Manor Makers: Build the Middle Ages

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to investigate medieval manor structures, materials, and standard dimensions to explain how each building supported daily life in the manor system.

Students will be able to analyze the function of a selected medieval manor building and justify its importance to the larger manor community.

Students will be able to design and construct a scale model of a medieval manor building using researched dimensions and materials.

Students will be able to interpret how their building connects to nearby manor spaces and the whole class manor to support a shared historical system.

Students will be able to evaluate and revise their evidence, labels, and explanations through peer critique to strengthen historical accuracy and museum communication.

Products

individual

Medieval Manor Investigation Notebook and Museum Card

Each student submits a research notebook documenting their focused question, source notes on a selected manor structure, researched dimensions and materials, and personal analysis. The notebook includes a finished interactive museum information card that explains the structure’s purpose, size, and connection to the manor system.

team

Scale Manor Structure Model and Class Exhibit Panel

Each team creates one accurately measured scale model of an assigned manor structure and a matching exhibit panel for Manor Museum Day. The panel and team presentation synthesize individual research into one shared explanation of the structure’s role, evidence, limitations, and connection to the full manor.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can share my ideas about my medieval manor structure using clear, complete sentences and key vocabulary (like materials, size, and purpose) I can use my labels or oral script to explain what my structure does in the manor community.	I can communicate my research by explaining how my structure connects to nearby parts of the manor using evidence from my notes, measurements, and labels I can present to others with an organized message (beginning, middle, end) and speak clearly enough for 5th grade visitors to follow.	I can assess how our museum exhibit communicates community values by choosing what evidence to include (materials, standard dimensions in feet, and purpose) and explaining why it matters I can collaborate to refine my exhibit message, respond to questions during Manor Museum Day, and adjust my explanation for my audience.	I can present a persuasive, well-supported explanation that shows how the museum format (labels, interactive element, and my oral explanation) reflects history and the values of a medieval manor community I can independently integrate accurate evidence from my model, connect my structure to the full manor system, and effectively guide visitors to understand connections through an interactive experience.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I can use museum exhibit clues (labels, pictures, and class notes) to identify how one medieval manor structure helped daily life, using simple evidence from my research.	I can explain how my structure connects to nearby manor parts and supports the manor as a system by choosing relevant facts (materials, purpose, and standard dimensions) and stating why they matter.	I can assess and revise my explanation using feedback and evidence by comparing multiple sources and correcting inaccuracies about structure size, materials, or relationships to other buildings.	I can independently develop and justify a clear, evidence-based “why it mattered” narrative for my museum exhibit by linking my structure’s role, measurements, and connections to the community’s history and values.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration	I can work with my team to share ideas for our manor blueprint and ask respectful questions so everyone understands the plan and roles for museum day.	I can co-design our manor section by taking my assigned responsibility, contributing evidence from our research (like dimensions/materials/purpose), and adjusting based on my teammates’ feedback.	I can collaborate to strengthen our group’s museum display by resolving disagreements using a shared decision process, dividing tasks fairly, and explaining how our building connects to nearby structures in the larger manor system.	I can lead collaboration by organizing teamwork during planning, revision, and presentation; I can use feedback to improve accuracy and clarity, and I can clearly support teammates while ensuring our group’s exhibit reflects community values with evidence.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Content Expertise	I can use provided research sources and class notes to identify my medieval manor structure’s basic purpose and materials, and I can record at least one standard dimension in feet on my planning sheet.	I can research independently (with support as needed) to select accurate facts about my structure’s purpose, materials, and standard dimensions, and I can explain how my structure helps daily life in the manor using evidence from my sources.	I can organize my research into clear museum-ready information and connect my structure to nearby manor parts on the class map (including at least two accurate connections), showing how the buildings work together as one system.	I can assess and revise my model and display details using feedback, ensuring my measurements, labels, and material descriptions are accurate and supported by evidence, and I can explain how my museum exhibit reflects community values of the medieval manor.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Academic Mindset	I can name one academic goal for our Manor Museum project and describe how my group will help me practice it during planning and making my manor structure.	I can set and monitor a clear academic goal by using evidence from my research notes (materials, purpose, and standard dimensions) to improve my blueprint and scale model with teacher or peer support.	I can revise my work using feedback to strengthen historical accuracy and explain how my structure connects to nearby manor buildings in the whole-system museum display.	I can independently assess whether my museum display reflects history and community values by checking multiple sources, explaining my evidence clearly to 5th graders, and setting a next-step improvement goal based on what visitors asked or noticed.