Name of Lesson: Stronghold Castle Building

Grade Level: 10 Subject: Social Studies Prepared by: Jeff Salvati Overview and Purpose: Students will design, build, and assess a medieval castle using the video-game Strongholdon a PC. This will allow the students to create a feudal village that incorporates an economy and military based system, which will need to be utilized by the students understanding of the time period. The strength of their design will be tested militarily by the CPU and another student. The games tutorial will help to ensure that all students are properly prepared and equipped for the simulation. The final assessment will be a compare and contrast essay between the games simulation, and the information from their text and notes. Educational Standards

NCSS Standard - World History - Era 4, Standard 4B - The student understands the coalescence of political and social order in Europe NCSS Standard - World History - Era 4, Standard 4A - The student understands the foundations of a new civilization in Western Christendom in the 500 years following the breakup of the western Roman Empire

Objectives: By the end of lesson, students will:

Design and implement a mot and bailey style castle design. Assess the strength of their castle design by testing their own design against a simulated attack. Assess the strength of their classmates castle design by simulating an attack against them, using their knowledge of medieval warfare tactics. Compare and contrast the game simulations historical accuracy with regards to castle design, lord-peasant relationship, the feudal system, and medieval warfare. Understand the economic functions of a feudal village, primarily that of infrastructure.

Materials Needed: Computers for each student Stronghold Demo installed on computers Paper (3) needed for KWL, Partner Assessment, and Essay Writing Utensil Other Resources: World History textbook for each student Notes on medieval European castle designs

Information: The students and teacher will follow this as a general outline:

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Lesson begins with a KWL of medieval castles, so that the students and teacher have a better understanding of what they already know about the subject, and what they want to know. Students will read the chapter section on medieval castle design and warfare, filling in their L part of the KWL. After sharing with partners, students will work in the computer lab. Students will load the Stronghold demo, and follow the on-screen instructions for the tutorial. The activity will follow.

Verification: Students are primarily self-guided, or guided through the game program. The teacher must make sure that students are following the proper procedures listed below.

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Teacher will monitor the KWL when students share with a partner, ensuring that students have information, and are sharing it. Once students reach the computer lab, they must complete the games tutorial. This is mainly guided through the game program, however the teacher should ensure that students are on task. This can be done through InSight, a program that allows teachers to monitor every computer screen at the same time through a master computer. After students complete their castle design, they will test its military strength against an automated attack by CPU controlled military units. After re-assessing the strength of their castle, they will use the games multiplayer interface to attack each others castles, again testing the strength of their design. The teacher must make sure that students are on task and are engaged in the simulation. Once this is completed, students will write a one page compare and contrast essay on how the game portrays medieval society in contrast to what theyve learned from their textbook, from their KWL, and what was given by the teacher. This will be the final assessment of the lesson.

Activity: The students will engage in medieval castle building and economic infrastructure of a portrayed medieval, European, society. The tutorial of the game teaches the student how to build the military structures for a castle, and how to create economic balance for their feudal village, including resource gathering. The student will then create their own medieval village based off the information from their textbook, their teacher, their KWL, and the information given by the games tutorial. The student must first reach economic balance in that their village has the resources to build the military structures included in a mot-andbailey style castle design. This includes walls, a keep, towers, and buildings to train military units (the tutorial covers all of this, and is especially helpful if the student is unfamiliar with PC games). Once the student has completed their castle, they will have the option to have a CPU controlled military force attack it. The games computer based intelligence analyzes the castle, and searches for weak points. After the attack, the student can change their design after weaknesses have been discovered. Once completed, the student will use the multiplayer interface to connect with another students castle, allowing the students to attack

each others castles. Then, the student will rate and grade the strength of their partners design. After the computer simulations are completed, students will write a one page essay. In this essay, they will compare and contrast the games portrayal of medieval society, from a military and economic perspective, with that of their textbook, KWL, and notes given by the teacher. They will also answer the question, Is this an accurate portrayal of medieval society? Why or why not? Notes - This lesson may take up to three days to complete, allowing students to undergo the full tutorial, and to try out a few different castle designs. - If students have access at home, they may practice their designs on their own computer provided that they download the free demo. -Helpful links for the teacher: Stronghold Demo @ CNET - provides the link for the demo National History Standards - provides the national standards for social studies Gaming the Past - Stronghold 2 - this site explains the usefulness of using the Stronghold game series as a teaching tool