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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Path of the Black Death

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze maps, firsthand accounts, and archival documents to trace the path and aftermath of the Black Death. Connections between the plague and changes adopted by the ruling class are explored in this lesson.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Black Death and HIV/AIDS: Which is the Worse Plague?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Exploring the similarities and differences between the Black Death and HIV/AIDS, students write persuasive essays answering which is the "worse plague." This cross-curricular activity between Language Arts and Social Studies addresses...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Black Plague: International Insects

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research conditions that caused 16th Century Black Plague and led to downfall of Europe, and examine causes and effects of population density, disease, and invention.
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Website
Brown University

Brown University: The Plague

For Students 9th - 10th
Comprehensive coverage of the Plague includes discussion on its origins, causes, effects, and the Plague as Literary Motif. Of particular interest are the contemporary perspectives from writers during the time of the Plague.
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Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: The Middle Ages: The Black Death

For Students 9th - 10th
This lesson from a unit on Middle Ages British literature focuses on the Black Death or Black Plague. It features links to information about the Black Death: "The Black Plague: The Least You Need to Know," a question and answer style...
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Unit Plan
Other

Hartford University: History of Epidemics and Plagues

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides information on epidemics, how they occur, and how they spread.
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Primary
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Jewish History Sourcebook: Black Death and the Jews

For Students 9th - 10th
This site, which is provided for by the Jewish History Sourcebook of Fordham University, has information on Jewish persecution resulting from the Black Plague.
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Primary
University of Virginia

University of Virginia: Plague and Public Health in Renaissance Europe

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of primary texts that describe the experiences of people who lived during the Bubonic Plague in medieval Europe, and how they tried to deal with it. For example, through avoidance of contact with infected people, and by...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs a Science Odyssey: Bubonic Plague Hits San Francisco

For Students 9th - 10th
This site details how Bubonic Plague is controlled, contained, and eliminated, and includes the results of the last time that Plague has hit America in numbers.
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Handout
Ibis Communications

Eye Witness: The Black Death, 1348

For Students 9th - 10th
This article provides a general overview of the black death, including the signs of the disease, reactions to the disaster, the breakdown of social order, and the need for mass burials.
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: The Black Death

For Students 9th - 10th
The story of how the Black Plague killed hundreds of millions during the Middle Ages, of how it spread, of attempts to cure it, of life during the Plague, the breakdown of society, religious interpretations, ethnic conflict, and a...
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: World History: The Mongol Empire

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the achievements of the Mongol Empire and of the Chinese, the importance of the Silk Road in transmitting ideas and inventions, the Mongols' two attempts to conquer Japan, the sacking of Baghdad, and how the Black Plague...
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Handout
Other

Black Death and Plague in the 14th Century

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides an overview of historical information about the Black death especially as it occurred in England and Europe. Discusses the many social changes that happened due to the plague. There is also a timeline of key events.
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Handout
Steven Kreis, PhD

The History Guide: The Black Death: Satan Triumphants

For Students 9th - 10th
This comprehensive lecture is about the Black Death and how it was perceived by the masses.
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Primary
Blackdog Media

Classic Reader: "The Black Reaper" by James Branch Cabell

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the text of the short story "The Black Reaper" by James Branch Cabell, a poem and story about the Great Plague of 1665.