canterbury tales creative writing assignments

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Teaching The Canterbury Tales: Fun, Real-World Driven Lessons for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

I absolutely love teaching The Canterbury Tales , and when I do it right, I even make my students love it a little too. 😉 I’ve tried many different activities to teach Chaucer’s classic throughout the years, so I wanted to list the very best strategies for engaging students with this fun tale. You can find all of my Canterbury Tales activities, handouts, prompts, and projects in my Canterbury Tales Unit .

How to teach The Canterbury Tales with more engagement and wonder

In our book,  Keeping the Wonder: An Educator’s Guide to Magical, Engaging, and Joyful Learning , we divide classroom wonder into four elements: surprise, curiosity, freedom, and inspiration. I thought it would be fun and helpful to organize my ideas for teaching The Canterbury Tales this way as well.

Teaching The Canterbury Tales with the Element of Surprise

Surprise students as they walk in by transforming your classroom into a Medieval tavern. If you enjoy being extra, you can go all out, but for a quick flip, just hit play on any ambient videos like this one: Medieval Fantasy Tavern

Although it shouldn’t be surprising, during my Canterbury Tales research I found a fantastic selection of People of Color in European Art History and was dumbstruck by the fact that I had never considered this artistic point-of-view. If you are using a textbook, chances are the images are of all white Medieval characters. You can subtly be more inclusive by printing off some diverse Medieval art to display in your classroom throughout the unit. They have a Tumblr account as well as a Twitter account . I find the commentary on their Twitter account to be so interesting and scroll worthy! I definitely fell down the classic art rabbit hole which brings me to my next element of wonder.

Sparking Curiosity with The Canterbury Tales

To spark curiosity in the Medieval Canterbury Tales, I like to bring it into the modern age. To do this, start out with something that teenagers are always interested in, themselves haha! In my Canterbury Tales introduction stations , several of the station stops provide community building and buy-in. For example, one station gives a Medieval job list with modern correlations for students to explore and another discusses modern-day pilgrimages that students might add to their bucket list. Another station in the pack is about language change, and students get to text part of the prologue. Here are some examples:

Since most British literature teachers begin with  Beowulf  and touch on Old English, it’s a natural continuum to teach  The Canterbury Tales  next as a way to bridge the language changes that brought about Middle English. To liven up your language change lecture, have students practice translating The Canterbury Tale’s prologue into Modern English by using text and emojis.

Adding Freedom to Your Canterbury Tales Lesson Plans

To make the Canterbury Tales prologue more enjoyable, I like to assign each student a different character to create a jigsaw reading assignment. Once they have their character, they read independently and then create a character profile. Students get to choose the character’s clever user name, design their picture using StoryBoardThat , and add other important characterization details.

Once each student finishes their profile, I play Medieval music while students walk around the room for a “meet and greet” with all the other characters. Students love this Canterbury Tales activity so much, and I love that it gets them up and moving while also providing an efficient way of learning about The Canterbury Tales characters.

Finding Inspiration for The Canterbury Tales

My inspiration for my Canterbury Tales unit plan came from the notion of “Storytelling for Social Change.” One thing that always amazes me about literature is how the themes repeat whether it is written in 1392 like The Canterbury Tales or 2022.

With each story, students analyze how Chaucer utilizes storytelling for social change and then students have the opportunity to write for social change themselves. They have the option to write a narrative for their local newspaper or plan a personal pilgrimage.

Speaking of personal pilgrimages, as my long-time blog readers know, I’m constantly inspired by podcasts so of course I had to pair one with the Canterbury Tales as well! This podcast pairing comes to you by one of my favorite travel heroes, Rick Steves.

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The Canterbury Tales Creative Writing Assignment: A Pilgrim's Journal

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7 Engaging Ideas For The Canterbury Tales

The king of British literature can be celebrated any time of the year, but we tend to teach our Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales unit around the winter months. We bring in the sarcasm, irony, and parody, and satire with some Saturday Night Live clips along with some in-class performances . Are you looking for new and exciting ways to celebrate one of the best literary masterpieces of all time? Introducing The Canterbury Tales’ activities into your classroom will make for a fun and memorable unit. Even though it was written during he medieval time period, Chaucer’s work is timeless and humorous in nature. Students will love how their teacher will guide them along the pilgrimage to Thomas Becket’s shrine into their ELA classroom.

The Canterbury Tales Body Biography Project

The Canterbury Tales Body Biography Bundle For Print and Digital is filled with all you need to teach and promote the amazing pilgrims from the medieval timeless tale.  Your students will experience the unique approach of using a collaborative poster, Geoffrey Chaucer’s collection,  The Canterbury Tales , textual evidence, research, and the body biography project!

**  The Canterbury Tales  Body Biography Bundle includes the digital body biography file. Includes Google Slides for  distance learning **

This middle ages literary project can be used any time of the year. The project bundle includes 16 pilgrims from  The Canterbury Tales . Give your students a relevant and modern experience while promoting the 4 C’s, Chaucer, and achievement. Leave the body biographies up all year long! I adapted the body biography concept to align with citing textual evidence, character traits, research, and inference skills.

Here is your list:

• Wife of Bath
• The Merchant
• The Doctor (physician)
• The Prioress
• The Summoner
• The Pardoner
• The Oxford Cleric
• The Plowman

Geoffrey Chaucer, Author Study, Body Biography Project

Geoffrey Chaucer, Author Study, Body Biography Project is filled with all you need to promote this  British author and poet. My love for The Canterbury Tales truly inspired this classroom project. This biography study is a collaborative research activity. This is truly unique, has high-quality vector graphics, and is the most inclusive group project for bringing together a growth mindset,  author study, British Literature,  and a  Geoffrey Chaucer  biography study. Learn all there is to know about one of the most influential authors in the world.

Geoffrey Chaucer Author Adventure

This  Geoffrey Chaucer Author Adventure  is a perfect activity to engage your students in learning about Chaucer and  Canterbury Tales , his life, his accomplishments, and his poetry.

In this activity, your students will going on an adventure, and learn all about the esteemed poet. In these  five activities , your students will go on a road trip to where Geoffrey Chaucer lived, learn about his life, watch a short video about him, analyze his poetry, and dive deeper into his famous quotes.

This activity is perfect for…

• Independent Work & Collaborative Work
• Author & Poet Studies
• Stations or Centers
• Reading Comprehension
• Distance Learning

Canterbury Tales Hexagonal Thinking Activity

Students will love this engaging  Hexagonal Thinking Activ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Canterbury-Tales-Hexagonal-Thinking-Activity-Print-and-Digital-7578181 ity  focusing on key vocabulary and concepts from  Geoffrey Chaucer’s ,  Canterbury Tales.  This resource includes both a  DIGITAL and a PAPER  version.

What is Hexagonal Thinking?  Hexagonal Thinking is a visual tool to help students make connections and organize ideas on a topic. This activity is great for strengthening and deepening understanding of content, and utilizing different learning styles! Students will be engaged and having fun!

Activity Description This resource could be used in several ways. This activity could be used throughout a unit (with students assembling hexagonal clusters after each lecture, discussion, activity, or chapter. Or, use this activity as a review before an exam or as a summative assessment. After students have finished arranging cards into clusters, students write a short essay using words from their completed clusters. In their essays, students will explain the relationships between the words in their clusters. Or, you may choose to have students write a RAFT-style piece as a summative assessment.

The Canterbury Tales Reading Literature Guide Flip Book

The Canterbury Tales: Interactive Flip Book. Most famous British literature medieval collection of tales. Enjoy the sarcasm, parody, and irony! Each “flap” is ¾ inch and is ready for you to easily line up by using the directions on how to assemble the organizer. Includes:

• British Author Geoffrey Chaucer’s Background
• The Prologue questions and answer key
• The Wife of Bath’s Tale questions and answer key
• Wife of Bath writing prompt
• The Pardoner’s Tale questions and answer key
• Literary Devices Frame Story, Satire, Parody, and Irony
• Sarcasm quotes analysis fill ins
• Pilgrims chart and answer key
• Living in a Medieval Society fill ins and answer key
• Medieval Romance fill in and answer key

Medieval Theatre Background and Everyman Creative Writing Assignment

This is a great creative writing assignment that goes really well with The Canterbury Tales. I used this assignment while teaching theatre. The Everyman is timeless and universal. Make connections to our Everyman in today’s society.This pack includes:

• Medieval Drama / Theatre Terms and Notes Handouts
• -morality plays
• -miracle plays
• -passion plays
• -robin hood plays
• -pageant wagons
• -medieval theatre background and history
• -floor plan of a cathedral for medieval drama performances
• Everyman Background
• Everyman Assignment Details for Writing the Script or creative short story, focuses on high school issues and the Everyman of today.
• Everyman Creative Writing Assignment Rubric
• The Medieval Period Test and Key 

The Canterbury Tales Task Cards and Student Assignment

This differentiated activity is intended to get students excited about literature in a creative way. Students will create trading cards featuring Pilgrims from The Canterbury Tales.

• The activity is flexible and can be adapted to fit the needs of each student and each class.
• Begin the activity by talking to the students about the Prologue, and some exciting details.
• hands-on activity
• study guide

Check out these great activities to enhance your students understanding of this amazing author and The Canterbury Tales! Explore medieval Europe, celebrate literature with the Chaucer’s humor, and get your students moving with these strategies and resources.

I loved reading your blog, it is beautifully written, please keep on writing blogs like this in future as well.

Excellent post!

Great ideas! What Saturday Night Live skits have you used?

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I’m so glad you are here! My name is Danielle. I am passionate about helping teachers and homeschool parents promote critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication with their students. 

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Tips and ideas for teaching high school ELA

5 Activities to Engage Your Students When Teaching The Canterbury Tales

Like  Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales is often a staple in British Literature classrooms. However, it can be difficult for students to understand. The archaic language and the sheer length provide roadblocks.  Teaching  The Canterbury Tales can sometimes feel like a chore – just another box on the Brit Lit canon checklist. 

Teaching this medieval masterpiece doesn’t have to be a daunting task. In this blog post, we’ll explore six engaging activities that will captivate your students’ interest and deepen their understanding of Chaucer’s timeless tales. Get ready to bring The Canterbury Tales to life in your classroom!

Before starting any long text, I like to provide background and historical context for the students. In the past, that information came in the form of the tried-and-true (albeit boring) PowerPoint presentation and guided notes. Over the last few years, however, I’ve started making the shift away from that method and started looking for more engaging ways to get the same material across. 

Enter virtual field trips. 

Transport your students on an immersive virtual field trip to the historic city of Canterbury, right from the classroom. Through online resources and multimedia platforms, they can experience the sights, sounds, and ambiance of the Canterbury Cathedral and its surroundings. This activity enhances their visual understanding of the setting, making teaching the Canterbury Tales more vibrant.

I opted to go a little broader for my Canterbury Tales virtual field trip . Each “day” focuses on a different aspect of the knowledge that I want students to get before we start the unit: Chaucer’s background and biography; the evolution of the English language; and a Google Earth exploration of Canterbury.   

Another go-to activity for any longer work is character analysis graphic organizers. There are  so many characters in  The Canterbury Tales that keeping track of them all can be daunting. Character analysis graphic organizers make that task a little bit easier. 

A few ideas: 

• Give each student a character analysis organizer for each of the pilgrims mentioned in the Prologue. As students read the Prologue (and any accompanying tales), have them complete the handout.
• Assign each student or group of students a specific pilgrim to track. This will allow students to focus on one character and not get overwhelmed by the number of pilgrims mentioned.  

Students can explore their pilgrim’s historical role, physical description, class hierarchy, contribution to the theme, and personality traits. 

If you chose option #2, students can then take the information on their graphic organizers and teach the rest of the class about their pilgrim (Canva is a great tool for creating impressive presentations). 

This activity develops critical thinking skills and fosters a deeper understanding of Chaucer’s characters.

Students often wonder what is the point of studying something so old; they don’t often realize that these classic, canonical texts have served as the inspiration for so many other works. 

One way to bridge the gap between medieval literature and the modern world is by exploring modern adaptations of The Canterbury Tales . Encourage students to discover and analyze contemporary adaptations, such as film adaptations, TV series, or even graphic novels inspired by Chaucer’s tales. Through group discussions or individual reflections, students can explore the relevance of these adaptations and discuss the ways in which timeless themes are portrayed in a modern context. This activity will highlight the enduring impact of The Canterbury Tales on contemporary storytelling.

My go-to is A Knight’s Tale starring the late Heath Ledger as a squire seeking to remake himself into a knight. Paul Bettany (who many students may recognize as Vision from the Marvel franchise) plays Chaucer. This film was one of my first introductions to the Medieval era; I even did a whole presentation on it in my undergrad Medieval Lit class.  

Another activity for teaching The Canterbury Tales  is a modern retelling. Similar to the modern Beowulf  activity mentioned here, this short writing lesson encourages students to tap into their creativity by challenging them to write their own tale inspired by The Canterbury Tales or create a modern retelling of Chaucer’s stories. Guided by storytelling elements, students can present their work through written narratives, illustrated stories, or even dramatic performances. This activity empowers students as storytellers, reinforcing their understanding of narrative structure while teaching The Canterbury Tales in an exciting and personal way.

I did this as part of my 12th-grade English class and still have my version somewhere (I may have a bit of a problem throwing out things 🤫). This is a great activity to not only practice those speaking and listening standards that oftentimes get overlooked but also for students to learn more about each other. 

Another idea for adding some fun while teaching The Canterbury Tales is to bring the characters of The Canterbury Tales to life through a character interview podcast. In pairs or small groups, students select a character and imagine a conversation, asking thought-provoking questions about their experiences, motivations, and perspectives. Students can record and edit their interviews, infusing their interpretations and voices into the dialogue. This activity encourages creative expression, critical thinking, and oral communication skills.

One of my choices for my  Crucible semester exam projects was a podcast. Students got into groups of three or four and recorded on one of their phones. They had to include at least one host and one character to be interviewed. The results were fantastic. 

One of the concepts that may be hardest for students to understand when reading  The Canterbury Tales is that of a pilgrimage. Many people today don’t participate in them, but pilgrimages were quite normal back in the Middle Ages. 

Connect the concept of pilgrimage to students’ lives by organizing a modern-day pilgrimage experience. This can be done in two ways: 

• Encourage students to embark on personal journeys, whether exploring local historical sites, engaging in acts of service, or pursuing personal growth. Documenting their experiences through journals, photographs, or videos, students draw parallels to the pilgrimage theme in The Canterbury Tales. This activity cultivates reflection, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the tales being taught.
• Take your students on a modern-day pilgrimage to a local landmark, such as a museum or historical site. Encourage them to document their journey and reflect on the experience, drawing connections between their pilgrimage and the journey of the characters in The Canterbury Tales.

There you have it. Five activities to engage your students when teaching  The Canterbury Tales . 

What are your favorite  CT lessons and activities? Leave a comment and let me know. 

And as always, happy teaching 😀

Looking for low-prep resources to add to your  Canterbury Tales plans? Check out  The Canterbury Tales Unit Plan. 

Interested in reading more about my favorite British Literature units? Check out this post: 

7 Units for a Complete Brit Lit Curriculum

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The Canterbury Tales Lesson Plan Resources

Five activities plus two videos

Teaching high school English after eight years of middle school is throwing me for a loop! There’s so much new content to learn, especially for my senior curriculum and its emphasis on British literature.

Side note: Yes, I studied British literature for my master’s degree, but my schedule only allowed me to study from Romanticism to contemporary; I haven’t studied the earlier works in any formal way.

So basically, I’m feeling my way through British literature, but having a lot of fun doing it. We began the school year with the earliest literature from the Anglo-Saxon era. We read The Wanderer ( and added this new Ubi Sunt poem activity ), The Seafarer , Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People , Beowulf , and Dream of the Rood . (For three recent posts on my Beowulf unit, click here , here , and here .)

So on Friday last week, as we transitioned from a study of The Canterbury Tales to Le Morte d’Arthur , it occurred to me that it might be worthwhile to share with you the resources I used and/or created to teach the tales.

I used and/or created a handful of resources to teach The Canterbury Tales . Here are six of them presented in the order that they fit into my lesson plans:

1. Video: Overview of the Middle Ages in World History by Khan Academy

To transition from the Anglo-Saxon poetry to medieval literature, I showed students this video from Khan Academy to help them visualize the breadth of the time period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Seeing where on the timeline Beowulf , for example, was written, and relating that to the time period of Chaucer, including the events between, was helpful. Here’s the video:

2. Video: How the Normans Changed the History of Europe by Mark Robinson

We also watched “How the Normans Changed the History of Europe,” to focus on the most pivotal event between the writing of Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales : the Norman Invasion of 1066 B.C. Noting how one result of the invasion, the elevation of French and the suppression of English, provides some context for understanding the message Chaucer sent to the ruling class when he composed The Canterbury Tales in English.

3. Narrative Essay of the Week Assignment

I worked this assignment into my regular rotation of weekly homework assignments known as Articles of the Week (AOWs) and Essays of the Week (EOWs).

I discovered an essay on Literary Hub by YA author Amber Sparks titled “Escaping into Books about the Middle Ages is My Self-Therapy.” After reading the article, I created a handout for students to read.

After reading, students were to do two things: 1) write a short reflection of the essay, and 2) use Sparks’ essay as a mentor text to write their own narrative about their own forms of self-therapy.

Another way to think of it: an assignment for students to write about what brings them joy or solace in troubling times.

A big bonus to using this article: it shows that contemporary authors find inspiration in the revered texts of the medieval era. In other words, these medieval texts aren’t obsolete; they are actively used by professional authors today.

In other words, medieval texts aren’t obsolete… they are actively used by professional authors today.

I’ve made a resource to guide you through assignments that utilize Amber Sparks’ article and an article from The Guardian about Sir Thomas Becket’s bloody tunic mentioned below in this post. Find these instant download resources on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

4. One-Minute Middle Ages

For this activity, which I discovered in a Canterbury Tales Study Guide published by Glencoe McGraw-Hill, I asked students to select a card from a bundle of about twelve.

On each card was a topic for them to quickly research online and then present to the class in a brief presentation. Topics included the Black Death, chivalry, Boccacio’s Decameron, alchemy, the Hundred Years War, and others.

Nearly all of the topics were mentioned in both videos listed above.

I liked how the videos introduced these topics, and then the students delved deeper into them in these short talks. I allowed students to use Wikipedia for the sleuthing needed for these informal mini-presentations; I feel Wikipedia is sufficient for introductory research.

I will definitely use this activity again. Kids seemed to like the informal nature of it, and it broadened their knowledge of the medieval ages.

5. “Roller Skating Fiasco,” a memoir by author David Mike

This is an essay written by an online friend of mine, David Mike, whom I met when we both were more active contributors on Medium.com . Mike is a published author. Find out more about his book, Dishonor: One Soldier’s Journey from Desertion to Redemption at this link.

His short memoir titled, “Roller Skating Fiasco,” is one that I used as a mentor text for a characterization mini-lesson a few years ago in my middle school ELA classes. As I was preparing to teach The Canterbury Tales , Mike’s essay crossed my mind as I remembered how it told of taking a pilgrimage of sorts to a roller-skating rink back in his youth. Find the essay here .

While at the rink, Mike notices and records a variety of skaters. This recollection reminded me of Chaucer’s tales and the variety of pilgrims involved. For examples, Mike writes about:

The Roller Bully… “This guy usually would seek out people with hats or other removable articles of clothing. Once he pulled up beside the kid as if he was in the race car scene from Grease , the Roller Bully would look directly into the victim’s eyes, snatch the loose item, and spin to skate in reverse so as not to break eye contact.”

The What-were-you-thinking-putting-on-those-skates-you-should-have-stayed-home-and-played-Dungeons-and-Dragons-with-your-friends-guy… “That would be me. Seeing me skate was like watching a cross between a daddy-long-legs trying to climb a plate glass window and an orangutan trying to break dance.”

David Mike also writes about other skating rink characters, such as the Damsel in Distress, The Skate Ninja, The Testosteroller, The Wall Clingers, and The Most Popular Girl in School. All of these represent quite different types of skaters, similar to how Chaucer wrote about quite different types of pilgrims.

How I used this resource:

At the beginning of our study, we read Mike’s memoir in class and then I asked students to think of a destination that is visited by many different types of people. We thought about places like the beach, a shopping mall, a professional, an airport terminal.

Then I asked each student to complete this quick, low-stakes assignment: Each student made a list of six to eight different types of people they might encounter at one of those places. My students said they thought this was a fun thing to do. Also, it was fun to hear what each student came up with after everyone finished. Here’s one character list that one student wrote:

• The fat guy that lathered sunscreen all over his body.
• The athletic guys throwing a ball back and forth in the water.
• The mom making her kids wear life jackets, floaties, and spray on sunscreen.
• The old couple laying out in MINIMAL clothing trying to get a tan.
• The popular girls going back and forth from the water to lying on their towels every 10 minutes.
• The paranoid mother watching everyone’s kids, waiting for someone to drown.
• The drunk guys who just came to drink and sit at the pavilion.
• That ONE guy that thinks he’s hot stuff trying to flex his abs for the popular girls.

6. Article of the Week: Thomas Becket’s Bloody Tunic

I also like to google the internet and find interesting stories (and hopefully current ones!) that I can sprinkle into my AOW schedule. If I can directly tie ancient texts to current day topics, it’s a huge win in my book.

For example, in 2018, the Vatican returned the bloodied tunic worn by Sir Thomas Becket to Great Britain to commemorate the murder of the revered archbishop of Canterbury.

I thought this article from The Guardian by Catherine Pepinster made the tales of all those varied folks making their pilgrimage to honor Becket all the more real. Score!

7. Write a Pilgrimage Poem: A Chaucer-like Prologue

This was a fun culminating activity for our pilgrimage through The Canterbury Tales . I asked students to write a twenty-line poem about a pilgrimage to a favorite destination. Here were my instructions:

• Your prologue must have an introduction that explains your pilgrimage, i.e. where you’re going, when, why.
• Include character sketches of three travelers/pilgrims who represent very different social backgrounds. These can be people here at school, celebrities, or public figures… but people most of us will know.
• DO NOT use your characters’ names in your poem or say them out loud as you work because we’ll be guessing these when you read your prologue aloud to us later this week.
• Conclude your prologue with a few lines about yourself and what your pilgrims and you hope to gain by taking the pilgrimage.
• Your prologue must be a minimum of 20 lines–with at least 8 rhyming couplets.

A mentor text helped

I provided students a prologue I had written on the assignment sheet. You can see my attempt, “The Suffolk Teddy-tales,” about going to England to see an exhibition about the career of Ed Sheeran, one of my favorite songwriters and performers.

This project required about two 50-minute class periods. We ended the project with each student reading their prologue aloud to the class. After each student finished, the class tried to guess their pilgrims. Most guesses were successful, except in a few cases. It was a good first-try for this project and I definitely plan to do it again next year.

I’ve made my handout available for sale on my TpT store .

Yes, our Canterbury pilgrimage is now over and we’re moving on to the valiant world of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur .

And even though I’m yet again besieged with new content, I’m also excited to learn more. After all, it’s my responsibility to find the personal significance in every piece of literature that I read and teach. If I do that, it will certainly prove how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to learn from these great, foundational British texts.

Have any Canterbury Tales tips that I and others should know about?

Feel free to leave a comment to share your ideas! Comment below or use my contact page.

Follow my blog for an upcoming post on my experience with Le Morte d’Arthur.

Le Morte d’Arthur Resources for High School

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9 thoughts on “ The Canterbury Tales Lesson Plan Resources ”

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I enjoyed reading this so much. Thank you for the awesome resources! Looking forward to using them.

Thanks for reading! I will admit, CT really intimidated me at first (and still does -ha!), but these things worked for me. Next time I’ll hopefully have more confidence with it! Teaching new content is hard!

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Reblogged this on ELA Brave and True by Marilyn Yung and commented:

There seems to be quite a bit of interest in this Canterbury Tales post from last year, so I’m reblogging it so more readers will locate it more easily! I’m getting ready to teach Canterbury Tales again in about a week, and if things go like they usually do, I’ll be creating some new resources and activities. I will definitely keep you posted on what transpires! I truly hope you enjoy this post. It includes videos, some go-with nonfiction texts (one from a blogger-friend who had no idea his essay would end up in my high school British Lit class LOL), plus a really useful prior knowledge activity. If you have any questions, please reach out by leaving a comment or sending me a message on my Contact page. Enjoy!

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Canterbury Tales: Two Contemporary Informational Text Assignments AOW

Description

I created these two assignments as a way to make The Canterbury Tales more relevant for my senior-level British Literature class. I especially sought out recently published articles pertaining to the ancient text. My goal? To let students observe on their own that The Canterbury Tales are still a force in contemporary society.

In other words, I wanted to stop telling students that Chaucer’s tales are relevant and instead, let them come to that realization on their own.

Note: This product DOES NOT contain the copyrighted articles that students must read to complete the written portion of these assignments. Links are provided at the top of each page to quickly take students to the texts, which are:

• “Escaping Into Books About the Middle Ages is My Self-Therapy”
• “Thomas Becket’s Bloody Tunic Returns to Canterbury 850 Years After He Died”

In addition to conveying relevance, locating contemporary articles about The Canterbury Tales published by real-life writers would increase my students’ knowledge base about the Canterbury Tales and Medieval literature in general.

In the end, my students did connect better with The Canterbury Tales as a result of using these assignments.

Read my post titled Canterbury Tales Lesson Plan Resources to learn more about how I used these in my classes.

Plan to spend about 40-50 minutes on these assignments in class if you read the articles, discuss vocabulary, discuss the prompt, and allow some class time to start writing.

Each page contains a rubric at the top that alludes to the assignment directions below it. Students can use the rubric like a checklist to make sure they are following the directions for the assignment. My rubric contains very specific directions for students, including requesting that they cite the articles and provide a Works Cited listing, as well as practice idea development by interpreting the quotations they choose from the articles.

Please let me know if you have questions as to how to use these assignments by sending me a message on my Contact Page. Enjoy!

While you're here, you may want to check out my other British Literature resources that were used with success in my classroom. Here they are:

The Wanderer “Ubi Sunt” Poetry Activity

The Dream of the Rood Reading Activity

Chaucer-like Canterbury Tales Prologue Poem Project

Beowulf: Two Contemporary Informational Text Assignments

Beowulf: Sutton Hoo Nonfiction Text Activity

The Dig from Netflix: A Viewing Guide w/ Key 

Le Morte d’Arthur “The Characters Who Built the Chivalric Code” Reading Activity

Doctor Faustus Limitless (starring Bradley Cooper) Movie Guide

Milton’s Paradise Lost Luciferian Antihero Essay Assignment

Sonnet Creative Writing Poem Project

Bible or Bard? King James Bible vs. Shakespeare Activity

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Marilyn yung ela brave and true.

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