Grades 11-12 –The Canterbury Tales for 2014 and BEYOND!– 2014-2015

Kimberly LoFaso – FacilitatorMary Kudla– Writer

Carrie Piombino- Writer

November 20142014-2015

East Meadow School DistrictEnglish

Table of Contents

Abstract 3Rationale 4Understanding by Design 5Chaucer Background & Language Usage Lesson 6Chaucer Background PowerPoint 7Chaucer Background Worksheet 23Chaucer Background Quiz 24

NY Times Article “Almost Before We Spoke, We Swore” 30

NY Times Article Vocabulary Worksheet 36

The General Prologue Lesson 38

Prologue Pilgrim Chart 40

The Modern Day Pilgrim Assignment 44The Modern Day Pilgrim Sample 45Name That Pilgrim Quiz 46The Pardoner’s Tale and the Dangers of Greed Lesson 48The Pardoner’s Tale and the Dangers of Greed PowerPoint 49The Pardoner’s Tale Discussion Question Worksheet 52The Pardoner’s Tale and the Seven Deadly Sins Lesson 53The Pardoner’s Tale and the Seven Deadly Sins PowerPoint 54The Pardoner’s Tale and Incident in a Rose Garden Lesson 57Incident in a Rose Garden Poem and Discussion Questions 58The Pardoner’s Tale and Incident in a Rose Garden PowerPoint 59The Pardoner’s Tale Quiz 63Works Cited 69

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Abstract

Our goal is to take Chaucer’s masterpiece and modernize the teaching of it through the use of

news articles, non-fiction pieces, technology, and recent news events, all while meeting the new Common

Core State Standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 through our lessons, group and independent activities, writing

assignments, quizzes, etc.

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Rationale

This CAP will relate directly to the new Common Core State Standards as it will implement non-fiction

works of literature and innovative approaches toward creating a love of Chaucer’s masterpiece within our

students. Our goals include meeting the Standard: Students and Learning by responding to factors

influencing learning as well as the Standard: Content and Instructional Planning by enabling our students

to demonstrate content knowledge; use diverse instructional strategies; and design learning to connect

prior knowledge. We will address the Standard: Instructional Practice by setting high expectations and

challenging learning; using a variety of approaches to meet student needs; engaging students to develop

multi-disciplinary skills; and monitoring student progress and adapting instruction accordingly. The

Standard: Learning Environment will be addressed as we create an intellectually/challenging

environment; and use resources to create a safe/productive environment. We will also address the

Standard: Assessment for Student Learning by using a wide-range of assessment tools; and preparing

students for assessments. Finally, we will also strive to meet the Standard: Professional Growth by

engaging in ongoing professional development, simply by partaking in such a create experience with our

fellow colleagues!

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Understanding by DesignStage One – Desired Results

New York State Common Core English Language Arts Standards for 11th and 12th graders:Students will be able to…

a. Self-select text to respond and develop innovative perspectives.b. Establish and use criteria to classify, select, and evaluate texts to make informed

judgments about the quality of the pieces.c. Develop factual, interpretive, and evaluative questions for further exploration of the

topic(s).d. Interpret, analyze, and evaluate narratives, poetry, and drama, aesthetically and

philosophically by making connections to: other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, personal events, and situations.

e. Explore and inquire into areas of interest to formulate an argument.Understanding(s)Students will understand that

1. Literature can connect to the world in which we live.

2. The issues characters dealt with during Chaucer’s times should be discussed as well as read about, as they are still relevant to our modern day lives.

Essential Question(s):1. How can we better teach the Chaucer’s

The Canterbury Tales?2. How can we help students better

understand the format and meaning of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales?

Students will know1. The meaning of Chaucer’s The

Canterbury Tales .2. The similarities they have to Chaucer’s

pilgrims and their internal and external conflicts, despite the difference in setting.

Students will be able to1. Identify common issues teenagers are

forced to face in today’s world in comparison to those that the characters deal with in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

2. Read, understand, and connect to Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

Stage 2 – Assessment of Evidence

Performance Task(s):1. Enjoy and understand Chaucer’s The

Canterbury Tales2. Make connections to life and personal

experiences while reading news articles and completing a variety of tasks.

Other Evidence:1. To create and provide a unified and

comprehensive method of teaching students abut Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and the powerful impact it can have upon the reader.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Learning Activities:1. Assessment activities of the common issues our teenagers deal with on a daily basis.2. Worksheets, articles, activities, lesson plans, and web-sites to help student’s

comprehension of the common issues in relation to Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

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Aim: Understanding the reason for Chaucer’s popularity throughout the ages

Do Now: What causes something to remain popular within society?

New York State Common Core-L.6- Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.R.1- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.W.9- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Lesson:1. Students will share and discuss their DO Now responses with their “Think-Pair-Share” partners

2. The class will compile a list on the Smartboard, giving evidence.a. The class will be informed that since Chaucer’s death, The Canterbury Tales has never

gone out of print! b. Students will be asked to consider why this is true.c. Expected responses include:

i. There’s something relatable about the stories within itii. It’s popular among many different groups

iii. It’s still taught in high schools and universities

3. Students will define a list of vocabulary terms to prepare for the New York Times article “Almost Before We Spoke, We Swore” by Natalie Angier.

4. Students will read the New York Times article “Almost Before We Spoke, We Swore” by Natalie Angier and view the cartoon captions.

5. Students will complete “the reflection” independently and then meet with their assigned groups to discuss.

6. Next, the class will discuss the various responses to this article as a wholed. Students will be asked to consider:

i. What surprised you as you read this article?ii. Do you agree or disagree with any points made or facts stated?

iii. What connection to The Canterbury Tales can you draw?*Students will be required to cite the specific line of text they are referring to.

Closure: Why do you believe literary classics such as The Canterbury Tales, remain as such throughout the years?

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Chaucer Background Information

Directions- While viewing the PowerPoint presentation, answer the following questions in preparation for the upcoming quiz.

1. What enabled Chaucer to know so much about different aspects of the medieval world?

2. What rather important fact remains unknown of Chaucer?

3. What happened to Chaucer while he was serving in the army?

4. What was Chaucer’s wife’s name?

5. What is Chaucer able to do so successfully in his later poetry?

6. How many tales were initially intended for The Canterbury Tales? How many tales did Chaucer actually complete?

7. What does The Prologue focus upon?

8. What differences should be noted of the characters focused upon in The Prologue?

9. What different aspects of medieval literature are focused upon in The Canterbury Tales?a. b. c. d.

10. What is notable about the Father of English Poetry?i.

ii. iii.

11. Where is Chaucer buried and what has been established around his tomb?

12. What are pilgrimages and for what purpose(s) were they made?

13. Why do so many make pilgrimage to Canterbury?

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September 20, 2005

Almost Before We Spoke, We Swore

By NATALIE ANGIER

Incensed by what it sees as a virtual pandemic of verbal vulgarity issuing from the diverse likes of Howard Stern, Bono of U2 and Robert Novak, the United States Senate is poised to consider a bill that would sharply increase the penalty for obscenity on the air.

By raising the fines that would be levied against offending broadcasters some fifteenfold, to a fee of about $500,000 per crudity broadcast, and by threatening to revoke the licenses of repeat polluters, the Senate seeks to return to the public square the gentler tenor of yesteryear, when seldom were heard any scurrilous words, and famous guys were not foul mouthed all day.

Yet researchers who study the evolution of language and the psychology of swearing say that they have no idea what mystic model of linguistic gentility the critics might have in mind. Cursing, they say, is a human universal. Every language, dialect or patois ever studied, living or dead, spoken by millions or by a small tribe, turns out to have its share of forbidden speech, some variant on comedian George Carlin's famous list of the seven dirty words that are not supposed to be uttered on radio or television.

Young children will memorize the illicit inventory long before they can grasp its sense, said John McWhorter, a scholar of linguistics at the Manhattan Institute and the author of "The Power of Babel," and literary giants have always constructed their art on its spine.

"The Jacobean dramatist Ben Jonson peppered his plays with fackings and "peremptorie Asses," and Shakespeare could hardly quill a stanza without inserting profanities of the day like "zounds" or "sblood" - offensive contractions of "God's wounds" and "God's blood" - or some wondrous…pun.

In fact, said Guy Deutscher, a linguist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and the author of "The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention," the earliest writings, which date from 5,000 years ago, include their share of off-color descriptions of the human form and its ever-colorful functions. And the written record is merely a reflection of an oral tradition that Dr. Deutscher and many other psychologists and evolutionary linguists suspect dates from the rise of the human larynx, if not before.

Some researchers are so impressed by the depth and power of strong language that they are using it as a peephole into the architecture of the brain, as a means of probing the tangled, cryptic bonds between the newer, "higher" regions of the brain in charge of intellect, reason and planning, and the older, more "bestial" neural neighborhoods that give birth to our emotions.

Researchers point out that cursing is often an amalgam of raw, spontaneous feeling and targeted, gimlet-eyed cunning. When one person curses at another, they say, the curser rarely spews obscenities and insults at random, but rather will assess the object of his wrath, and adjust the content of the "uncontrollable" outburst accordingly.

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