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Year 8 - English

Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales': compelling characterisation

Myths, legends and stories that inspire

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils read and explore a range of text types in connection to classical myths and legends. They first look at poetry before doing some descriptive writing inspired by poetry and paintings. They then explore Chaucer and modern retellings of myths to inspire their narrative writing.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to create a compelling character profile inspired by the characters created by Geoffrey Chaucer in his 'The Canterbury Tales'.

Key Notes

  • '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.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • 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 Mistakes To Avoid

  • Middle English is the same as Old English. Both are general terms, and mean the same thing.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key 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.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'compelling'

convincing, persuasive.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Middle English is the same as Old English. Both are general terms, and mean the same thing. Correction: Middle English was spoken from about 1100-1500. Old English was spoken before 1100. Both are technical terms and have a specific meaning.

More Lessons In This Unit

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