Chivalry
Lesson Plan
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PowerPoint
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Class Materials
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This lesson about chivalry, titled “The Code of Chivalry: Now and Then,” was the fourth lesson of the Middle Ages unit. We began the Middle Ages with a feudalism simulation, followed by a couple of lessons on the “Invaders” - the Germanic peoples and the Vikings. This lesson relied heavily on students’ prior knowledge of the feudal system, as the social structure was the driving force behind the development of the medieval Code of Chivalry and courtly ideals.
Class got off to a lively start with a ten-minute game of “Four Corners.” I read a series of eight statements about gender expectations in modern American society, and students positioned themselves in corners labeled “Agree,” “Disagree,” “Strongly Agree,” or “Strongly Disagree,” depending on how they felt that statement pertained to gender expectations in our society. I kept tally of student responses to each statement on the board, which we revisited at the end of class to evaluate how chivalrous we believe are society still is. Students then returned to their seats as I introduced the Code of Chivalry in the context of the Middle Ages, as a product of the feudal system. We also explored literature, songs, and poetry, as platforms that popularized the Code of Chivalry and it’s ideals. Students recited and analyzed two stanzas from the 788 epic poem “Songs of Roland,” paying particular attention to rhythm and rhyme, descriptive language, and moralizing tone. Finally we returned to our initial examination of chivalry in modern contexts. Students read a 2011 opinion piece published in The Telegraph titled, “If Chivalry is Dead, Blame it on the Selfish Feminists,” highlighting the modern ideological and practical tensions between chivalry and feminism. After reading the article, students recorded their answers to three scaffolding questions to guide their understanding of the text and interpret nuanced terms, such as “benevolent sexism.” Following their discussion of their answers in small groups, students debated a final question with their group-mates: “Can chivalry and feminism coexist?” Underneath their answers to the three scaffolding questions, students composed a two-to-three sentence response to this final question, recording the highlights of their small group discussion as well as their personal opinions. To wrap-up, we came back together for a whole class discussion, and students shared their deliberations from their small group conversations.
This lesson was truly a teaching and learning highlight of the year, as the combination of physical movement and expression of personal opinions proved to be an effective formula for student engagement. Though the feudalism simulation that took place earlier in the week was a bit chaotic, I was encouraged by students’ enthusiasm and enjoyment of physical activity in the classroom. My orchestration of the “Four Corners” game was much smoother, especially because some students were already familiar with the exercise. During the game I did have to emphasize repeatedly that students were to respond to the statements based on our society’s expectations (not necessarily their own personal beliefs), though I anticipated this hurdle. Throughout the game students seemed eager to cooperate and follow directions, as they remained silent moving around the room and held up fingers representing how many students were at each corner so I would keep tally on the board. The recitation and analysis of “Songs of Roland” became more affective as the day went, as I learned by trial and error how to scaffold students’ understanding of a difficult poem. I learned which questions were helpful, and that it is best if I recite the poem after a student’s recitation in order emphasize and dramatize key components. Like the “Four Corners” game, the article analysis and discussion similarly tapped into many of my students’ penchants for expressing personal opinions. While I usually prefer students read and answer questions about primary sources in small groups, I am glad I decided to have students do so individually for this opinion article. In addition to the article’s accessible reading level, its tone and subject matter ignited strong reactions, and through students’ furious writing I could see that they appreciated the opportunity to wrestle with their own opinions before conversing with a group. Our concluding class discussion of the final question, (“Can chivalry and feminism co-exist?”) inspired a colorful debate. I was interested to see both male and female students critically engaged with this question, and also pleased to see quieter students’ vocal participation in the preceding small group deliberations and their nuanced and well-thought out opinions expressed on paper:
Class got off to a lively start with a ten-minute game of “Four Corners.” I read a series of eight statements about gender expectations in modern American society, and students positioned themselves in corners labeled “Agree,” “Disagree,” “Strongly Agree,” or “Strongly Disagree,” depending on how they felt that statement pertained to gender expectations in our society. I kept tally of student responses to each statement on the board, which we revisited at the end of class to evaluate how chivalrous we believe are society still is. Students then returned to their seats as I introduced the Code of Chivalry in the context of the Middle Ages, as a product of the feudal system. We also explored literature, songs, and poetry, as platforms that popularized the Code of Chivalry and it’s ideals. Students recited and analyzed two stanzas from the 788 epic poem “Songs of Roland,” paying particular attention to rhythm and rhyme, descriptive language, and moralizing tone. Finally we returned to our initial examination of chivalry in modern contexts. Students read a 2011 opinion piece published in The Telegraph titled, “If Chivalry is Dead, Blame it on the Selfish Feminists,” highlighting the modern ideological and practical tensions between chivalry and feminism. After reading the article, students recorded their answers to three scaffolding questions to guide their understanding of the text and interpret nuanced terms, such as “benevolent sexism.” Following their discussion of their answers in small groups, students debated a final question with their group-mates: “Can chivalry and feminism coexist?” Underneath their answers to the three scaffolding questions, students composed a two-to-three sentence response to this final question, recording the highlights of their small group discussion as well as their personal opinions. To wrap-up, we came back together for a whole class discussion, and students shared their deliberations from their small group conversations.
This lesson was truly a teaching and learning highlight of the year, as the combination of physical movement and expression of personal opinions proved to be an effective formula for student engagement. Though the feudalism simulation that took place earlier in the week was a bit chaotic, I was encouraged by students’ enthusiasm and enjoyment of physical activity in the classroom. My orchestration of the “Four Corners” game was much smoother, especially because some students were already familiar with the exercise. During the game I did have to emphasize repeatedly that students were to respond to the statements based on our society’s expectations (not necessarily their own personal beliefs), though I anticipated this hurdle. Throughout the game students seemed eager to cooperate and follow directions, as they remained silent moving around the room and held up fingers representing how many students were at each corner so I would keep tally on the board. The recitation and analysis of “Songs of Roland” became more affective as the day went, as I learned by trial and error how to scaffold students’ understanding of a difficult poem. I learned which questions were helpful, and that it is best if I recite the poem after a student’s recitation in order emphasize and dramatize key components. Like the “Four Corners” game, the article analysis and discussion similarly tapped into many of my students’ penchants for expressing personal opinions. While I usually prefer students read and answer questions about primary sources in small groups, I am glad I decided to have students do so individually for this opinion article. In addition to the article’s accessible reading level, its tone and subject matter ignited strong reactions, and through students’ furious writing I could see that they appreciated the opportunity to wrestle with their own opinions before conversing with a group. Our concluding class discussion of the final question, (“Can chivalry and feminism co-exist?”) inspired a colorful debate. I was interested to see both male and female students critically engaged with this question, and also pleased to see quieter students’ vocal participation in the preceding small group deliberations and their nuanced and well-thought out opinions expressed on paper:
Shayna, a hardworking and conscientious social studies student, is reserved and well mannered in class, but her classwork in response to The Telegraph article illustrated her emphatic opinion about the role of chivalry in our modern society. Answering the final discussion question, “Can chivalry and feminism coexist?”, Shayna affirmed that it could due to chivalry’s existence solely as a formality upheld for the sake of tradition. She explained, “it may have sexist roots but it’s not sexist anymore.” However, Shayna then stipulated a few conditions where they two ideals cannot coexist – “*If men think a woman asking a man out or carrying her own groceries is wrong – or if a woman thinks a man not asking her out or not carrying her groceries is wrong* – then there is a problem.” Here, Shayna’s stipulation, relating to intolerance of the opposing ideal, is written forcefully with several underlined words and asterisks, indicating her wholehearted engagement and pronounced opinion. Read the complete transcript of Shayna’s classwork here:
shaynas_chivalry_classwork_transcription.docx | |
File Size: | 85 kb |
File Type: | docx |
David is a similarly shy student who also speaks English as a second language. Over the course of the year, David’s confidence has grown as his academic work has improved and his class participation has increased. In response to the final discussion question of this chivalry lesson, David posed a nuanced answer, stating chivalry and feminism’s coexistence is dependent on the definition of the two terms. He concludes with a personal and innovative solution to this modern predicament. David declared, “Personally, I believe that everyone should be polite to each other. If chivalry applied to both men and women, that would also create gender equality.” David, whose first language is Russian, took ownership over this new English word by redefining it to fit our present-day situation and sensibilities. Read the complete transcript of David’s classwork here:
davids_chivalry_classwork_transcription.docx | |
File Size: | 81 kb |
File Type: | docx |