Middle Ages Come to Life at Medieval Challenge Faire
Middle Ages Come to Life at Medieval Challenge Faire
Parker Elementary turned into a medieval village for a night on April 16 as Gifted & Talented elementary students from across Sherman ISD showcased their knowledge on the Middle Ages at the Medieval Challenge Faire.
Students dressed as nobility or knights took turns manning booths for making brass rubbings, creating illuminated letters, or displaying shields with symbols (charges). There was even a blacksmith and raptor bird caretaker in attendance.
“Our Challenge curriculum theme for this year was the Middle Ages, and this is our culminating activity,” said Jenniefer Parker, GT teacher at Parker, Neblett and Dillingham elementary schools. “It’s a great way for students to exercise their leadership skills.”
Throughout the year, students have been studying the features of the Middle Ages, from knighthood to the feudal system. The older elementary students even completed independent studies on a topic of their choice. Popular topics were medieval tapestries, the bubonic plague, and the Magna Carta.
“We talked about the influences of the Magna Carta on the current government system,” Parker said. “We try to make connections between what we’re learning and what’s in the modern world.”
Parker Elementary fourth grader Mae Hebda loved the activities at the Faire and manned the brass rubbing booth, where students laid paper onto a metal imprint and rubbed a pencil over it to reproduce the pattern.
“I really liked learning about knighthood and how people used shields to identify which side people were on,” Hebda said. “I also liked learning about the different ways that you could defend castles.”
Months of work by parents and staff as well as parent donations laid the foundation for the event, and students signed up for booths and practiced their activity a month before the Faire.
“We’re bringing the Middle Ages to life through hands-on experiences and student-led demonstrations,” said Andrea Wiggins, GT teacher at Sory and Washington elementary schools. “They’re teaching their parents what they’ve learned this year.”