French History and Virtual Field Trip: 1300 years of the French Monarchy

ALL OF MY CLASSES ARE 100% SECULAR. THIS CLASS IS ONLY OFFERED ONCE PER YEAR IN THE FALL SEMESTER. 

If you have a student aged 10-16 who has an interest in France this is the class for them!  For students who plan on traveling to France (especially Paris) this will be an amazing opportunity for them to truly understand the history behind what they are seeing!  This 14 week course, focusing on the French monarchs, will begin with the very beginnings of France herself in the mid-400s, when King Clovis 1 became the first king, and end with the untimely death of Louis XVI at the hands of his own people. We’ll go through each of the dynasties and the monarchs that left their mark on this great nation- sometimes good, sometimes, well….. 😉 We’ll learn about Gauls and Romans and Vikings… People they know- like Charlemagne, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antoinette- and lots of people they’ve never heard of (but should!)….Sons betraying fathers, mothers betraying sons, friends betraying friends….Battles, LOTS of battles! Between kings, kings and popes, kings and nobles, kings and the regular citizens…the Crusades and the French Religious Wars…how karma bit Charles IV in the behind, and prevented there ever being a queen to rule over France….Good King Henry IV (how I love him so!)….lots of dealings with England, Spain, Italy, and Austria…there’s even a beautiful love story! Oh, and um, spoiler alert- there are a few beheadings. 😉 So much drama, intrigue, and excitement- and the best part is that it all really happened! And it all happened before 1800!!
 
Whew! I get excited just thinking about all of it! I get excited, because there has always been something about France that has intrigued me since I was in high school and did a report on the revolution. It is a passion of mine- especially all things Marie Antoinette. I have a quite nice collection of old biographies and prints- even an original French newspaper from 1789! I originally created this course in the fall of 2015 for a private group in Los Angeles. Immediately after the course, I went to France- solo- for the first time to witness first hand many of the places I had “visited” in class with my students. What an AMAZING experience! At the time, online classes weren’t on my radar, so while I have a ton of pictures, I didn’t take any educational videos. So I’m going back this December for 2 weeks to add in the “virtual field trip” component of this class! I’ll bring the students with me as I visit many of the historic places we’ll be talking about in the lesson plan. It really does add an extra dimension to the entire experience! I did this in Costa Rica in the summer of 2016, and it was a huge hit! For me to actually be in the place I’m talking about, explaining the significance of it- it’s the next best thing to them being there themselves.
 
FORMAT
I will post all lesson plans and homework assignments on Tuesdays. Discussion occurs throughout the week, as students interact with me and other students via our online message board. There is no “live” component to this class, which allows students to work at their own pace. This is a great option for busy students who need to work on their own schedule, and students who live all over the world and can’t easily coordinate time zones.
 
LEVELS
Lesson plans are a combination of power point, graphics, video, and audio. Each slide is fully narrated to help young readers or students who prefer to hear material read to them. There is no textbook for this course. Material is the same for both levels, it’s the depth of the assignments that are the main difference. Younger students 7-11 should usually be placed in Level 1. Students ages 12 and up, or younger students who are academically gifted, should be placed in Level 2. In general, expect 1-1.5 hours to work through the lesson plan each week, and an additional 2-4 hours working on assignments (it really depends what assignment your child chooses to do and how they manage their time). Both groups will have a “Pick a Project” assignment. Here are some examples:
 
From Week 4: PICK A PROJECT:
-Create a timeline of the Capetian dynasty. Include all of the Capetian kings, their names, the dates of their reign, and one interesting fact about each.
-Make a model or drawing of a crossbow and a longbow. Research the pros and cons of using each in battle. Which would you choose and why?
 
From Week 5: PICK A PROJECT:
-Create a poster or model of the Battle of Agincourt. Include a map of the area. Show the battlefield. Mark where the English and French armies were located, and what types of military were there. Then, write a paragraph or make a video about the battle.
-Get creative! Do any kind of project you would like about Joan of Arc. Art, writing, video, play, speech- any format! Just research and make sure your facts are correct! You can choose a certain point in her life, or her entire life.
 
Then, Level 2 students will have additional work to do. It could be in the form of a group project (Level 2 students wanting a grade will need to participate in the forums), additional research on a topic of my or their choosing, watching a documentary, etc… But it will take them a bit further into the topic.
 
 
DISCLAIMER
This is history, not math. There is not a right and wrong, black and white answer to everything! So much in history can be subjective and argued over endlessly. I’m presenting the facts the best I can from various sources I’ve researched. I don’t consider any history book to be 100% accurate. It’s impossible. And same with this course. I compiled my research and put together the most authentic story I could, considering I wasn’t personally privy to the goings on of the monarchy for 1300 years. 😉