Geoffrey Chaucer's ‘The Canterbury Tales’: compelling characterisation
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can create a compelling character profile inspired by the characters created by Geoffrey Chaucer in his 'The Canterbury Tales'.
Key learning points
- 'The Canterbury Tales' is a poem written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century.
- Chaucer creates a group of characters who are going on pilgrimage, and they tell each other stories on the way.
- In the first section of the poem, Chaucer creates compelling descriptions of each pilgrim.
- Creating a compelling character could include describing their role in society, as well as how they look, speak and act.
Keywords
Compelling - convincing, persuasive
Pilgrim - a person who travels to a place of religious significance for religious reasons
Character profile - a brief description of a character which establishes important ideas about them
Snapshot - a brief insight into something or someone
Miller - a person who works in a corn mill where grain is ground into flour
Common misconception
Middle English is the same as Old English. Both are general terms, and mean the same thing.
Middle English was spoken from about 1100-1500. Old English was spoken before 1100. Both are technical terms and have a specific meaning.
Teacher tip
Consider how you will read the full character profile of the Miller with your class. There is scaffolding in Learning Cycle 1 to prepare them for what they might find - does this need to be developed further with additional definitions of vocabulary and ideas from you?
Equipment
You will need a copy of the description of the Miller in 'The Canterbury Tales'. This can be found in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of upsetting content
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we use the terms narrator, author and character. Match each term to its definition.
the person telling the story
the person who wrote the text
a person in a text
Q2.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire', we meet many different characters. One way writers develop their characters is to create character profiles. In English, what is a character profile?
Q3.The word compelling means 'convincing, persuasive; exciting and interesting'. Which of the following uses the word compelling (or a form of it) accurately? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
Q4.A pilgrim is a person who travels to a place of religious significance for religious reasons. Which of these sentences uses the word (or a form of it) correctly?
Q5.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire' we read a poem called 'The Canterbury Tales' which was written in the 14th century. Date this poem in relation to Shakespeare.
Q6.In 'Myths, legends and stories that inspire' we will read a poem called 'The Canterbury Tales' which was written between 1387 and 1400. Who was on the English throne during this time?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1. wrote 'The Canterbury Tales' ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Q2.Chaucer wrote 'The Canterbury Tales' in English ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
Q3.Which of these statements about 'The Canterbury Tales' is correct? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
Q4.What do we learn about the character of the Cook when he is first introduced in 'The Canterbury Tales'? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
Q5.What do we learn about the character of the Miller when he is first introduced in 'The Canterbury Tales'? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
Q6.Which of these statements about Shakespeare and Chaucer are correct? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Geoffrey Chaucer's ‘The Canterbury Tales’: compelling characterisation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 English lesson on: Geoffrey Chaucer's ‘The Canterbury Tales’: compelling characterisation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 English lessons from the Myths, legends and stories that inspire unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.