It may be startling to know that the same bacteria responsible for the Bubonic Plague in the mid-fourteenth century still exists today. But don't worry, this video examines the causes and effects of the Black Death, and why the disease doesn't pose the same threat that it once did.

Concepts

the bubonic plague, pandemics, bacteria, plagues, evolution, natural selection

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• View this video during a world history unit on the middle ages
• Supplement this resource into a life science unit on bacteria
• After watching the video, have students create timelines documenting the spread of the Bubonic Plague
• Use this video to introduce a research project in which students examine other plagues 
• Assign this video as homework in your flipped classroom, following up with a class discussion during the next class period

Pros

• Animations are used to engage students in learning about the Bubonic Plague
• A brief assessment is provided that includes five multiple choice and three free-response questions
• Video offers cross-curricular connections between history and science
• Resource allows teachers to create custom lessons for the video

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.7.2 SL.8.2 SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RH.6-8.7 RH.9-10.9 RH.11-12.7 RH.11-12.9 RST.6-8.7 RST.6-8.9 RST.9-10.9 RST.11-12.7 RST.11-12.9