4A Middle Ages Syllabus Standards Traces the development of British fiction through various literary periods (ie, Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, etc. Identifies and analyzes patterns of imagery or symbolism Can you (Essential Questions)? 1. anaylze and describe how British literature developed during this time period? 2. identify and explain symbols in each story? Relates identified elements in fiction to theme or underlying meaing. Locates and analyzes such elements as character development, irony 3. analyze how those symbols relate to the themes of the stories? 4. analyze and explain how characters develop within a story? Task 1 - Background Information on the Middle Ages Period Critical Reading. In the PURPLE lit book, read pages 74 88 and answer the following questions: 1. What happened in 1066? (Please be more specific than saying " a war that changed the course of history"!) 2. Why do the English not speak French today? 3. What did the Normans (William the Conqueror) bring to the Anglo-Saxons culture? 4. Describe women in Medieval society. 5. What was chivalry? 6. Based on information from page 82, what happened to render the feudal system obsolete? 7. What were the Crusades? 8. How did the murder of Thomas à Becket lead to corruption within the Church? 9. What was the Hundred Years War? 10. What was the Black Death? Task 2. The Rise of Feudalism Click on the link and view the ENTIRE video, answering the questions below as you go. You can stop and "rewind" the vidoe as much as you need. http://assignments.discoveryeducation.com/?cdpasscode=tf4ef-4c48 1. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe became a violent and dangerous place without the Romans to provide. 2. Wealthy nobles began fighting each other for what? 3. Eventually a new political and social system called emerged from the chaos. 4. Because European kings weren't strong enough to control the battling nobles, they struck a deal. In a formal ceremonly, the following happened: 4.1A monarch (king) would give a to a noble. The monarch also agree to the noble. 4.2In exchange, the noble swore a vow of, promising to be faithful to the king and to supply him with. 5. Through this contract, the noble becamse a of the king or queen. 6. The king's vassals become themselves by subdividing their and acquiring of their own. 7. Feudal society had a strict social order. Put the following terms in order from most important (#1) to least important (#4), then match the correct descriptions with the terms.
- Peasant a. owned the land and was over everything on his land - Overlord (or Upper Nobility) b. poor, uneducated laborers who lived and worked on - Monarch the nobles' land - Lesser Lord c. swore loyalty to the king, provided armed men, had a - Knights small piece of land within the kingdom, and controlled most people's lives d. swore loyalty to the lord, had a small piece of the lord's land e. fought battles for their lord and for the king when needed 8. were the economic backbone of society, growing and providing that everyone needed. 9. Peasants had to obey the lord's. They couldn't leave the without. They were considered part of the noble's. 10. The main source of protection during the Middle Ages was the. Task 3. The End of the Middle Ages Critical Reading. In the PURPLE lit book, read Fleas, Money, and Gunpowder on pages 86 87 and answer the following: 1. Tell why each of these three things helped cause the end of the Middle Ages. Task 4. Times Medieval - Life in the Middle Ages Click on the link and view the ENTIRE video, answering the questions below as you go. You can stop and "rewind" the vidoe as much as you need. http://assignments.discoveryeducation.com/?cdpasscode=t9cfc-4fb7 1.Discuss how the Crusades helped lead to the end of the Medieval Period, or Dark Ages, and the beginning of the Renaissance. Focus on what items and knowledge the crusaders brought back from the Holy Land. 2. Describe the defense features of a castle. 3. Discuss how you could improve on the castle using modern technology. 3.1. How would you improve its defense systems? 3.2 How would you improve its basic comfort and convenience level? Task 5. King Arthur Click on the link below, then view each of the video segments AS THEY ARE LISTED IN ORDER. Answer the below questions as you go. http://assignments.discoveryeducation.com/?cdpasscode=t6f11-4f6d King Arthur: England and the Middle Ages (Video Segment) 1. King Arthur determined that his knights would live by this one rule: Might for Right. What does the rule Might for Right mean? 2. Merlin was a magician that was influential in King Arthur's life. Why was Merlin able to know the future? 3. What do the stories of King Arthur and his knights tell us about England? The Legend of King Arthur (Video Segment) 1. Why did Merlin raise Arthur instead of Luther Pendragon, who is Arthur's real father? 2. What happened to the kingdom when Luther was killed in battle? 3. How did Arhtur become king? 4. When Arthur gathered his knights together, they sat at a round table. Why was the table round? 5. What kinds of things did the knights do? Name THREE things 6. Arthur's reign at Camelot was a Golden Age. The king's and made him a hero to his subjects. 7. Who is Mordred?
8. Why is Mordred a problem for Arthur? 9. What other problem does Arthur have with his knights? 10. Why wasn't Merlin available to help Arthur when he began having troubles in his kingdom and with Mordred and his knights? 11. What is the Holy Grail? 12. What power did they believe the Holy Grail had? 13. Who found the Holy Grail? 14. Did the Holy Grail ever make it back to Camelot? 15. What's up with Queen Guinever and Sir Lancelot? 16. What punishment did King Arthur order for Queen Guinever? 17. After Guinever is saved by Sir Lancelot, Arthur puts Mordred in charge of Camelot and leaves to fight alongside his men. Once he was alone and in charge, what did Mordred then declare? 18. Mordred's declaration forced Arthur to return to Camelot to fight his own son. In a fierce battle, what happened to Arthur and Mordred? Task 6. Ballads. Critical Reading. In PURPLE lit book, starting on page 90. 1. p. 90 - Reading Focus - Read about ballads and write down FIVE facts. 2. p. 90 - Elements of Literature - What was the main purpose for the refrain? 3. p. 90 - Background 1. What does the word "ballad" mean? 4. P. 97 - Elements of Literature - READ "Ballads: Popular Poetry 1. What characteristics have come to be associated with ballads? 2. Which characteristis help build up suspense? 3. What does the conventional phrase "make my bed soon" or "make my bed narrow" mean? 4. p. 91 - READ "Lord Randall" (be sure to read the short paragraph at the top of the page FIRST!) - find someone to read it aloud with you and assign the parts. 1. Who are the two people speaking? 2. Why doesn't Randall want the dinner his mom fixed? 3. What happened to his bloodhounds? 4. What is wrong with Lord Randall? How did it happen? 5. What is the refrain in this ballad? 5. p. 93. Read "American Folk and Country and Western Music" in the box at the top of the page. 1. Describe the three types of ballads. 2. p. 96 - Read this modern ballad called "Frankie and Johnny". 1. What is the SUBJECT of this ballad? 2. What is the refrain? FOR EXTRA CREDIT - sing or recite one of the ballads in the book to me (you can use a musical instrument for accompaniment if you wish) Task 7. The Canterbury Tales
Critical Reading. In the PURPLE lit book, read about Geoffrey Chaucer and his creation of The Canterbury Tales on pages 99 105. 1.. As you read, fill out a T-Notes page - your teacher will give you one. Critical Reading. In the PURPLE lit book, read the first 42 lines of The Prologue from The Canterbury Tales. Complete the following activity: On page 106, you will see these 42 lines in the original Middle English version, and on page 107 you will see a modern English version 1-10. Write down 10 words or phrases from page 106 and translate them into modern English based on page 107. Task 8. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Intro and Background Critical Reading. In the PURPLE lit book, read page 160: Reading Focus, Elements of Literature, and Background. (NOTE: It is important to read the Background information because it gives you critical information that has happened.) Reading Focus 1. Describe how some historians believe that courtly love is a game. Elements of Literature 2. Define romance as it is defined here. 3. The basic narrative pattern of the romance is the, in which the undertakes a perilous in serach of. Background 4. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was composed in the of the century. 5. Name the three ideals of knightly conduct. 6. When Sir Gawain was written, the ideals of knightly conduct were just beginning to erode. What does "erode" mean? 7. As the story opens, who are the men who are feasting? 8. What suddenly happens? 9. What is the Green Knight's challenge? 10. Who accepts the Green Knight's challenge? Task 9. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Excerpt Critical Reading. In the PURPLE lit book, read Part I of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (p. 161-172) and answer the following questions. NOTE: There is a CD of this poem available if you would like to listen while you read. Just ask me. 1. Why do you suppose Gawain accepts this challenge? 2. What is your impression of Sir Gawain's character? 3. Why does Gawain refuse the ring the fair lady offers him? 4. What is the significance of the scarf? (What does it symbolize?) 5. Lines 156 166: Does Gawain s acceptance of the scarf and his pledge to keep it a secret from his host change your impressions of Gawain? Are his actions justified? Explain. 6. What was ironic about Sir Gawain spending a few days at the most beautiful castle he has ever seen? 7. Describe the meeting between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Why does Gawain survive this meeting? Task 10. Merlin
Watch the film, Merlin. Answer the following questions in carefully written paragraphs: 1. Why did people during the Middle Ages believed in magic? 2. Is Merlin a static or dynamic character? Is he round or flat? Explain your answers by giving details from the film that support your answers. 3. What did Excalibur symbolize? 4. Find one other symbol from the story and explain (1) what it stood for and (2) why it was important. 5. On a piece of copy paper, draw a plot diagram of the story. Check with yoru teacher if you are unsure how to draw one and/or don't know what information you should put on it. Task 11. First Knight Watch the film First Knight. Answer the following questions in carefully written paragraphs: 1. Compare King Arthur to King Marke in Tristan and Isolde - in either a well written paragraph or a visual of some kind (Venn diagram or chart). Be sure to address the following (as well as anything else you want to add): -Attitude toward country -Attitude toward his men -How did he come to power? -Discuss personality traits - Was he a forgiving man or did he hold a grudge? Show examples. Was he loyal? Show examples What were his leadership qualities? Show examples -How was he viewed by his countrymen? -Include other things you think are important in comparing these two characters 2. What did King Arthur's Round Table symbolize? 3. Find one other symbol from the story and explain (1) what it stood for and (2) why it was important. 4. On a piece of copy paper, draw a plot diagram of the story. Check with yoru teacher if you are unsure how to draw one and/or don't know what information you should put on it. Task 12. Final Exam Project 1. The Final Exam Project is your final exam in this course and counts as a final exam grade. It is a Power Point presentation, in which you will reflect upon what you learned in each unit you complete in your English class, you will reflect upon what you did, what standards were addressed and what you learned in each task. Instead of waiting until the end of the semester to complete this final exam, you will work on it as you complete each unit. That way your final exam will be finished when you complete your last unit for this course. 2. Get the instructions for the Final Exam Project from your teacher. Task 13. Grade Yourself 1. Get a blank standards-based rubric from your teacher 2. Write each "I Can " statement from the Standards chart in a separate box. 3. Then rate yourself as to how well you mastered each "I Can " statement. 4. Bring all your work and the completed rubric to your teacher to discuss your work and your grade.