Journey to Canterbury Renaissance Project
Research Project & Experience Day
Introduction: in the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer portrays a cross-section of individuals from
diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds in his collection of eclectic pilgrims. The
collection of tales provides an authentic backdrop to the rich age of the English Renaissance,
which will be the focus of this end-of-the year project.
Our experience day will be JUNE 10th, when we will take a pilgrimage to the faraway land of
the Enchanted Forest. It is our task to make the day fun, inclusive, and immersive for all
pilgrims. Our pilgrimage day will roughly look like this:
9 am distribute lunches and depart for the Enchanted Forest
10:30 – noon explore the Enchanted Forest
12-12:30 attend a performance at the Summer Theater
12:30 Lunch
1:15 Depart for CMC
2-2:45 Music, dances, and renaissance entertainment in the commons
The Task: By her highness’ royal decree, all loyal subjects will form planning “guilds” of 3-4
students and research all the historical, cultural, and social background information necessary
to enhance our experience day. Students will individually conduct research on their topic and
write an MLA research-based essay. Guilds will take this information to produce a 10-minute
presentation and design a product for the experience day.
Remember that the English Renaissance spans a period of time from the late
1300s to the 1600s.
The Process: In order to pull this off, you will be working in various guilds to research,
present information, and prepare for our pilgrimage experience. Guilds are as follows.
1. Garb Guild: Your task is to research the history of renaissance fashion for men and
women at different societal levels. You must also provide creative examples of how the class
can come in costume (other than renting/buying costumes). In other words, how can we
creatively and cheaply duplicate the fashions & styles of the renaissance era for our journey?
What can we design or prepare to help all pilgrims get in the spirit of the renaissance?! Also
create a handout of information with ideas and inspiration for garb.
(P.S. Extra Credit will be awarded to all presenters who are in costume!)
2. Music Guild: Your task is to research the music of the renaissance era, instruments,
and composers. What music would we hear, sing, or play on the experience day? Research
styles, musicians, and lyrics, and educate your classmates. You will also be responsible for
being our minstrels, bards, and entertainers during our experience, especially during the time
before we leave and after we return. Music will set the mood for the day. Create playlists for
the morning and afternoon. You should coordinate with the dance committee closely.
3. Feast Guild: Your task is to research the food and drinks of the renaissance era and
create a carefully designed “sack lunch” that will be distributed for each pilgrim. What food
would a traveler be able to take on a journey? It is up to your group to plan and present a
menu, shopping list, and budget for our experience day. Do careful research and adapt the
menu to our needs that still has an authentic feel. You are also planning for a time before
microwaves and prepackaged foods. Present a shopping list and budget to your classmates. The
guild will also be in charge of preparing and distributing the lunches to about 125 pilgrims
before we leave.
4. Ambiance Guild: Your task is to research various political & social happenings of
the era. In addition, research and present language and jargon of the renaissance and prepare a
lexicon for your classmates so that our language on our journey will be accurate. Also,
designate specific topics of conversation that will be permitted on our journey. It would be wise
to work closely with the Guests Guild. Educate your classmates so that the conversations on
our journey will be authentic. Be the authentic “voices” of the era & set the tone. This guild will
also be in charge of organizing some games to entertain guests after we return from the
Enchanted Forest.
5. Dance Guild: Your task is to research the history of dance in the renaissance and
present your findings to the class. Provide important information & prepare to demonstrate
and teach the rest of the class as well as lead dances. Prepare a guide to dancing handout that
can be distributed to other pilgrims. You should work closely with the Music Guild.
6. Guests Guild: Drawing inspiration from the colorful characters of the Canterbury
tales, as well as your research on the famous and influential people of the English Renaissance,
compose a guest list for our journey. Educate our class about some of the dominant figures of
the era as well as the average urban or rural citizen. You will need to inspire each class member
with a persona he/she will don for our journey. Coordinate with the Fashion Guild, as well as
the Ambiance Guild for ideas. In addition, you are responsible for designing and creating
invites and notices to post around school to get the word out. Also, be sure to invite special
guests such as your teachers, and other staff members and inform them of what to expect.
Research: Though you will be given time in class for this project, there will be work you are
required to do outside of class. Though you will be researching and presenting in groups, each
student will be required to submit an MLA style research paper, including a MLA works cited
page. Please refer to the attached rubric.
Guild presentation outlines due Wednesday, May 25th
Guild presentations Thursday, May 26th
First Draft of Individual MLA research papers due Wednesday June 1st @11:59pm for
peermark.
Final Draft of Individual MLA research papers due Tuesday, June 7th @11:59pm
(turnitin)
Our Canterbury Journey experience day will take place on Friday, JUNE 10th
Canterbury Journey Group Rubric
Guild:___________________________
Pilgrim names:
__________________________________________________
Project
Requirements
Research: A minimum of 4 reputable and credible
sources will be used, at least one of which will be a
print source. Research is thorough, thoughtful, and
detailed and responds to all individual committee
and assignment requirements.
Documentation: Create a typed, MLA format
Works Cited page documenting the sources you use.
This works cited page will be submitted the day
your group presents.
Presentation: You will present your research to
the class in order to educate us for a successful
party. Presentations will be approximately 10
minutes in length and will be executed in a
professional manner with ample and appropriate
visual aids.
Guild Dynamic: Each group member should
demonstrate equal effort and cooperation. Each
group member exhibits respect and consideration
for other group members. Any discrepancies will be
addressed in conferences with the teacher.
Pilgrimage Success: The final factor in
determining your success as a committee will be the
experience itself. You will be evaluated on how well
you planned and prepared for your part of the
experience as well as how effectively the rest of the
class internalized your guild’s work and research.
Total =
Points
Possible
20
20
20
20
20
100
Points
Earned
Canterbury Journey Research Paper Rubric
Name________________________Guild/Topic _________________
Paper
Requirements
Points
Possible
MLA Format:
□ Page headings appear on each page and follow MLA
format.
□ Page margins are as follows: ½” top and 1” left, right,
and bottom.
□ Paper is double spaced throughout in 12 point font
□ No title page; title appears on the first page, centered
beneath the first page heading information, no bold type, no
25
punctuation, no adornments
□ Parenthetical citations appear throughout; each work
that appears on the works cited page is cited within the text;
citations are correct in format.
□ Works cited page appears as the last page of the paper
and is correctly formatted in MLA requirements; at least
four sources are cited (at least one of which is a print
source) in alphabetical order; sources are correctly cited in
MLA format.
Content & Organization:
□ The paper is organized by a controlling idea and thesis
statement and each paragraph is organized with a
supporting topic sentence.
□ The paper has an introduction, body paragraphs, and a
conclusion. All paragraphs will be well-developed and
25
thorough.
□ The paper responds to all aspects of the assignment:
historical background and relevant information as well as
how you plan to apply, adapt, and implement this
information for our Canterbury Journey specifically.
Quality & Conventions:
□ The paper reflects diligent and honest research methods
and cites from reputable, academic, and scholarly sources.
□ The paper reflects excellent work ethic and is a quality
paper that the student can be proud of; the paper indicates
diligent effort and time dedication.
□ The paper is a minimum of three typed pages of text
25
(excluding the accompanying works cited page).
□ The paper indicates a sound understanding of English
language conventions and has few to no errors in grammar,
punctuation, or spelling.
□ The paper indicates a sound understanding of the
structure and function of a research paper.
TOTAL=
75
Points
Earned