“Coats of arms were like a symbol, on a shield, say. If you were in an army, it’s like a way you could recognize [who was on] your team but also know what you stand for.”
7th Grade writers, readers, and thinkers across English and History classes are studying Feudalism and its legal, military, and social customs in both Japan and Western Europe. This week in English, students worked on a project to develop and draw a personal coat of arms, including symbols important to their family, and a motto that captures what they stand for. Said one student, “I picked Ecce mutara palare. That means change openly, which is something that I care about.”
I picked Ecce mutara palare. That means change openly, which is something that I care about.
As they decide on symbols and languages, they draw on personal preferences and values as well as family histories, including some in our community who have a family coat of arms. “I’m doing Hungarian because my parents are from around there. My Poppi speaks Hungarian but I haven’t seen him in a while.”
In addition, students recently produced their own codes of chivalry, imagining the set of rules that they would make law in land they controlled. Their codes include commands like:
Don’t break your friendship because of jealousy
Social media shalt not take more than 45 minutes of your life per day
Thou shalt listen to all ideas and not be toxic.
As they complete these creative projects, students also study vocabulary and grammar and take quizzes. Next up, they will form book clubs to dive into one of several stories of individuals living in either Japan or Western Europe during Feudalist times (including, e.g., The Bamboo Sword by Margi Preus, The Crispin: Cross of Lead by Avi, Blood Red Horse by KM Grant, and more). In each book club, students will play various roles, taking turns each session to prepare and lead discussion, to share research, or to share connections and analysis based on the night’s reading. The books range in Lexile and style, allowing more pathways to explore Feudalist concepts, while developing their individual analytical writing and reading skills. An all-class read, Freak the Mighty, will also explore ideas of power, friendship/alliance, ability and disability, and ways that people can join to support each other to live their best lives in modern times.