Thinking is Critical

Throughout the world, tales have always been told of heroes and heroines embarking on perilous quests in search of lost loved ones, the secret of immortality, earthly paradise, in search of self, or simply great riches. Many of these stories have elements in common, such as clashes with monsters, battles with the elements, interventions by the gods and tests of moral character, mental cunning and physical strength. These tales have been expressed in songs, literature, art and dance for thousands of years, and are still being reinterpreted today in books, comic strips, interactive games, and adventure films.    

Stories depicting quests reflect the fascination over four thousand years with the search for self, true love, everlasting glory, and spiritual enlightenment. In Rodman Philbrick’s novel, Freak the Mighty, we have already started to see how Freak is fascinated by these stories and, we’ll discover, they are paralleled with the quests he and Max often choose or are required to take.

Today, you are challenged to a quest!

You may have learned about the King Arthur stories, often called the Arthurian Legends, which depict the mythical quest. In Freak the Mighty, although the story is contemporary, the main characters often reference and share tales from the Arthurian legends. Today, you will explore the ways in which the Arthurian legends, which were created hundreds of years ago, remain alive in the modern world. You will use the power of teamwork and the abundant resources on the Internet to learn all about Arthurian Legends. Each person on your team will learn one piece of the puzzle and then you will come together to gain a better understanding of how the Arthurian Legends relate to the modern world and can enlighten us on our quest to understand life and ourselves.

Before you may ascend to the throne of knowledge of Freak the Mighty, you must prove yourself worthy.

May the spark of knighthood be ignited within you. It is the spark of nobility that has been recognized since the earliest age within certain men and women of character and spirit. Seek this spark within yourself–it is there–seek first to find it, then to use whatever tools are required to fan this spark into a great fire of your passion–perchance through the effort of striving you will meet with more success than you will ever know.

The Quest

Overarching QUESTion: What do the Arthurian Legends teach us for the modern world? (This is what we are aiming to answer by the end of this research). There will be three challenges along the way.

The Process and Resources

In this WebQuest you will be working together with a small group of students from class. This will NOT be your book club, so the you have the opportunity to also jigsaw and compare knowledge with them. Each group will answer the Quest(ion), but you will need to write you own answers, in your own words, and put your responses in your portfolio. As a member of the group, you will explore Webpages from people all over the world who care about Arthurian Legends. Because these are real Webpages we’re tapping into, not things made just for schools, the reading level might challenge you. Feel free to use the dictionaries in class or http://www.dictionary.com to help you comprehend the information. If a website is too difficult, move on to one that helps you to understand the Arthurian Legends better: there ARE ones that are designed “for kids,” here, as well, but, even if you find that you prefer these, I hope you will challenge yourself to use the more difficult ones to complement them, at least.

Please keep in mind that these websites are created by individuals who have an interest in King Arthur’s time. Being interested in it does not necessarily make someone an expert. Check the source of the websites before you believe every piece of information to be true. Check multiple websites to find information that is common among scholars, rather than just using one website and assuming it is completely correct. Because the Arthurian Legends have been passed on through the ages orally and through writing, you may discover a variety of ideas and opinions that don’t match up with each other. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s “wrong,” but you DO want to ensure that your information is coming from well-regarded sources. Again, check the website’s source to determine its merit.

You’ll begin by getting some background before dividing into roles where people on your team become experts on one part of the topic.

Challenge I – Background: Something for Everyone

Use the sites below or other appropriate resources to answer the basic questions of

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?

of the Arthurian Legends. Before asking a question about any of the few words above, please read the next paragraph! If you still have questions after you have thoroughly read it, certainly, ask for as much support as you need. But, as always, read on a few lines before stopping at the exact word at which you have a question; you will often find that your question is answered a sentence or two later!

That is, give a brief overview of what the Arthurian Legends are. Be creative in exploring the information so that you answer these questions as fully and insightfully as you can (Challenge 2 will ask you to expand more specifically on the “who,” though, so you don’t need to be overly detailed yet). (Remember to note the URL and other relevant bibliographic information of the websites you use for your research as you will be required to cite your resources later).

A suggestion: divide up [at least some of] the web pages below to take notes on the basic information about the legends. Beyond that, Challenge I does not require you to work with your group as the next Challenges will. NO, you do NOT need to use ALL of sites. As always, be sure to check that the sites you are using are reputable and worthwhile. Compare information: do not rely on just one source.

• Timeless Myths: Arthurian Legends – A welcome to the Arthurian Legends.
• Arthurian Legends A to Z – A dictionary of characters and Arthurian terms.
• King Arthur for Kids – The legends, the history, the characters, the places and things
• King Arthur’s Life Story – From Early British Kingdoms for Kids
• The Truth in the Tale: The Legends of King Arthur – An analysis of the legends and how they were developed
• Arthurian Legends – A preview on the legends and characters
• Arthurian FAQs including Who Was Arthur? – The history behind the legendary king
• Arthur: King of Briton – Merrie Haskell offers a very brief essay on the famous king.
• King Arthur – A fine, brief account of King Arthur, written by two students from Australia.
• King Arthur from The Camelot Project – A good, thorough essay on the Once and Future King, King Arthur
• Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone – A brief essay from the Camelot Project notes that the two famous swords are not the same, at least in most versions of the Arthurian Legends.
• Arthurian Resources – Brief history and links about the Arthurian Legends
• King Arthur: A Man for the Ages – Explorations in the history and legends
  of Arthur
• King Arthur on Britannia - Links to sites associated with Arthur
• King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table – All about the legends
• The Age of Arthur – An essay exploring how the legends have been passed on
  through time.

Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL of the site from which you take the passage, so you can quickly go back to it if you need to to prove your point, and so you can use it for your Works Cited sheet (bibliography).

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