
4) explains the role of the church (including religious orders) in the fields of science, architecture, art and everyday life.
General aim of education
Students get acquainted with the characteristics of medieval art and monuments associated with it.
Key competences
communication in foreign languages;
digital competence;
learning to learn.
Criteria for success
The student will learn:
what was characteristic of the art of the Middle Ages;
which inspired medieval creators;
what are the features of Romanesque and Gothic style;
why so many works of art have remained anonymous.
Methods/techniques
expository
talk;
lecture.
activating
discussion.
programmed
with computer;
with e‑textbook.
practical
exercices concerned.
Forms of work
individual activity;
activity in pairs;
activity in groups;
collective activity.
Teaching aids
e‑textbook;
notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;
interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.
Lesson plan overview
Before classes
Students should recall the most outstanding works of antique and Byzantine art and watch the film „Co odróżnia sztukę romańską od gotyckiej” from chapter „Gotyk. Światło i wieczność” from e‑textbook..
Introduction
The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.
Referring to the homework task, the teacher asks the students to recall the achievements of ancient Greeks and Romans in the field of culture and art. Students should mention the buildings and works of ancient art (sculptures, mosaics, etc.).
Realization
Students perform ** Exercise 1 ** (compare the illustrations shown). Next, the teacher explains that just as with culture, society and power in the Middle Ages, art was not born overnight. For centuries it percolated (Roman with barbarian and then Christian) and changed. Students carry out ** Exercise 2 **. They mark the elements referring to ancient patterns on the illustration. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and provides feedback.
The teacher presents Roman art and architecture and its features. He explains that, despite being representative of the same trend, buildings and works differed from each other region to region, adopting characteristic features. Students perform ** Exercise 3 ** (compare churches from different countries) and ** Exercise 4 ** (look for similarities and differences). The teacher provides feedback and checks the correctness of completed tasks..
Then the teacher introduces students to the art and Gothic architecture, explains the origin of the name (the Germanic Goths). He presents students with the features of Gothic architecture, sculptures and paintings, and explains that it was not a typical ecclesiastic style, but was also associated with the development of knight and urban culture. Students perform ** Exercise 5 ** (based on the source text) and ** Exercise 6 ** -- they organize the elements characterizing Romanesque or Gothic art. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and provides feedback.
Summary
The teacher sums up the lesson. Then the students follow ** Task 1 ** regarding the development of education. Optionally, they also perform ** Exercise 7 ** -- arranging the puzzles and answering the related question.
The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare a self‑assessment questionnaire.
Homework
The teacher tasks willing students with homework: Medieval art also developed on Polish territories. Look in your immediate area if there are any buildings or their remains from that time. Choose and describe one of them.
The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson
Terms
Skryptorium – pomieszczenie przeznaczone do ręcznego kopiowania kodeksów i przepisywania ksiąg. Znajdowały się w klasztorach, katedrach i kolegiatach.
Romanizm – sztuka romańska, styl w sztuce rozwijający się między XI a XIII wiekiem. Wyrósł na bazie antyku i sztuki karolińskiej. Był związany z działalnością Kościoła i wyrażał się przede wszystkim w sztuce sakralnej. Charakteryzował się m.in. grubymi murami, niewielkimi oknami, prostotą i surowością.
Gotyk – styl w sztuce średniowiecznej i wczesnorenesansowej związany z rozwojem kultury dworskiej i mieszczańskiej. Charakteryzował się smukłością i strzelistością budowli, sklepieniami krzyżowymi oraz harmonią i oświetlonymi wnętrzami.
Fasada – główna, reprezentacyjna ściana budynku najczęściej z wejściem.
Portal – bogate zdobienie wokół drzwi wejściowych w budynkach kościelnych i świeckich. W zależności od epoki przyjmował różne formy.
Tympanon – w średniowiecznej architekturze półkoliste pole nad drzwiami, część portalu, bogato zdobione rzeźbami lub płaskorzeźbami.
Witraż – ozdobne wnętrze okna wykonane z różnokolorowych kawałków szkła oprawionych w ołowiane ramki. Rozwinął się w budownictwie gotyckim. Stosowano je najczęściej w budowlach sakralnych.
Rozeta – w sztuce gotyku nazywano tak okrągłe okno w kształcie rozwiniętej róży, wypełnione witrażem umieszczone nad wejściem kościoła.
Texts and recordings
Many faces of medieval art
Art has been a part of our lives since the beginning of time. We often find it incomprehensible or lacking in meaning or beauty. Quite often we don't even notice art in art. The situation was strikingly different in the Middle Ages. Art had one task – to tell a story, pass on the knowledge and some specific content, helping the recipients to understand the world around them. In the first centuries of the Middle Ages culture was divided into two worlds – the Roman one, that was slowly coming to an end and the barbarian one, created by German peoples. Both of them, in their own way, expressed beauty through various creations. Sometimes, they became intertwined and took inspiration from each other.
The first style of art in the Middle Ages was the Romanesque one. Its typical elements were thick walls, small windows, semi‑circular arches and bulky structures, which was dictated by limited techniques that were used. Such structures ensured the durability of the buildings. Sculptures from that period were tightly connected to architecture and were mostly of a religious character. In the Romanesque period, most of the artists and creators remained anonymous, as they created art „for God's glory”, as we tend to call it nowadays.
The mid‑twelfth century brought slow changes in the creation of the buildings and artworks. The development of technology and knowledge together with some accompanying changes in the religious sphere of life, were also reflected in art, which we now call gothic. Similarly to Romanesque art it was characterized by many references to God and spirituality, portraits of Jesus and the saints, however, it also added some new elements – faith in the importantce of human choices and expressing human emotions. When it comes to architecture, buildings became taller and more slender and were characterized by their inner harmony. Big windows and rosettes and stained glass in them filled churches and castles with colourful light. Gothic art sought to picture the perfection of the world created by God while often expressing some complex theological messages.
Gothic art was not only the style of cathedrals and churches, but also secular buildings. It was connected with the development of knight and bourgeois culture. Medieval cities were full of brick buildings, such as bourgeoisie houses, beautifully decorated town halls and city fortifications. Castles and palaces were often rebuilt so that they included slender and tall towers and barbicans.