Canterbury Pilgrims: Oral Presentation
The “SCRAP” (situation, challenge, role, audience, product)
S: You are a member of King Edward III’s council. As a member of the King’s
council, you must report all possible criticisms to the King so that the person making
the criticism can be punished. You hear a rumor that Geoffrey Chaucer may be using
irony and characterization to criticize the feudal system and the hypocrisies of the
three estates of feudal society in his new work, The Canterbury Tales.
C: Your challenge is to research your selected pilgrim to determine if Chaucer is, in
fact, making criticism.
R: You have been chosen by the counsel to read, analyze, and research a pilgrim.
Once your research is done, you will present your findings to the council and the
King.
A: The King and other members of his council
P: Analysis, caricature, audio-visual, presentation, teaching notes, and bibliography
STEP ONE:
Analyze the Pilgrim (Consider the following a checklist. Complete all.)
 Figure out the job description for your pilgrim. In other words, what is a
reeve? A miller? A parson? How should that person act/dress? How
should he behave?
 Read the assigned selection several times. Does your pilgrim fit his job
description? How or how not?
 Write down all adjectives used to describe your pilgrim. Are the
adjectives typical for that profession?
STEP TWO:
Research the Pilgrim
 Look through the sources provided to find expert interpretations of your
pilgrim. What do the critics/scholars say?
 Use the sources provided by your teacher first. These are quality
sources that provide excellent and accurate insights. Go beyond these
only to supplement your presentation. Do not use these
supplemental sources to replace library ones (They may be
inaccurate.).
 You must utilize at least three sources beyond your textbook. List
them alphabetically and cite them properly. Dictionaries or on-line
encyclopedias do not count as they provide only general (commonly
known) information.
STEP THREE:
Create the Caricature
 Remember that the caricature is not a realistic drawing. Its purpose is to
exaggerate the pilgrim’s personality in a cartoon-like manner. Use
symbols, drawings, words, etc… to illustrate your pilgrim’s appearance
and morals. You should have at least five items in the drawing.
STEP FOUR:
Deliver the Oral Presentation
1. Read the selection from the book. You should be able to read fluently
(pronouncing all words correctly and placing proper emphasis to aid your
listeners’ understanding). Prior to the presentation, listen to your pilgrim read
aloud by an expert from the on-line version of the textbook. This will help you
master pronunciation add inflection.
2. Teach the selection to the class by sharing your analysis of the character.
a. Decide on a specific approach/focus for your presentation. Don’t just
provide us with random, disorganized facts. Instead choose 1-3 points to
arrange your presentation around.
b. Explain difficult words and expressions.
c. Ask questions/solicit responses from the council members.
d. Present your caricature.
e. Use some sort of audio-visual aid in addition to d.
f. Clearly define/reveal the personality of the pilgrim and Chaucer’s purpose.
3. Submit an outline/teaching notes of your talk and a bibliography of the three
sources you used in proper MLA format.
Example: Chaucer, Geoffrey. The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
and the Canon Yeoman’s Prologue and Tale. Ed. A.V.C. Schmidt.
New York: Holmes and Meier, 1974. 145-6. Print.
Grading Rubric: The presentation is worth 60 pts.
Reading (volume, inflection, pronunciation)
Presentation (thorough, organized, accurate)
Caricature (effort, 5 items)
Other audio-visual
Bibliography (minimum of 3 sources, MLA format)
10
25
10
5
10
TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE
60