6th grade · Social Studies · Unit 9 of 12
Medieval Europe
Feudalism, towns and the Black Death
What your child practices
How medieval Europe was organized (kings, nobles, knights and peasants), the role of the Church and guilds, the Magna Carta, the Black Death, and how change came to the feudal system.
Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 6.H2.1; 6.H3.1 · medieval Europe, feudalism and the church
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Feudalism: the king gave land to nobles for loyalty and soldiers; peasants worked the land of a lord's manor.
- Monasteries were communities where monks prayed and copied books, keeping learning alive.
- The Black Death (1340s) spread by fleas on rats along trade routes. Kings and the Church sometimes clashed over power.
Example: In the feudal system, who gave land to nobles? Nobles promised loyalty and soldiers. They got their land from the ruler at the top. Answer: the king
Medieval Europe in Arizona
In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 9 of 12 in 6th grade Social Studies, after Trade Networks and before The Islamic World.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
- 6th grade guide for Arizona parents
- Printable 6th grade Social Studies sheet
- Arizona report cards explained
Source: Arizona Department of Education
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Why were monasteries important for learning?
- Monks copied and kept books, and some ran schools.
- Monks burned all books.
- They were only farms.
- They banned reading.
Monks copied and kept books, and some ran schools.
Hint: Before the printing press, books were copied by hand, often in monasteries.
Question 2
Why were castles built?
- To train sailors
- To protect people and control the surrounding land
- To hold fairs only
- To store books
To protect people and control the surrounding land
Hint: Castles gave lords a safe base with defenses such as walls and moats.
Question 3
Why did peasants give part of their crops and labor to the lord?
- Because they owned the manor
- In return for land to farm and protection
- Because there was no farming
- Because the Church banned money
In return for land to farm and protection
Hint: In the feudal system, each group owed something to the group above it.
Question 4
Why did kings and the Church sometimes come into conflict?
- The Church had no land.
- They never met.
- Kings were forbidden from reading.
- Both claimed authority, including over who could appoint bishops and collect taxes.
Both claimed authority, including over who could appoint bishops and collect taxes.
Hint: The Church was powerful and wealthy, so disagreements with rulers could be serious.
Question 5
What was the main role of the Christian Church in medieval Europe?
- It ruled only in Asia.
- It guided religious life and also had great influence in politics, education and daily life.
- It only built castles.
- It had little influence.
It guided religious life and also had great influence in politics, education and daily life.
Hint: The Church owned land, ran schools and hospitals, and advised rulers.
Question 6
What was the three-field system?
- A plan for building a castle
- A farming method that rotated crops and left one field resting each year
- A way of dividing the army
- A tax paid three times a year
A farming method that rotated crops and left one field resting each year
Hint: Resting a field (letting it lie fallow) helped the soil recover and increased harvests.