Aim:
1. How does the game of chess
relate to life in medieval times?
2. How would some common
modern day expressions be spoken during medieval days?
3. What are the elements of a
play?
4. What are elements of good
acting?
5. What are in the production
of a play?
Materials:
computer with
Internet capabilities, |
Edmark, Imagination Express: Castle
or a word processing
application and a
drawing and painting
application |
printer |
| Optional: video camera, costumes,
scenery |
Vocabulary:
Students use Theater Basic Vocabulary to define the following words: Click here to see a glossary of words related to this chess unit.
Motivation:
1. Students view the online
story of The Littlest Knight, Arthurian Stories and Characters (a web site created by seventh grade students at
Academy of the Sacred Heart, New Orleans, Louisiana, Walt Disney
Home Video, "The Sword And The Stone,". Burbank, California,
read Grace Maccarone, The Sword And The Stone, Scholastic Inc., 19, online text of The Sword And The Stone,(This version is on an early elementary school
level and might be suitable for students with lower reading
levels), and/or Rosemary Sutcliff, The Sword And The
Circle, Penguin Publishing, 1979, and listen to the Legend of Camelot.
2. Describe the setting,
characters, plot - problem, development, and solution on a graphic organizer.
3. Describe some of the
costumes and scenery. How does the game of chess reflect the
characters, costumes, and scenery in these stories?
4. Students may play a Fun Brain quiz online related to King Arthur.
5. Click on the Bristol Renaissance Faire web page to learn some of the
everyday expressions of medieval days, including:
|
| Good
morning. |
= |
Good morrow. |
| Good
afternoon. |
= |
Good day. |
| I'll see
you later. |
= |
I shall see you anon. |
| How are
you? |
= |
How now? |
| Please. |
= |
Prithee or Pray. |
| Thank
you. |
= |
Grammercy. |
| Hello,
nice to see you! |
= |
Hail and well met! |
| What time
is it? |
= |
How stands the hour? |
| Where are
the restrooms? |
= |
Whither be the privies? |
| What is
your name? |
= |
What be thy tide? |
| Please
wait on me! |
= |
Prithee, attend me! |
| I'm
thirsty. |
= |
I be parched. |
| Goodbye,
I gotta go! |
= |
Fare thee well; I must
away! |
Learn to address the villages and
members of the royal court by their correct titles, but
remember to be extremely respectful of the Queen:
| The Queen |
= |
Your Majesty, Her
Majesty |
| Court
Ladies |
= |
My lady, good Madam |
| Archbishop |
= |
Your Grace |
| Court men |
= |
My lord, good sir |
| Villagers |
= |
Good mistress, my good
woman, good master |
|
Development:
1. These web sites may be used
to extract the elements of a play:
| characters |
Characters are the people,
animals, and objects that are in the play. |
| plot |
The plot is the main events that
take place in the story or play. The plot includes:
|
| The event which
triggers the problem of the play. |
|
|
| The problem that
the characters need to solve. |
|
|
| The climax is the
turning point of the play. |
|
|
| The denouement or
resolution is the solution of the
conflict or events following the
climax of the drama. |
|
|
| theme |
The theme is the thought, idea, or
main lesson to be learned from the play. |
| music |
The music may be a form in which
characters express themselves or a way to set the mood of the play. |
| spectacle |
Spectacle is the props, costumes,
make-up, lighting, and sets that are used in the play. |
| diction |
Diction or dialogue is what the
characters say to each other in the play. |
2.  Students
meet in cooperative groups to brainstorm ideas for writing a
play or skit that is set in Medieval Time.
3. Students record their
setting, characters, and plot on a graphic organizer.
4. Students formulate dialogue
for their characters to introduce the problem, development, and
solutions of their storyline. In formulating these aspects of
the play, students should take into account emotions and motives of
the characters. Students will include the medieval expressions
listed above as they write dialogue for their characters.
5. Students organize their
dialogue and stage directions into a skit that is written using
a word processing application and printed. See our written skits here.
6. Costumes and scenery for
the skit are created by the students. Costumes may be as simple
as wearing crowns or carrying toy swords. Scenery may be painted
on a sheet or butcher paper. Photos of medieval garb costumes may be seen
at http://scarboroughrenfest.com/gallery.htm.
7. A "Playbill" may be created
using a desktop publishing application such as PageMaker.
Included in the Playbill will be the cast of characters,
director, producer, etc. along with a synopsis of the skit.
Summary:
Students perform their skits
for the class. Actors will focus on conveying the emotions of
the characters they portray, diction, gestures, moving around
the stage area. Background music might be played via a tope
recorder or CD player, or students may play recorders (small
song flutes). Students might make up dance steps to accompany
the music. Audience manners and listening skills will be
displayed by the students watching the skits and plays.
Evaluation:
A rubric will be used to
evaluate students on the writing and performance of their skit
as well as their ability to work cooperatively.
Follow Up:
Students may video their skits
for presentation to other classes and parents.
Additional
Resources:
1. More Arthurian children's
books may be found at Essential Arthurian Texts
from this Amazon.com web site.
http://smu.edu/arthuriana/arthuramc.htm
2. The history of medieval
costumes can be found at
http://medievalclothing.com/medieval_clothing.htm
3. Links to
instructions for making medieval costumes may be found at
http://knowledgehound.com/topics/renaissa.htm
4. Students can view photos of
gowns, tunics, bodices, surcoats, doublets, jerkins, and other
forms of medieval dress at
http://houseofanoria.com/medieval_renaissance_victorian_catalogue.htm
|
