Resources For Teaching High School
Lesson Plans & Classroom Exercises
King Arthur: How He Became King?"
A lesson plan by Janet Blaylock for middle schools and high schools, posted on the
LocalSchoolDirectory web site.
King Arthur and George Washington: A Thought
Experiment on the Historical Arthur, by Alan Baragona
The Legend of King Arthur
Lesson plans under the Literature section of a larger
Discovery Channel site
with study guides, vocabulary words, activities, and related sources, organized for K-5, 6-8, 9-12.
Exploring Arthurian
Legend: A "Lesson Plans" Website
"Goals: To examine the historical origins of the Arthurian legend; to investigate how
medieval historians and storytellers reflected the concerns of their own times in their treatment
of the legend; to gain insight into the use of literature as historical evidence." Suggested Grade
Level: 9-12
Arthurian Legend for Teachers
and Students
Kathryne C. Delcarpio of Pearl River High English provides "a 'starting point' for
teaching Arthurian Legend." She not only lists links to other websites but gives an array of
lesson
plans and assignments for oral reports and paper topics. This is part of the website for Loyola
University's "Summer Teachers Institute,
'Making the Middle Ages Fun,'
that was sponsored by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities in June of 2000. Our
on-going project has been to create a website that might serve as a resource for teachers K-12
who include (or even would like to include) medieval materials in their courses. The contents
here are as eclectic as our interests and teaching experiences. Here you will find syllabi,
handouts,
and reviews of material that we have found helpful in our own teaching and studies. We've also
tried to create links to web materials that seem particularly useful as well."
Traits of Chivalry: An Educators' Reference Desk Lesson Plan
A lesson plan by Beth Ann Bolmeier for 10th graders, using Arthurian Legend to teach the
concept of chivalry.
The Hero in Malory's Arthurian Legends
From the Omaha public schools, a lesson plan for 10 graders that teaches aspects of chivalry as
depicted in excerpts from Malory, as well as teaching research techniques. This page was last
updated in 1998, so some of the links are inactive, but substitutions can be made, and the lesson
can be adapted.
Teacher CyberGuide: The
Arthurian Legends
Created by Brian Ausland as part of the Schools of California Online Resources for
Educators (SCORE) Project, this site "provides resources for students in 9th-12th grade to focus
on issues and themes related to the Arthurian Legends. During these lessons, students examine
the significant themes and make connections to current issues and their lives."
King Arthur's Family
Tree
A lesson plan by Amy Mills, who teaches primarily 10th-grade English. "This
lesson/activity can accompany a unit on the Legend of King Arthur. This activity tracks the
genealogy of the legendary king before his birth OR after."
Where in the
World is Camelot?
Another lesson plan by Amy Mills. Students research and plot the various locations
that have been proposed for the legendary Camelot.
A&E's Classroom: Ancient Mysteries Camelot
Vocabulary, discussion questions, links to definitions and biographies.
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Paper Topics
Middle Ages Research
Paper
A research assignment for ninth graders from Kathryne C. Delcarpio (see above for
her entire site).
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Projects and Activities
Becky Fleming's Fifteen Simple Activities and
Assignments
A list of varied and creative ideas for introducing K-12 students to the Middle Ages
through King Arthur, Chaucer, and Dante.
Simulating the Battle of Mount Badon
This message posted to Arthurnet in Sept. 1997 briefly describes an activity
conceived by Patricia Hans for her high school class. We hope in future to have a more detailed
account of the project.
Handout on "The True Knight," by Mary Jo Buff,
University of Montevallo
A handout and project for an Upward Bound Honor's English course in the Summer of
2002.
Simulating Medieval Knighting Ceremonies
These are suggestions from 1998 in the
NCTE-Talk Archive
for having high school students conduct mock knighting ceremonies:
Posting #1;
Posting #2;
Posting #3.
A Millennial Quest for Arthur
"In January 2000 two undergraduate students left for a month-long research trip,
sponsored by Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama. After traveling over
3000 miles across the Island of Britain, we created this site for people who wish to learn more
about those places associated with King Arthur and the legends attached to them." Created by
students Joseph W.C. Boyles and W. Jacob Livingston, III, this site is beautifully organized and
has lots of photographs. Suitable for all levels.
Medieval Fiefdom
This website was created by several high school students and, though not done as a
class project, is an example of what students can be asked to do.
Oral Reports on the Middle Ages
An assignment by Sharon S. Stephens, Emporia High School, Emporia, Kansas,
part of Kathryne C. Delcarpio's website (for which, see above).
Mythology
Power Point Activity
An assignment appropriate for all high school levels from Kathryne C. Delcarpio
(for whose complete website, see above).
King Arthur
Leslie Bradley's students at Century High School, Ullin, IL, attempt to obtain
knighthood as they read selections from Malory and Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight. Mrs. Bradley provides a daily outline of the project, study questions, and step by
step instructions.
Arthurian
Anthology
From the NCTE Teaching Ideas, Stephanie Carey describes a project she devised
for 9th and 10th graders, writing character sketches, stories and poetry based on Arthurian
legend.
Do You Believe in Monsters or Beowulf, King Arthur, and Giant Green Men?
From the NCTE Teaching Ideas, J. D. Wilson, Jr., describes a project he devised for
12th-grade college preparatory students to "illustrat[e] how our preconceptions of the past
sometimes influence our interpretations of the past."
Creating a Multimedia Poetry
Lesson with Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Lady of Shalott"
From the NCTE Teaching Ideas, Gail N. Ferguson describes her use of multimedia
to teach Tennyson to 9th-12th graders.
Mark Twain and Technology
Home Page
Connersville, Indiana, High School students created this website as part of their
study of Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
The Lost Diaries of the
Connecticut Yankee
The first project in VMI's interdisciplinary General Education Pilot Program
required freshman Civil Engineering majors to study Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in
King Arthur's Court and both the medieval and 19th-century technology behind it.
Though created by college students, it is adaptable for high school.
Arthur Meets Monty Python
From the NCTE Teaching Ideas, Sage Hedges discusses ways she teaches Monty
Python along with Malory and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to her 12th-grade
British Literature class.
Arthurian Origami
Website connected to a book of the same name. "Anyone who can fold a simple
origami crane will be able to re-create the legend of King Arthur--castles, knights, sorcerers,
dragons, and all." You need the book for complete instructions, but the website has numerous
detailed pictures of the paper folding possibilities.
The Knight with the
Lion
The Knight with the Lion is an exciting, interactive resource for children. It tells
the story of Yvain, one of King Arthur's knights, and his intrepid lion companion, as well as
Gawain, Lancelot and others. Readers get to choose which knights to follow and which
adventures to explore, and to make decisions for them, as they wander through the mysterious
Forest of Broceliande. The Reader can discover all aspects of medieval life, from armour and
warfare to castles and clothing through the historical link material, with vivid illustrations and
photographs and clear explanation.
This site is provided by Aberdeen University's Literature Website.
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