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Unit Overview

Title of Unit: Middle Ages Cycle and Year: Cycle 1, Year 2

Subject: English Language Arts Time Frame: 4-6 weeks (75 minute periods)

Outline

Rationale: Medieval literature is seldom a era that is covered in the curriculum and students are unlikely to encounter it on their own. While they study the Middle Ages in social sciences, the aesthetic value of the arts is seldom considered. This unit allows students to understand texts that served as the foundation for future works. Many ideas presented in medieval romances continue to exist in fairy tales and in modern romances such as ideas of chivalry, undying love noble deeds. As students in Cycle 1 are still interested in supernatural elements, they will enjoy reading the various texts that share many similarities to texts they already know. The goal of the unit is to examine the similarities that exist between the past and present using a variety of texts and mediums. In order to make a connect to the present, students first need to understand the past. The majority of unit focuses on familiarizing students with medieval texts. Only then will students see more modern adaptations of medieval romances and how its elements continue to be used in more modern texts.

Essential Questions: - How does the past make its way into the present? -Are medieval romances dead?

Subject Competencies: -Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn -Reads and listens to written, spoken and media texts -Produces/writes texts for personal and social purposes

Student will be able to:

-Students will be able to identify the various elements of medieval romance. -Students will be able to write their own quest tale using codes and conventions of the genre. -Students will be able to write an essay. -Students will be able to better understand the past affects the present.

Cross Curricular Competencies:

-Communicates effectively -Exercises critical judgement

Texts: The Sword in the Stone Bisclavret by Marie de France Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell Lady of Shalott by Sir Tennyson Just Visiting (2001)

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Evidence of Assessment

Formative: a) Exit card Individually, students will write down 3 elements of medieval romance and explain it with examples from either The Sword in the Stone, Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell or Bisclavret. They must use an example to receive the mark. Read (Competency 2): Ability to recognize elements in a text. (3 marks) b) Response Write a short response (1-2 paragraphs) for the following question: Was looking out the window and breaking the curse worth it for the Lady of Shalott? -Answer the question using complete sentences and proper grammar. -Use textual evidence (quotes or paraphrasing) from the poem to support your ideas. 5 marks for reading (Competency 2) 5 marks for writing (Competency 3) Write a short response (1-2 paragraphs) describing your typical day if you woke up in medieval times. 5 marks for reading (Competency 2) 5 marks for writing (Competency 3) c) Lady of Shalott Illustrated Students will create a creative piece that represents one scene from the poem. They must also submit a written explanation that describes how their work is representative of the poem, as well as provide the lines. 10 marks for reading (Competency 2) 10 marks for writing (Competency 3) See examples on page 10 d) Crossword Puzzle Quiz Students will complete an in-class quiz that highlights key terms and vocabulary discussed during the unit.

Summative: a) Quest Tale: After studying various medieval romances, students will write their own quest tale. It must include:

● A quest (journey) ● A hero-knight ● A damsel/lady ● Two (2) obstacles ● Chivalry ● A supernatural element (enchantment/mythical object or animal) ● A moral ● Use of repetition or a pattern ● A title

Format quest tale with:

● Drop capitals for the beginning of different sections (minimum of 2) ● An illuminated border ● Printed on white paper stained with tea or coffee

See page 8 for rubric and page 11 for examples. b) Essay: Students will also write an essay after viewing a medieval film. They will write a five paragraph essay to answer the following question: Is Just Visiting an example of a medieval romance? See page 9-10 for rubric.

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Learning Plan

Day 1

Objective: By the end of class, students will be familiar with some elements of medieval romances present in The Sword in the Stone.

Development: Give out handout on “Elements of Medieval Romance”

a) Explain each element to students Students will work on The Sword in the Stone .

a) Read story together as a class b) Complete exercises/study questions on the story

Homework: Complete exercises

Assessment:

Day 2

Objective: By the end of class, students will be familiar with some elements of medieval romances present in The Sword in the Stone.

Development: The Sword in the Stone

a) Students will start by summarizing the plot of The Sword in the Stone b) Review exercises/study questions from the story c) Students will recall elements from The Sword in the Stone as

examples of medieval romances.

Assessment:

Day 3

Objective: By the end of class, students will be able to individually identify elements of medieval romance from Bisclavret.

Development: Bisclavret by Marie de France a) Read story together and summarize smaller sections b) Students will annotate elements of a medieval romance in the story by

highlighting them on their copy of the text. Each element should be a different color.

Homework: Finish annotating the story with elements of medieval romance

Assessment: Students will be informally evaluated on their ability to recognize elements of a medieval romance in Bisclavret.

Day 4

Objective: By the end of class, students should be able to identify elements of a medieval romance from the three stories studied. Students would be able to identify elements of a medieval romance in Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell .

Development: Review elements of medieval romance from Bisclavret.

a) Students will summarize the story b) Go over each element of medieval romance from the handout on the

story Students will begin work on Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell

a) Students will read the story individually b) Work on handout with questions

Exit card activity

Assessment: Exit card activity: Individually, students will write down 3 elements of medieval romance and explain it with examples from either The Sword in the Stone, Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell or Bisclavret. For full marks, they must use an example from one of the texts. Read (Competency 2): Ability to recognize elements in a text. (3 marks)

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Day 5

Objective: By the end of class, students should be able to identify literary devices in Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott and critically analyze the meaning of it.

Development: The Lady of Shalott

a) Read the poem out loud to students with explanations b) Listen to Loreena McKennitt’s version of the poem

Discuss literary devices with handout Students will work in groups to annotate specific stanzas from the poem and find literary devices. Homework: Finish annotating assigned stanzas in poem

Assessment: Students will be formally assessed on their group’s participation in identifying literary elements in their group’s assigned stanzas. They are responsible for sharing their findings with the rest of the class the following class. 5 marks for Talk (Competency 3)

Day 6

Objective: By the end of class, students should be able to annotate and interpret The Lady of Shalott in its entirety by looking at its literary devices and meaning.

Development: The Lady of Shalott

a) Students will briefly work in groups to interpret the poem and find literary devices in the poem

b) Discussion as a class as the groups share their findings on Smartboard

c) Discuss poetic elements: rhyming scheme, meter, verse, etc using presentation

Explain Lady of Shalott Illustrated Assignment.

Assessment: Illustrated Lady of Shalott assignment 1. Students will create a visual representation of a scene from The Lady of Shalott. They must provide a written explanation to justify why their work is representative of the lines and/or stanza.Total: 20 marks

Day 7

Objective: By the end of class, students should be able to answer the assigned question in 1-2 paragraphs using proper use of language and textual details from the text.

Development: Students will answer the assessment question on Classroom. Question: Was looking out the window and breaking the curse worth it for the Lady of Shalott? Students can use the remainder of class to work on their assignment. Homework: Lady of Shalott Illustrated

Assessment: Write a short response (1-2 paragraphs) for the following question: Was looking out the window and breaking the curse worth it for the Lady of Shalott? -Answer the question using complete sentences and proper grammar. -Use textual evidence (quotes or paraphrasing) from the poem to support your ideas. 5 marks for reading (Competency 2) 5 marks for writing (Competency 3)

Day

Objective: By the end of class, students should be able to By the end of class, students will be able to understand

Development: Go over elements of a quest tale from “Elements of Medieval Romance” handout

Assessment:

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8 elements of a medieval quest tale.

Explain: -Story line of quest tale -Examples of modern adaptations of quest tale

Ex: The wizard of oz, Shrek, the hobbit Homework: Brainstorm ideas for your own quest tales.

Day 9 &10

Objective: By the end of class, students should be able to identity their protagonist and the setting of their quest tale.

Development: Go over quest tale assignment requirements In-class writing Homework: Work on Quest Tale Lady of Shalott Illustrated DUE.

Assessment: Students will write an original quest tale following the requirements and criteria for the assignment. Competencies 1,2 and 3: Read, Write and Talk

Day 11

Objective: By the end of class, students will have strained their ledger paper for the final submission of their quest tale.

Development: Stain paper with tea for quest tale Homework: Work on Quest Tale

Assessment:

Day 12

Objective: By the end of class, students will peer-edit a classmate’s quest tale by providing constructive feedback on the documents and checking for the assignment requirements provided by the teacher.

Development: Peer-editing form Homework: Work on Quest Tale

Assessment: 2 marks from the Quest Tale assignment will come from the quality of feedback given to peer. Students will submit a copy of the story that they edited in order to show their participating in class.

Day 13 &14

Objective: By the end of class, students will be able to identify medieval elements in the film Just Visiting .

Development: Watch film: Just Visiting Homework: Work on Quest Tale

Assessment:

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Day 15

Objective: By the end of class, students will be able to write a 1-2 paragraph response describing a typical day if they woke up in medieval times. Students will also write the thesis statement and the introduction for their essay.

Development: Discussion of film Just Visiting

a) Elements of medieval romance b) Character names, themes, etc. c) Ideas of social norms in the past and in the present.

Write Response Essay

a) Introduce topic and assignment b) Presentation on thesis statements c) Activity: Students will take a stance on the following statements by

moving to one side of the room. Call on different students to give their side of the arguments.

i) Kids should not be allowed to use cell phones in class. ii) Going to high school should be optional. iii) Bottled water should not be sold. iv) The legal driving age should be 14.

d) Students write their thesis statement. Homework: Work on essay. Quest Tale DUE.

Assessment: Response: Students will write a 1-2 paragraph response describing a typical day if they woke up in medieval times. Students will write a 5 paragraph argumentative essay on the film. They will answer the following question: Is Just Visiting an example of medieval romance? (Competencies 1,2 and 3: Read, Write and Talk)

Day 1 6

Objective: By the end of class, students will be able to write the introduction and topic sentences for the body paragraphs in their essay.

Development: Essay

e) Presentation on introduction and body paragraphs f) Students write their essay.

Homework: Work on essay.

Assessment:

Day 17

Objective: By the end of class, students will be able to write a conclusion for the essay.

Development: Essay

g) Presentation on conclusions h) Students write their essay.

Homework: Work on essay.

Assessment:

Da

Objective: By the end of class, students should

Development: In-class peer-editing

Assessment: Peer-editing: students will receive 2

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be able to provide feedback to a peer on their essay and complete the summative crossword puzzle on Middle Ages.

Give out ‘Essay Checklist’ for students to finalize their essays. Quiz on Middle Ages Homework: Work on essay.

marks on their essays for the quality of their edits/suggestions on their peer’s work. Quiz: Students will complete a crossword quiz on various terms discussed during this unit. Read (Competency 2): 15 marks

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Rubric for Quest Tale Criteria Excellent (5) Very good (4) Good (3) Poor (2) Needs improvement (1)

Medieval Elements ❏ Title ❏ Hero-knight ❏ Lady/Damsel ❏ Supernatural element ❏ Two obstacles ❏ Chivalry ❏ A moral ❏ Use of repetition or a

pattern

Uses all 7 required elements of medieval romances skillfully and accurately to demonstrate understanding of codes and conventions of the genre

Uses all 7 required elements of medieval romances to demonstrate understanding of codes and conventions of the genre

Uses 5-6 required elements of medieval romances to demonstrate understanding of codes and conventions of the genre

Uses 3-4 required elements of medieval romances to demonstrate understanding of codes and conventions of the genre

Uses less than 2 required elements of medieval romances to demonstrate understanding of codes and conventions of the genre

Quest Originality and development of the quest

Story follows an original and developed quest

Story follows a quest that shows some thought in originality and development

Story follows a quest that is familiar and simple

Story uses some elements of a quest

Story does not follow a quest

Read (Competency 2) /10

Criteria Excellent (5) Very good (4) Good (3) Poor (2) Needs improvement (1)

Language Spelling, grammar, punctuation

Writing is free of spelling and grammatical errors

Writing has minimal spelling and grammatical errors

Writing has a few spelling and grammatical errors

Writing has many spelling and grammatical errors that detracts from purpose

Did not thoroughly edit writing causing significant detraction

Voice, audience and purpose

Audience and purpose are skillfully addressed through voice

Uses a consistent voice throughout the story that addresses purpose and audience

Somewhat addresses purpose and audience through voice

Minimal attention paid to address purpose and audience through voice

Does not address purpose and audience through voice

Write (Competency 3) /10

Criteria Meets expectations (3) Approaches expectation (2) Does not meet expectation (1)

Formatting: ❏ Drop capitals ❏ Stained paper ❏ Illuminated border

Includes all three formatting requests Includes 2 of 3 formatting requests Includes 1 of 3 formatting requests

Peer-Editing: Quality of feedback given by the student to peer

❏ Excellent (2) Gives detailed feedback with suggestions for improvement ❏ Minimal (1) Gives minimal feedback.

Write (Competency 3) /15

Total: /25

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Rubric for Essay

Criteria Excellent (4) Very Good (3) Good (2) Satisfactory (1)

Thesis statement Thesis statement is clear and strong.

Thesis statement is clear and precise.

Thesis statement is vague and oddly phrased.

Thesis statement does not answer the question and lacks clarity.

Introduction and conclusion

First sentence(s) in introduction are engaging. Final thoughts in conclusion are insightful.

First sentence(s) in introduction introduce the topic. Final thoughts in conclusion show some further thinking.

First sentence(s) in introduction are vague. Conclusion lacks a clear wrap-up. Needs more cohesion to the topic.

Introduction does not introduce the topic. Conclusion is ends abruptly.

Arguments and flow of ideas

Arguments are nuanced and presented in a logical order and ideas flow seamlessly.

Arguments are strong and presented in a logical order and ideas are easy to follow.

Arguments could be stronger and better organized. Ideas need more organization and are disconnected.

Arguments are not convincing and require organization.

Language: Punctuation, syntax/ grammar, spelling

Uses appropriate language that is free of grammatical and/or syntax errors, and spelling mistakes.

Uses appropriate language that has a few minor grammar/syntax, spelling and punctuation mistakes.

Language lacks precision. Has awkward phrasing, and grammar/ syntax errors. Many errors that significantly detract from clarity.

Language is not appropriate for academic writing. Needs further editing and revision for spelling, syntax, and grammar.

Criteria Thorough (2) Adequate (1)

Formatting: ❏ Font/Size ❏ Cover page ❏ Margins(1 inch) and Indented

paragraphs

Follows all the required formatting requests. Mostly follows the required formatting requests.

Peer-Editing Provides thorough and constructive feedback to peer. Provides minimal feedback to peer.

Write (Competency 3) /20

Criteria Excellent (4) Very Good (3) Good (2) Satisfactory (1)

Evidence/examples Strong use of examples from the film to support arguments.

Uses examples from film to support arguments.

Examples used to support arguments are weak or irrelevant.

Does not use examples from the film to support arguments.

Elements of medieval romance

Demonstrates strong understanding of elements of medieval romance.

Demonstrates good understanding of elements of medieval romance.

Somewhat demonstrates an understanding of elements of medieval romance.

Lacks understanding of elements of medieval romance.

Read (Competency 2) /8

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Criteria Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Poor (1)

Voice, audience and purpose

Audience and purpose are skillfully addressed through voice

Uses a consistent voice throughout the story that addresses purpose and audience

Somewhat addresses purpose and audience through voice

Minimal attention paid to address purpose and audience through voice

Talk (Competency 1) /4

Total: /32 Examples of ‘Lady of Shalott Illustrated’

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Examples of ‘Quest Tale’ stained paper and final book