The historical King Arthur

This lesson is designed to allow students to explore the historical evidence for King Arthur and gain insight into who he might have been and how he is portrayed in literature. Students will use Google Scholar, Answers.com, and any additional web-based search engine to locate information regarding King Arthur prior to Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. Students must assess the quality of their sources prior to including them in their revised response to the question "Who was King Arthur?"

College/University

This lesson will take students approximately 5 - 6 hours outside of class to complete and will be due at the beginning of the second week of class.

History, Language Arts (English), Sociology

Arthurian Legend/Literature

This lesson is suitable for both face-to-face and web delivered classes and requires Blackboard Vista Journal or a similar web-based tool for online journals.

USA- Nat. Council of Teachers of English: Standards for the English Language Arts  Standard 8.: Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. USA- ISTE: National Educational Technology Standards for Students: The Next Generation • Standard : 2. Communication and Collaboration- Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.  Indicator : Students: a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. • Standard : 3. Research and Information Fluency- Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.  Indicator : Students: d. process data and report results.  Indicator : Students: b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. USA- ISTE: NETS for All Teachers (2008) © 2008 International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE® is a registered trademark of the International Society for Technology in Education • Standard : II. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S.  Performance Indicator : d. provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.  Performance Indicator : a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. • Standard : I. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments.  Performance Indicator : c. promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.

Students will be able to describe the historical evidence surrounding the figure of King Arthur.

How does the timeline surrounding the historical evidence for the figure of King Arthur affect the argument for (or against) the existence of a real King Arthur?

Students must be able to assess the quality of information they retrieve and synthesize their findings to address the question of "Who was King Arthur?"

After completing the readings and researching their own supplemental information, students will review their original journal responses to the question "Who was King Arthur" and revise their responses based on the readings and additional research and work in groups to add content to a class Wiki. There will be three groups to cover the time periods from 400 - 550, 550 - 700, and 700 - 900.

Based on the readings, how would you revise your original response to the question "Who was King Arthur?" Post your response to the online discussion group "Who was King Arthur?"

1. At the beginning of the lesson, students will write a short-answer response (100 words) to the question "Who was King Arthur?"

2. Read The Historicity and Historicisation of Arthur, Truth in the Tale: Legends of King Arthur, and Historia Brittonum.

In addition, students will use Google Scholar, Answers.com, and a third web-based research tool of their choosing to find information that addresses the question of "Who was King Arthur?" Students must evaluate their sources for quality and scholarship.

3. students will review their original journal responses to the question "Who was King Arthur" and revise their responses based on the readings and additional research.

4. Students will be assigned to groups to add content to a class Wiki. There will be three groups to cover the time periods from 400 - 550, 55

The web sites are mostly text based; however, some might need to be modified and credited appropriately to include ALT tags and other text reader friendly elements. Students who are English learners may benefit from text based sites, while advanced learners may include several sources from the free choice web-based research tool included in the research section.

• Materials and resources:
  Web resources
• Technology resources:
  Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape, Open Office, Safari, Word, Adobe Acrobat, Preview or another PDF software is recommended for one article. The article is available in HTML format also. Instructors will require a Blackboard Vista environment including the Journal and discussion board features or a similar product to allow students to create journal entries that can be used for self-reflection as well as student-teacher interaction and class discussion.
• The number of computers required is 1 per student.
• Students Familiarity with Software Tool:
  Students should be able to use a web browser and be familiar with online learning environments such as Blackboard Vista.