Before I teach Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, I ask the students to think about our society today. I ask them to choose 30 people from all walks of life in America as representatives of modern life. They have to write about their choices in their journals, explaining and justifying them. Then we discuss their choices in class and come up with a class list. This exercise gets the students thinking about the most appropriate occupations and traits that represent our world today.
After we have done this activity, we start reading Chaucer's Prologue to the tales. We look for the broad cross-section of occupations that he represents and the many ways in which he discusses their traits. Sometimes their traits and even dress are appropriate to their occupation/class while sometimes they are not. This close reading is helpful to students in discovering the nuances of Chaucer and his wit.
Once we have read the prologue, all students read "The Knight's Tale" and "The Pardoner's Tale." After discussing those tales, I divide the class into groups and have the groups each draw for an additional tale that they will read and present to the class. They are responsible for teaching it to the rest of the class in a creative way that also helps the class understand yet another of Chaucer's tales. I generally find it is more effective NOT to give them too many examples of what to do because that somehow seems to limit their creativity. (I should point out that I teach all honors students, by the way. More direction might be needed for other students.)
By the time we are done, students have all read 3 of Chaucer's tales plus the prologue and have seen presentation on four or five more. Sometimes the projects are so interesting that students tell me they have read more of the tales on their own.
Inevitably, students tell me they are shocked at how "modern" Chaucer's tales and characters are. It is one of their first realizations that "older" literature doesn't have to be dry and boring. I think The Canterbury Tales are accessible for nearly all students, especially if you can create interest at first by tying it in to people's traits in modern-day America.
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5 comments:
Universality and jigsaw learning. Great stuff.
I have also seen a lesson where, additionally, each group has to draw an illustration of what their specific character looks like. The drawings and explanations were compiled into a booklet form.
I love this idea! I think that asking your students to think about contemporary people creates a great connection for them.
I, too, love your opening activity. I think it is so important to do this frontloading and get students to make connections to the real world -- and especially to do it before they even start the book!
I, too, love your opening activity. I think it is so important to do this frontloading and get students to make connections to the real world -- and especially to do it before they even start the book!
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