Upper Elementary students have been studying the Middle Ages and learning about the people who shaped European history from the Fall of Rome in the fifth century through the Renaissance period.  Mirroring this focus, Ms. Dian taught her students to read and perform Medieval Scripts in the “Round” (audience members sit all around the performers) including a song called “Medieval Times.”  

Part of her curriculum included exploring the lore and history of the Knights of the Round Table.  “The Knights of the Round Table were characters in the legends about King Arthur. They were the best knights in King Arthur’s kingdom and lived in King Arthur’s castle, Camelot.  They were called the Knights of the Round Table because of a special table that was in Camelot, that was round instead of rectangular. This meant that everyone who sat around it was seen as trustworthy and equal.”*

Ms. Dian and her students created their own Knights of the Round Table, each student getting a chance to create their own knightly names.

With summer peeking around the corner, what better time to learn the olde Medieval English song called “Summer Is A Cumen-In?”  Written in Medieval English, the song describes the beginning of summer.   

The students not only learned how to sing in Medieval English, they also performed the song in the round (singing in groups at different points of the song).  Once the song was learned, instruments were added including glockenspiels, xylophones, metallophones, and a variety of rhythm instruments.

Ms. Dian commented that “it was a challenge to get our mouths around the words and then to learn the melody/rhythm, and it definitely brought a few smiles to the class. I was proud of them all, as this isn’t an everyday language to learn and they took it on with gusto.”

*Wickipedia