Legendborn

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. List everything you know about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Consider any references you’ve heard in pop culture and any facts you’re unsure of in your list.

Teaching Suggestion: This novel is a retelling of the Arthurian myth. Students without prior knowledge of this myth may have trouble accessing the text. Consider making a large class list of your findings, breaking it down into things the class “thinks” are true, “knows” are true, and popular references.

• This 10-minute video discusses several of the knights that were a part of the round table. 
• This website contains multiple pages of background on the Arthurian myth. 

2. What traits would you expect in a modern-day knight? Remember that medieval knights had to follow a moral and social code of chivalry. What would that code look like in today’s society?

Teaching Suggestion: While chivalry is not explicitly mentioned, all of the characters go through trials to prove their “worth” as potential knights and squires. Consider having students create their own moral code for society as a way to consider who may be included/excluded from these classifications.

• This 11-minute video explains the code of chivalry for medieval knights. The code is discussed in minutes 2:50-7:40 of the video.
• This article from Texas A&M discusses how chivalry may be adapted to today’s society.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What is one smell that brings up a memory for you? Is it a positive or negative memory?

Teaching Suggestion: This question is designed to help students explore the motif of “the scent of magic.” Consider making this a journal prompt instead of a discussion to allow students the freedom to share more personal information.

• This article from the Harvard Gazette details how scents and memories are often linked according to scientific research.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who require prompting, consider providing a list of common scent-memories (the ocean, fresh cookies, etc.). This list would remind them of memories that they have. For students who need a challenge, consider having them come up with two scent-memories: one that is positive and one that is negative.