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Language
Learning Through Story (3)
Teachers' Resources
by Margaret and Alun
Isaac
Based
on
Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight,
by Margaret Isaac
Apecs Press
2000
Sb ISBN 0 9537267 7 0
£29.50 TP/LS
These language
resources include background information on the story,
teachers' notes and language exercises. Due regard
is given to whole class work, group work and independent
work at text level, sentence level and word level.
The resources are where legends may be a focus.
Extracts
from Teachers' Resources
Gawain and the Green Knight, written in the 14th
century, is a story which celebrates the midwinter
festival and incorporates Christmas and pagan traditions.
It was intended
to be read aloud to an audience of royalty and nobility
as an entertainment on a special occasion which might
well have been a Christmas festivity.
When Gawain
accepts the challenge of the Green Knight, he is agreeing
to take part in a deadly game. The game is one of
life and death. Gawain has staked the reputation of
Arthur's court and all it stands for on his ability
to confront and overcome the Green Knight. To win
the game, he must prove himself as a true knight of
King Arthur. This means that he must abide by their
code of chivalry, namely to show courage in adversity,
to behave courteously at all times, to be pure in
heart.
Gawain and
the Green Knight is an example of an Arthurian Romance.
Role
Play leading to writing composition
Prepare the children for role play exercises. The
class is grouped in pairs and work on one of the following
activities:
1.
Morgause expresses her concern to Gawain about his
undertaking to meet the Green Knight. Gawain explains
why he must face the challenge. Pupils practise a
mime to demonstrate.
2 Two of the jesters relive the Green Knight's
entrance and his challenge to Arthur. Practise a mime.
Children
are allowed several minutes for discussion and several
minutes to practise their mime.
The teacher
chooses appropriate pairs to demonstrate to the class,
the class has to guess what the mime represents.
Each child
transcribes her/his mime.
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