To be viewed after the Black Death Investigation

Key Questions There are three questions that will be answered while completing this lesson: What is the Black Death? What caused the Black Death? What were the consequences?

The Real Cause Now that you have investigated various exhibits about the Black Death, the real cause of it was the Oriental Rat Flea. The Black Death was also called the Black Plague, the plague, or the Bubonic Plague

How did the disease spread? We now know that the most common form of the Black Death was the BUBONIC PLAGUE! This disease was spread by fleas which lived on the black rat. The fleas sucked the rat’s blood which contained the plague germs. When the rat died, the fleas jumped on to humans and passed on the deadly disease.

Two types Pneumonic plague Bubonic plague Plague became a killer when the infection reached the lungs. This was called pneumonic plague, because it destroyed the breathing system. This plague could be caught if someone breathed on you. Bubonic plague Bubonic plague did not spread on the victim’s lungs, but it caused large swellings as the body fought the disease. It’s a similar effect when you have a boil. To catch this type of plague you had to be bitten by a flea that had already bitten a black rat. The swellings were on the lymph nodes.

Video Click the link below http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/filthy-cities-black-death/

Interactive map CLICK on the link and use the interactive map to see how the plague spread. http://wadsworth.cengage.com/history_d/templates/student_resources/0534627218 _spielvogel/spielvogel_maps/swfs/map11_1.html

Changes to life So many deaths meant that life changed for the people who survived. The biggest changes were on the farms and in the countryside. For the peasants things were getting better. The lords needed them to work the land but there were less people available. Laborers could ask for higher pay and get it. After the Bubonic Plague ran its course, people had either built up an immunity because their systems had successfully fought off the disease, or they had a natural immunity. Either way, that particular disease became far less visible. In Medieval Europe the Black Death was estimated to kill more than 20 million people, over one-third of the population. No medical knowledge existed to cope with the disease.

Video – horrible histories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv0dKdhdRpM

When Finished… When finished with the worksheet, you can choose one of the next four slides: Finish a story 1 Finish a story 2 Create a drawing Create a Doctor’s Warning flier about the plague

Choose one….. Finish a Story 1

Choose one….. Finish a Story 2

Create a Black Plague Drawing Choose one….. Create a Black Plague Drawing Use your artistic abilities and create a drawing showing the effects of the Black Death.

Create a Doctor’s Warning Choose one….. Create a Doctor’s Warning Create a flier or public service announcement to warn people of the plague Include: description of what the plague is, symptoms, and treatment options