Task 4. Black Death Essay
Task Overview
You will write an essay in class responding to the following question.
What were the short and long term impacts of the Black Death on medieval society?
For this task you will:
Prepare an essay plan in class before the assessment
Bring one A4 page of handwritten notes/essay plan. Include quotes from the sources.
Write the essay independently in 90 minutes
This task assesses your ability to:
Explain historical cause and effect
Distinguish between short and long term consequences
Use historical evidence
Structure a clear and logical argument
Black Death essay plan
Use the following outline to plan and structure your essay:
Introduction: Summarise what the essay is about. (Do the introduction last!)
Introduce The Black Death, what was it and where did it come from?
Include a labelled map showing the spread and origin
General statistics- how many people died?
How to write a paragraph
Start with a strong 'topic sentence' that states the content of the paragraph.
2-3 main points
Use evidence from the sources, quotes and facts etc. to support your discussion.
Close the paragraph with a sentence that directly relates to the essay question.
Paragraph 1: Short term impacts
Massive population loss
Fear, panic and religious responses
Persecution of minorities
Breakdown of trade and daily life
Paragraph 2: Long term economic impacts
Labour shortages and higher wages
The decline of serfdom and peasant mobility
Paragraph 3: Long term social impacts
The changing role of the Church
A shift in power between nobles and peasants
Social unrest (e.g. peasant revolts)
Changes in art and attitudes toward death
Essay planning
Paragraphs are beautiful - a four step fail safe plan
To do: Writing a TEEL paragraph
Topic: Begin EACH new paragraph with a clear and precise topic sentence that refers directly to the content of the paragraph. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about, or its main idea
Explain: Explain what you mean in greater detail.
Evidence: Provide evidence to support your idea or claim. To do this, refer to your research. This may include: case studies, statistics, documentary evidence, academic books or journal articles. Remember that all evidence will require appropriate citation.
Link: Summarise the main idea of the paragraph, and make clear how this paragraph supports your overall argument. The linking sentence links one paragraph to the next and provides another device for helping you ensure your text is cohesive.