The Black Death
The Black Death was the worst pandemic in history, killing up to 200 million people across Afro-Eurasia. These classroom-ready lesson plans and teaching materials encourage students to think critically about the scale of the bubonic plague, use causal reasoning to uncover how it started, and map its global effects.
How to Teach the Black Death
Sourcing
Tips for teaching source analysis so you can lead students through primary- and secondary- source excerpts to understand the origins and spread of the Black Death.
Blog: Redefining the Black Death
An exploration of causation—and an expanded timeline—of the Black Death plague will resonate with students after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic .
OER Project Map Index
View our full collection of world maps, including maps covering the spread of the Black Death, the Mongol Empire, and Islam as well as yearly political maps of the world in the 14th century.
Activities to Teach the Black Death
Teachers discuss simulations to help students understand the outbreak of the Black Death—and the role of wealth in avoiding contagion.
Lesson Plans on The Black Death
Lesson 6.3
The Black Death
The Black Death swept across Afro-Eurasia in one of history’s deadliest pandemics. Explore what caused the plague that decimated whole countries and reshaped systems and societies.
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Lesson 2.6
Environmental Consequences of Connectivity
Humans build communities to share goods, beliefs, and ideas across networks. While fourteenth-century connections spread innovations, they also brought challenges like the devastating Black Death.
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Lesson 6.3.2
Bubonic Plague
How did the expansion of an empire and the flourishing of trade routes lead to one of history’s worst epidemics? This activity and article will help students locate the linkages of trade and the Black Death.
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Even More: Black Death Teaching Resources and Activities
Counting the Dead: How the Black Death Killed Half of Europe
Video
Counting the Dead: How the Black Death Killed Half of Europe
Why do we count the dead? The Black Death devastated Europe 700 years ago, and historians still can’t agree on the data. But the death toll is only the beginning.
Dear Black Death, You’re the Worst
Activity
Dear Black Death, You’re the Worst
Step into the shoes of someone who lived through the Black Death. What did they know? How did that change how they saw the catastrophe unraveling around them?
Source Collection: The Black Death
Article
Source Collection: The Black Death
The primary source excerpts in this collection help explain the origins and spread of the fourteenth-century Black Death.
Trade Networks and the Black Death
Article
Trade Networks and the Black Death
The Black Death was caused by one huge empire and one tiny animal. It spread through trade networks across large portions of Afro-Eurasia, reshaping societies in every region it afflicted.
Black Death and Mongols Thematic Map
Map
Black Death and Mongols Thematic Map
This map will help students trace the relationships linking the Mongol Empire, long-distance trade, and the spread of the Black Death in the 14th century.
What Caused the Black Death?
Opener
What Caused the Black Death?
What caused history’s worst pandemic? Review these causes and determine what’s real and what was medieval superstition.
What Are You Trading?
Activity
What Are You Trading?
Time to practice your negotiation skills. Trade with peasants, merchants, and nobles to get what you want and need. Make sure to keep track of your trading partners.
Causation: The Black Death
Activity
Causation: The Black Death
Thinking about both the causes and consequences of the spread of the Black Death will push you toward an understanding of the complex relationship between cause and consequence.
Causal Map: The Black Death
Activity
Causal Map: The Black Death
Continue developing the causal mapping skills you acquired from the beginning of this lesson as you dive into mapping the Black Death.
Writing Assessments for Teaching the Black Death
Pre-Writing: Trade Networks
Assessment
Pre-Writing: Trade Networks
Create an outline to order and connect your ideas about the expansion of trade and the Black Death.
DBQ Sources: Trade Networks
Assessment
DBQ Sources: Trade Networks
Analyze these sources and gather evidence to support your argument about the impacts of long-distance trade.
Writing: Trade Networks
Assessment
Writing: Trade Networks
Use your outline and sourcing skills to demonstrate your understanding of how the plague impacted trade along the Silk Roads.
Community: Ask, Connect, Share
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Redefining the Black Death Narrative with Monica Green // March 14 - 16, 2022
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What Are You Trading? Resources
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Black Death One-Pager Template
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