A Study of Medieval British Literature and Culture

Have you ever put a book together? It’s Sunday afternoon and I’ve spent the last two hours thinking about where I want to take you next in our study of Sir Gawain of the Green Knight and medieval English literature. I finally came up with a plan… I am going to assign a topic to each of you that I ‘d like you to study. Eventually, I want you to share your findings with the rest of the class. This is the first time I’ve asked you this year to step forth from your chair and share your insightful thoughts in front of the class. I am asking each of you to prepare a formal presentation.

What?? But there’s more to this than just giving your presentation. I want you to keep all of the info. you’ll gather from your classmates in addition to your own presentation. And in the end, I’ll ask you to put a book together. It should be fun and I hope you like your book in the end.

So where do I begin? I have put together a list of topics that are arranged according to a subject, such as History, Art and Culture, Literature, and Sir Gawain Criticism, and Vacation. These are topics that relate to what we’re studying. Let’s look at the list now. Find your name on the list, write down your topic, and the date you are scheduled to present.

Now what do I do? Now that you know what your topic is and when you are scheduled to present, you need to know what my expectations are.

Six Points to Keep in Mind 1.First, you need to begin to research and study your topic. Use all the resources that are available to you (public library, school library, the Web, and me). 2.Next, you must put together a handout for each person in the class. Make 30 copies. Before you begin speaking, pass out the handouts. Your handout should contain the main points that you’d like to address. It is important that the backside of the handout is blank. You are only allowed to have a one-page handout. No more. 3.Have a visual on the day of your presentation (books, poster board, power- point, transparency, pictures, etc.) 4.Make eye contact with your classmates when you are speaking, and keep a formal posture and demeanor. Begin your presentation by stating the topic you are about to discuss. 5.Be sensitive to the time requirement. Your presentation is ten minutes long. No more, no less. 6.When you are finished, say “Thank You” and sit down.

What do I do while I’m just sitting there? Apart from giving your presentation, you have a job to do when you are listening to each presenter. Your job is this: Write down five points that the speaker shares with you on the backside of the handout you’ve been given. Your job is also to be polite and attentive when a classmate is presenting.

What do I do with all this stuff when all of the presentations are finished? Keep all of the paperwork from the presentations together. Maybe in a certain folder. Why? Because I’ll eventually ask you to create a book out of all of the handout you were given. The final part of the book that you’ll put together will be a paper that you’ll write on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I’ll talk more specifically about the book later, but I know I want it to be creative, be decorated, and look sharp. In the end we’ll have learned a lot about medieval British literature and you’ll have created something that you can add to your library.