Grade 6 Historians Display Knowledge and Artistry

The work of Grade 6 medieval historians was on full display in the Rosenquist Gallery in January. The exhibition of murals showcased their knowledge of Gothic architecture, monastic life and artistic treasures. Grade 6 History Teacher Rachel Barany explains, “It’s a source of pride for students to see their work prominently displayed.”

Their studies began with a visit to the Met Cloisters, where students saw stained glass, illuminated manuscripts and aspects of art and culture from the time. They drew upon this knowledge in their small group research, where they focused on different areas including: construction, architecture, illuminated manuscripts and religious life. Using DK Eyewitness: Medieval Life for inspiration, each group created a mural with a central image and side bars for secondary information.

Rachel comments, “To accurately reflect the time period, all aspects were done by hand which involved extensive drawing, tracing and lots of gold touches.”

Medieval Europe represents one of five units in the Grade 6 history curriculum. Each unit has a culminating project, like this mural project, that involves a different skill such as performance, video production or three-dimensional art. The next stop on their journey will be the Silk Road where they will learn about the network of Medieval trade routes through Africa, the Middle East and Eurasia. They will create board games based on what they’ve learned.

Pictured above: On December 12, Grade 6 visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Cloisters Museum and Gardens. The visit was the culminating activity of the students' study of Medieval Western Europe. In conjunction with this visit, students are creating large murals that display their knowledge of Gothic architecture, monastic life and artistic treasures from the time period.