The Black Death

The Black Death is infamously known for ravaging the streets of Europe, but the plague was also history’s worst pandemic, 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.
The Black Death

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How to Teach the Black Death

World History Lesson Guide: The Black Death External link Locked

Challenge students to investigate how the Black Death transformed societies across Afro-Eurasia. This guide includes teacher instructions and guiding questions to help students analyze the plague’s causes, trace its spread, and evaluate its lasting consequences.
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Sourcing External link

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

Blog: Redefining the Black Death External link

An exploration of causation—and an expanded timeline—of the Black Death plague will resonate with students after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic .
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OER Project Map Index External link

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.
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Activities to Teach the Black Death External link

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 2.9
World History 1200
The Global Tapestry
1200 – 1450 CE
The Black Death
The Black Death killed hundreds of millions of humans in the fourteenth century. History’s worst pandemic spread across Afro-Eurasia, leaving ruin in its wake. Where did it come from? How did it change the world?
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Lesson 2.6
World History AP®
Networks of Exchange
c. 1200 to 1450 CE
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
World History Origins
The First Global Age
1200 to 1750 CE
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

Trade Networks and the Black Death
A medieval painting of several worshippers carrying a model of Jesus on the cross. In front of them, three men hold up a red flag.
World History Origins
Article

Trade Networks and the Black Death External link

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
OER Project
Map

Black Death and Mongols Thematic Map External link

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.
Source Collection: The Black Death
Source Collection: The Black Death
World History Origins
Article

Source Collection: The Black Death External link

The primary source excerpts in this collection help explain the origins and spread of the fourteenth-century Black Death.
What Are You Trading?
World History Origins
Activity

What Are You Trading? External link

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
World History 1200
Activity

Causation: The Black Death External link

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
World History 1200
Activity

Causal Map: The Black Death External link

Continue developing the causal mapping skills you acquired from the beginning of this lesson as you dive into mapping the Black Death.
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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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