Art of Chivalry Lesson, Game & Teacher's Guide (Gr. 9-12-adaptable)

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The Art of Chivalry Teacher's Guide
by Carol Schlenk
Introduction
The medieval knight-at-arms belonged to a class of society privileged to wear armor. Knights trained from an early age to defend the property and honor of their liege lord, their king, and during the Crusades, their Christian faith. In times of peace, knights competed in tournaments and jousts to keep themselves in practice for actual warfare. For all these knightly activities, two major possessions were required - a horse and a set of armor.

Lesson Focus
In the "Knight in Shining Armor" game, students will study the exhibit The Art of Chivalry, and answer 14 online questions dealing with the history of medieval armor. With each correct answer, the viewer will be allowed to add a piece of armor to a mounted knight.

Although this game was designed for high school students, it can be modified for middle, elementary, and special education students. The game questions and correct answers (in bold type) are given at the end of this teacher's guide for those who want to modify by giving students the questions as an exhibit viewing aid.

Vocabulary
» chivalry - the system of knighthood and its ideal qualities, courage, honesty and courtesy
» medieval - of or relating to the Middle Ages, the period in European history from about 500 A.D. to about 1400 A.D.
» armor - metal covering that protected the bodies of knights and their horses during battle
» knight - a mounted warrior, trained since childhood, who, during the Middle Ages, served his feudal superior
» feudalism - social, political, and ecomomic system in Europe during the Middle Ages

Extension Activities
Have groups of students research and illustrate the following medieval topics:

» Knights Templar
» Order of the Garter
» The Holy Grail
» Falconry
» Heraldry

Researchers should answer the following questions about their topic:

» When and where did it originate?
» Is it still in existence today?
» How does it relate to knighthood?
» For safety and defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small communities around a central lord or master. In this "feudal" system, most people lived on manors. What was life like on these manors for people in the different social classes? Have groups of students research the following topics and create skits to act out their topics. Encourage the use of costumes, props, and medieval music.
» Homes
» Clothing
» Health and Medicine
» Arts and Entertainment
» Religion

After presentation of group skits, compare and contrast feudal life and modern life.

Knights used coats of arms to identify themselves in battle. As few people in medieval times could read, knights decorated their shields with significant patterns, symbols, and colors. Research this use of heraldry and have students design their own coats of arms to represent their family names.

Training for knighthood began in a medieval boy's childhood, sometimes as early as age four. Read the following passage about this training and translate it into modern English.


A Squire's Training
by John Harding - date unknown

And as lordes sonnes bene sette, at four yere age,
To scole to lerne the doctryne of letture,
And after at sex to have thaym in language,
And sitte at mete semely in all nurture;
At ten and twelve to revelle in thair cure,
To daunse and synge, and speke of gentelnesse;
At fourtene yere they shalle to felde I sure,
At hunte the dere, and catch an hardynesse.

For dere to hunte and slea, and se them blede,
Ane hardyment gyfffith to his corage,
And also in his wytte to takyth hede
Ymagyninge to take thaym at avauntage.
At sextene yere to werray and to wage,
To juste and ryde, and castels to assayle,
To scarmyse als, and make sykur courage,
And sette his wache for perile nocturnayle;

And every day his armure to assay
In fete of armes with some of his meyne,
His might to preve, and what that he do may
Iff that we were in such a jupertee
Of werre by falle, that by necessite
He might algates with wapyns hym defende:
Thus should he lerne in his priorite
His wapyns alle in armes to dispende.


Meeting Curriculum Standards with the "Knight in Shining Armor" Game:
This learning activity fits within the following National Voluntary Curriculum Standards:

» Social Studies
» Culture
» Time, Continuity & Change
» People, Places & Environment
» Individuals, Groups & Institutions
» Global Connections
» English Language Arts
» Reading for Information
» Synthesizing Data
» Use of Technology and Informational Resources

This activity also meets the following standards from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for high school World History, and English, Language Arts.
» Social Studies
» World History 1A,D; 20B; 26A;
» English, Language Arts
» Reading 6 A, B, E, 7 A, B, C, J, 8 B, C, A
» Historical-Cultural Heritage 3 B
» Response-Evaluation 4 A, B
» This activity meets these International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for computer literacy:
» Basic operations and concepts
» Social, ethical, and human issues
» Technology productivity tools
» Technology research tools
» Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools