The Norman Sicily Project

Resources for the Study of the Norman State in Sicily, 1061-1194

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Assessing the Stone Stability of Norman Sicily's Monuments

  • Topic of the Lesson: Assessing the Stone Stability of Norman Sicily’s Monuments
  • Grade/Course: Entry-level course
  • Lesson Duration: 75 minutes

Essential Questions for the Lesson

What is the purpose of the Cultural Stone Stability Index when assessing the Norman structures in Sicily?

Why is preserving historical structures important?

Objectives for the Lesson

Students will be able to use the Cultural Stone Stability Index while observing an image of a surviving structure from Norman Sicily.

Students will be able to demonstrate through writing their knowledge of the importance of preserving historical structures.

Assessments

  • Formative: Learners will fill out a Google form that will assess their knowledge of the subject prior to the lesson. The assessment will consist of five questions revolving around the Cultural Stone Stability Index and Arab-Norman architecture in Sicily. This tests the learners’ previous knowledge and will also show what they will learn during the lesson.

  • Summative: Learners will showcase their new knowledge of the subject in a written assessment by answering the questions provided. The questions asked will center around the essential questions of the lesson and address the lesson objectives.

Materials

Duration The teacher will… The students(s) will…
10 minutes Instruct the learners to open up their computers or smartphones and give them a link to the Google Form formative assessment. Take out their computers or smartphones and answer the questions in the Google Form.
15 minutes Lecture about the topic including architecture and the CSSI. The teacher will make the slide presentation available to the student so they can interact with it as the lesson progresses. Listen to the presentation and take optional notes. The lecture will educate them on Norman Sicilian architecture and the CSSI.
30 minutes Begin instruction of the CSSI activity by having students click on the link in the slide presentation. Then the teacher will present the slide with the image to be assessed in the front of the classroom. The teacher will roam the room and manage the class while helping any that are struggling. Download/edit the CSSI pdf and assess the stone structure. They can work alone or in pairs.
10 minutes Begin a short class discussion on the stone structure to see what students thought about it. Each student or group will tell the class the score they gave the structure. Engage in a class discussion about their finding on the stone structure. They will present their score to the class.
10 minutes Instruct students to answer the summative assessment found in the slide presentation. Create a copy of the worksheet that has questions about the lesson. They will answer the questions and share the document with the teacher.