Day 31: Handouts, classwork, and homework

*Note (1): Underlined words are links to downloadable pages.
*Note (2): Please be prepared for a possible pop quiz at the beginning of each class. It will be based on material presented in the previous class.
*Note (3): Blog details are subject to change.

Social Studies 8

Hand out - Chapter 3 review worksheet

Continue Cathedral Video with view guide

Beginning of Chapter 4

Discuss “What is Trade?”

Why do we buy things made in different parts of the world? Why do we depend on

foreign countries to buy our products? Why is something made in China less expensive

than something made in Canada?

Middle Ages trade – the old and new systems

Old system - Products from nearby areas would be traded, using the barter system. It was too dangerous to travel long distances, so trade did not expand much. Wool and woolen cloth were the earliest main trade products (people didn’t have heating throughout their houses, they had to dress warmly). There was some longer distance trade, for example, Italian city states traded with Constantinople.

New System - Starting in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, warfare was declining,
so it was safer to travel. Population was growing - due to better farming methods, people could lead longer, healthier lives. So, there was a greater demand for products. Traders developed more efficient ways to trade, using coins (money economy) instead of bartering one product for another product. Protection for traders, like private armies and special ships to attack pirates, was put in place. Large trading companies, like the Hanseatic League, were able to organize fleets of ships to carry larger amounts of goods at one time. Special trade centres held festivals in which trade items were presented to local merchants and the public as well. These were called trade fairs.

A trade fair might last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. They were held in
the district of Champagne in France, and in other locations such as Italy. They were huge public events that brought many different people together. Traders from Italy and the Byzantine empire travelled to western Europe to display and sell their products. The main purpose was for local business/shop owners to order goods, but there also was entertainment for people who just wanted to attend and have a good time.

The Hanseatic League was a trading organization that controlled the trade of 80 north European towns. Members of the company often held the most important government positions in their home towns. They had their own fleet of ships that were able to sail on the inland rivers of Europe as well as the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Their power led to the weakening of local trade fairs.

Growth of Towns

Towns developed in a number of different situations.

a) They developed close to castles, which already had craftsmen and farmers supplying local villagers, knights, and lords.
b) They were an outgrowth of local trade fairs. Some traders decided they would rather stay in one location year-round, instead of coming back year after year. Their families would add to the population, and slowly other shops opened to serve their needs.
c) They were built close to the location of a monastery, abbey, or convent. People who came to have their sick relative looked after by religious orders, for example, might decide to live in the area for a while, then stay longer.

Towns would make an agreement with the lord or church official who owned the land the town was built on. This was called a town charter.

Watch - Rise of Towns filmstrip

Chapter 3 unit test, Thursday, March 26

Social Studies 11

The Conscription Crisis

The Treaty of Versailles