{"id":1076,"date":"2023-11-19T18:01:44","date_gmt":"2023-11-19T18:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seizethedayinela.com\/?p=1076"},"modified":"2024-04-30T20:56:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T20:56:29","slug":"engage-your-students-with-chaucers-canterbury-tales-prologue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seizethedayinela.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/19\/engage-your-students-with-chaucers-canterbury-tales-prologue\/","title":{"rendered":"Engage Your Students with Chaucer\u2019s Canterbury Tales Prologue"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In college, I suffered through a Medieval Literature course and studied not only the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue, but the entire text \u2026 in its original Medieval English.<\/span><\/p>

Fortunately, now that I teach my seniors Chaucer, we cover his <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue \u2013 and that\u2019s it \u2013 in a modern English we can actually understand, for the most part.<\/span><\/p>

Now, the question becomes: how can we enjoy it and make it relevant?<\/span>Keep reading to find out how I teach the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue in a way that\u2019s personalized, fun, and rigorous for my students.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Before You Plan Your Canterbury Tales Prologue Activity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Before jumping right into your <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue activity or general introduction to the text, it\u2019s important to have an understanding of the author and the text as a whole.\u00a0 The <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue is just a snapshot; the entire text is quite comprehensive.<\/span><\/p>

If you\u2019re new to this text, <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>still holds popularity and reverence today thanks to its satire and wit.\u00a0 Quite frankly, audiences who lived alongside Chaucer were quite thrilled to have something to laugh about after a handful of plagues devastated Europe in the 1300s and 1400s.<\/span><\/p>

At the time, Geoffrey Chaucer was well-known and well-renowned for his writing abilities.\u00a0 He was a celebrated author and poet who enjoyed his success and popularity on the English royal court.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Canterbury Tales Overview<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Sometime between 1387 and 1400, Chaucer penned a collection of 24 stories, all of which open with the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>

The general premise of the text is a mishmash of pilgrims (travelers) happens to strike up a conversation in a pub.\u00a0 When they find out they are all traveling to St. Thomas Becket\u2019s shrine, one of the pilgrims has the idea to make the travelers\u2019 journey more entertaining.\u00a0 So he devises a competition.\u00a0 The pilgrim who tells the most entertaining life story wins a free meal at the end of the pilgrimage.<\/span><\/p>

Many factors contribute to the everlasting success of Chaucer\u2019s seminal work.\u00a0 Namely, he wrote in the vernacular, meaning his language was more readily-accessible to a wide range of readers, not just the formally educated.<\/span><\/p>

Additionally, the frame tale he used to structure his work was new.\u00a0 His audiences appreciated this refreshing change of narrative form.<\/span><\/p>

But arguably the most notable reason for wide success is the content and style of his writing.\u00a0 Chaucer wasn\u2019t afraid to make public the lewd, misogynistic, hypocritical, or otherwise shocking behavior of the pilgrims.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Using sharp wit and other satirical devices, Chaucer openly made a mockery of and criticized high-ranking figures like doctors, lawyers, and clergymen (and clergywomen).<\/span><\/p>

Actually, it\u2019s pretty genius in the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue (and throughout the rest of the text) how Chaucer is able to so cleverly hide behind a guise of innocence thanks to sarcasm, hyperbole, and juxtaposition (just to name a few devices).<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Introducing the Prologue to Students<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Once you\u2019ve familiarized yourself with the text, you\u2019re ready to jump into your <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue activity.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a quick glimpse into my classroom and what we did with Chaucer\u2019s text this year.<\/span><\/p>

Canterbury Tales Prologue: Activator<\/b><\/p>

For me,\u00a0 what resonates with students the most in the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue is the satire.\u00a0 I teach the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue in my British Literature course, which is geared mostly towards seniors.\u00a0 The activity I use as my warm-up, though, is one I use with my sophomores, too.<\/span><\/p>

To introduce the text and better situate students within Chaucer\u2019s satirical realm, I use this \u201c<\/span>Satire Notes and Activity<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 When I teach <\/span>Don Quixote<\/span><\/i> to my sophomores, we approach satire more methodically, taking a lot of time to review the technique and its traits and characteristics.\u00a0 Then we apply what we\u2019ve learned to examples and eventually our text.<\/span><\/p>

With my seniors, who should already know much of this content, we jump right into contemporary media clips that feature various types of satire.\u00a0 It\u2019s more of a review.<\/span><\/p>

A common misconception of Chaucer\u2019s <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue is that it\u2019s outdated.\u00a0 While some of the pilgrims\u2019 professions might be antiquated (i.e. the knight), Chaucer\u2019s underlying message and techniques are still very relevant.\u00a0 So, to help students better understand this, I like to show modern clips from relevant shows like <\/span>Saturday Night Live <\/span><\/i>or recently-aired commercials.<\/span><\/p>

I\u2019ll provide my students with a graphic organizer and set up the clips to watch on my screen.\u00a0 You could also easily assign this as partner work or an independent activity.\u00a0 However you approach the task, it\u2019s important to come together as a group to discuss what we learned.\u00a0 Really drive home with your students the underlying messages of criticism since that\u2019s what Chaucer aims to do.<\/span><\/p>

By framing students\u2019 mindsets specifically towards satire, you can then better approach the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue.<\/span><\/p>

The Heart of the Lesson<\/b><\/h2>

Now, with a general understanding of Chaucer\u2019s satire, you can dive into the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue.\u00a0 If you have the freedom to do so, I definitely recommend modifying the reading load as opposed to reading the prologue in its entirety.<\/span><\/p>

One part of modernizing texts for our students to better meet their needs can come in the form of how much we read.\u00a0 The British Literature course I teach is only semester-long; so, to try and cram the entire <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> or even the whole prologue would absorb a large amount of time we just don\u2019t have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Plus, part of meeting our students\u2019 needs in a post-covid world means maximizing the short attention spans many learners have.\u00a0 My suggested approach for the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue can do that.<\/span><\/p>

Select the Best Pilgrims<\/b><\/h2>

In all, there are 24 pilgrims featured in Chaucer\u2019s prologue.\u00a0 My first recommendation for teaching the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue is to select those you feel are the most entertaining, relevant, or relatable for your students.<\/span><\/p>

While you can certainly read the entire text, in my class, we began with a general overview of the prologue.\u00a0 Pretty much what I shared with you earlier is what I included in my presentation and introduction for my students.\u00a0 Then we highlight two pilgrims specifically.<\/span><\/p>

Start the <\/b>Canterbury Tales<\/i><\/b> Prologue Together<\/b><\/h3>

Admittedly, we go a bit out of order.\u00a0 We start with the Narrator, though his story technically comes at the end of the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue.\u00a0 I find that starting with him can help lay the groundwork for reliability since, after all, we are hearing everyone else\u2019s story through him.<\/span><\/p>

After the narrator, we read about the Knight.\u00a0 For Chaucer, little to no satire is present with this pilgrim.\u00a0 The Knight stands as the emblem of respectability and morality.\u00a0 All others should aspire to be like the Knight but will undoubtedly pale in comparison even with their best efforts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

By reading first about the Knight in the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue, I encourage my students to use him as the standard.\u00a0 It becomes more humorous, then, to see how the other pilgrims so miserably \u2013 and laughably \u2013 fail to reach that high bar, even if they wanted to.<\/span><\/p>

We\u2019ll read the Narrator\u2019s and the Knight\u2019s tales together.\u00a0 One reason I do this is to help students understand the language.\u00a0 Even though it\u2019s much more modern than, say, the Medieval English of <\/span>Beowulf<\/span><\/i> (Do you teach that, too?\u00a0 <\/span>Check this out<\/span><\/a>.), it can still be a challenge for students to encounter the first time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I also choose to cover these two pilgrims together to better set the tone and expectations for what comes next.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Remaining Pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales Prologue<\/b><\/h3>

When we have concluded our large group work, we then move into smaller group tasks.\u00a0 With a small group, they choose from the remaining list of pilgrims to cover.\u00a0 Those include the Prioress, Monk, Friar, Doctor, Wife from Bath, Parson, and the Summoner.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I have a small class \u2013 just 16 this semester \u2013 so the numbers work out well.\u00a0 Depending on your class size, you could increase the sizes of the groups to four or five.<\/span><\/p>

Each group then receives a worksheet dedicated to their pilgrim.\u00a0 I give them at least the rest of our 84-minute class period (and usually some of the next day) to read their pilgrim\u2019s tale and tackle the tasks that accompany it.<\/span><\/p>

You can <\/span>see here<\/span><\/a> I\u2019ve put a great deal of time into preparing each pilgrim\u2019s worksheet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

First, I have each pilgrim\u2019s entire tale, with footnotes, on the worksheet.\u00a0 This allows students to read the original text and interact with it in a meaningful way.\u00a0 I require annotations.<\/span><\/p>

Each pilgrim then comes with a variety of tasks.\u00a0 Many require students to defend a statement with textual evidence.\u00a0 Others ask students to find modern examples that resonate with their pilgrim.\u00a0 A lot feature other literary devices like author\u2019s tone and satire.<\/span><\/p>

As students work, I travel the room, pausing to listen in on their interpretations or to offer guidance when needed.\u00a0 I collect the worksheets and assess them at the end of the activity.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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My Favorite Pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales Prologue<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Though you could tackle any number of pilgrims for the group work, I definitely have a few favorites.\u00a0 These serve as the basis for my <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue worksheets.<\/span><\/p>

Religious Characters from the Canterbury Tales Prologue<\/b><\/h2>

It\u2019s hard to ignore the heavy criticism Chaucer holds for members of the Church.\u00a0 And, back in the time this was written, it would have been more than just scandalous for him to make such remarks towards an entity that, quite literally, had a hand in everything.\u00a0 But audiences then and now certainly appreciate his hilarious blaspheming.<\/span><\/p>

To start, I included the Prioress.\u00a0 This should-be-pious nun of the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue should be a pillar of humility.\u00a0 Instead, through Chaucer\u2019s hyperbole, she reveals an obsession with her appearance.\u00a0 With my students, I encourage them to look closely at Chaucer\u2019s tone towards the Prioress using textual evidence.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Next, we look at the Monk, who should be another beacon of simplicity in the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue.\u00a0 But, hilariously, he not only enjoys a life of excess, but thrives on hunting to achieve that.\u00a0 The juxtaposition between what should be a peaceful man of God and this ruthless hunter is hard to ignore and fun to discuss.<\/span><\/p>

Another churchly figure we cover is the Friar.\u00a0 Whereas the Prioress puts on blast the hypocrisy of humble appearances and the Monk likewise exacerbates the mockery of gentle natures, the Friar hilariously satirizes how men of God, like himself, should live a life of poverty.\u00a0 What I love about the Friar isn\u2019t just the humorous ways he fills his pockets, but the subtle ways it seems like Chaucer enjoys the Friar.\u00a0 For this pilgrim, I see if students can figure out how we know this.<\/span><\/p>

The final religious character we cover in the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue is the Parson.\u00a0 For me, he\u2019s an interesting inclusion for Chaucer because, when put side-by-side with the Knight, the Parson seems to be the closest to achieving that high status.\u00a0 For this pilgrim, we look at the symbolism of a shepherd and his flock as well as gold versus iron.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Other Favorites from the Canterbury Tales Prologue<\/b><\/h3>

I also choose to include the Doctor and the Wife from Bath in my <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue activities.\u00a0 To me, it\u2019s hard to pass up the Doctor when we\u2019ve so recently endured a pandemic.\u00a0 It\u2019s fun to assign this pilgrim to my more scientifically-minded students in the room.\u00a0 They have a blast with Chaucer\u2019s doctor\u2019s reliance on astrology for medical knowledge.<\/span><\/p>

And maybe my personal favorite from the <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue is the Wife from Bath.\u00a0 She is so bawdy and unabashed, and I think she rocks.\u00a0 It would be a fun activity to start a discussion on who most closely resembles the Knight.\u00a0 I might argue the Wife from Bath is the farthest from him.\u00a0 So one of the tasks I have for students who choose her is exactly how she compares to the Knight.<\/span><\/p>

And last but not least, one of the groups covers the Summoner.\u00a0 If I have particularly artistic students in the room, I give them a little nudge towards the one because the worksheet has students draw him.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to decide which is uglier: his inward or outward appearance.\u00a0 Chaucer definitely plays this up in his <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue, and it\u2019s fun to be over-the-top with it.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Canterbury Tales Prologue Assessment<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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As noted before, you could definitely collect students\u2019 work and assess it there only. But if you have the time, your students will love the idea I have next.<\/span><\/p>

For a larger grade, I had students prepare a presentation to be shared with the class on their selected pilgrim from the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue.\u00a0 Using their worksheet and the discussions they had with their group the day prior, they had to share with the class their findings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I assessed their presentations on the following: a summary of their pilgrim\u2019s tale; how Chaucer uses satire with this pilgrim; their inclusion of textual evidence to show those satirical tools; and the overall presentation in terms of its organization and aesthetics.\u00a0 I\u2019ll also have students try to find a modern day comparison for their pilgrim.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Each group took turns presenting their pilgrim to the class.\u00a0 I love this approach because it allows everyone to hear about the major pilgrims from the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue without having to take the time and risk losing interest if we were to read every pilgrim individually.\u00a0 If desired, you could prepare a note sheet for students to fill out as their peers present.<\/span><\/p>

It also puts the students in the driver\u2019s seat by holding them accountable for learning the material and creatively sharing that with the class.<\/span><\/p>

Other Ideas for Assessing the Canterbury Tales Prologue<\/b><\/h2>

Short student presentations certainly are not the only way to assess understanding.\u00a0 Here are some other ideas for wrapping up the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue.<\/span><\/p>

Dress Up Day<\/b><\/h4>

You could have students dress the part for their selected pilgrim.\u00a0 Encourage them to come to class in full costume.\u00a0 Their presentation could then be a dramatic reenactment of their pilgrim\u2019s tale.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Or, if you have enough participation, host your own <\/span>Canterbury<\/span><\/i> party.\u00a0 Stage your room to look like a Medieval tavern and encourage students to mingle with one another while fully playing their parts.<\/span><\/p>

Modern Day Satire<\/b><\/h4>

As noted, a major selling point of any piece of literature is making it relevant and modern for your students.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

For your <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue assessment, you could have students find their own modern day parallel.\u00a0 For example, a student tasked with satirizing the Medieval doctor might choose a modern day astrologer.\u00a0 Maybe your student finds humorous parallels between the Wife from Bath and a spoiled socialite or other celebrity.<\/span><\/p>

How you have students demonstrate their understanding is up to you.\u00a0 You could mirror the earlier-mentioned presentation.\u00a0 You could have students make a poster.\u00a0 Or you could curate a class yearbook, giving each pilgrim their own page spread.<\/span><\/p>

Research Medieval Roles<\/b><\/h4>

Another possibility is more research-based: have students engage with more formal research as they learn about their pilgrim\u2019s Medieval role.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

So, have the group assigned to the Parson do some digging into what a Parson was expected to do in the 1300 and 1400s.\u00a0 Likewise, have students research the roles of women and government officials.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The upside of this approach is it would foster a deeper understanding of Chaucer\u2019s satire.\u00a0 By understanding the literal role, your students will have a richer comprehension for what Chaucer openly mocks.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Concluding Thoughts<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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If you had told me, as a college student suffering through an entire course on Medieval Literature, that I would one day teach the <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue and enjoy it,\u00a0 I\u2019d have thought you were crazy.<\/span><\/p>

But these creative <\/span>Canterbury Tales <\/span><\/i>prologue activities are the way to go.\u00a0 Through them, you can spotlight the most memorable pilgrims.\u00a0 Your students will have a ton of fun while engaging with the text in rich, rigorous ways.<\/span><\/p>

If you\u2019re ready to jump into some of my ideas specifically, check out my <\/span>Canterbury Tales<\/span><\/i> prologue<\/span><\/a> activity.\u00a0 While you\u2019re there, check out some of the other Medieval resources I have, like <\/span>Dante\u2019s <\/span>Inferno<\/span><\/i><\/a> Teacher\u2019s Booklet, \u201c<\/span>Canto V<\/span><\/a>\u201d from Dante\u2019s<\/span> Inferno<\/span><\/i>, or my <\/span>Don Quixote<\/span><\/i><\/a> resource.<\/span><\/p>

If you liked this resource \u2013 or any created here at Seize the Day in ELA \u2013 please leave a comment or a review!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Teaching Medieval Literature can be tough. The trick is to make it relevant and relatable. With these Canterbury Tales prologue activities, you’re sure to make Chaucer’s work memorable and fun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,23,21,24],"class_list":["post-1076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-activator","tag-assessment","tag-canterbury-tales-prologue","tag-overview"],"yoast_head":"\nEngage Your Students with Chaucer\u2019s Canterbury Tales Prologue - seizethedayinela<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Teaching the Canterbury Tales Prologue is tough! 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