King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table - Before Reading - write and check

Aug 29, 2026

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Instructional reading and comprehension material centered on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The text prompts learners to activate prior knowledge about early English history, predict knights’ adventures and qualities, and record love and marriage partnerships as they read. It also guides responses to key plot elements such as the Holy Grail, Merlin, Arthur’s marriage plans, and the significance of Arthur’s swords. After reading, learners summarize a selected knight story and write opinions on war, leadership, and kingship.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

A Before Reading

Stories and predictions about knights

The Holy Grail, Merlin, and magic

B While Reading

Record couples and love stories

Wedding traditions and Arthur’s request

Arthur’s swords: picture-based writing

C After Reading

Choose a story and write a summary

War and fighting: personal opinion

Kingship: personal opinion

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table Stephen Colbourn A Before Reading 1 The stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are more than a thousand years old. What do you know about the history of England around and before this time? Do you know who the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans were and when they came to England? Now read page 4 to check your answers. 2 These stories describe the adventures of King Arthur’s knights and show how a good knight should behave. What kind of adventures do you think they will have? What difficult things will they have to do? What will they wear and carry? What adjectives might describe a good knight? Write your ideas in the table. | Things they have to do | Things they wear/carry | Adjectives to describe a good knight | | --- | --- | --- | | save a young woman | | brave | Now look at page 5 and 6 to check your ideas. Macmillan Readers King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 􀀱 This page has been downloaded [from](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It)[ www.macmillanenglish.com.](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It)[ It](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It) is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2008. Published by Macmillan Heinemann ELT. Heinemann is a registered trademark of Harcourt Education, used under licence. 3 a The most important story about King Arthur is The Quest for the Holy Grail. Do you know what the Holy Grail is? Have you read any other stories which talk about the Holy Grail? Now read the last paragraph on page 5 to check your ideas. b Magic and the character of Merlin the Magician are important parts of the story. In The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by Tolkien, the character of Gandalf the Wizard is based on Merlin. Do you know Tolkien’s stories? Do you know any other stories which include magic and wizards? Do you like magical stories or do you prefer reality? B While Reading 4 a In the book, there are many examples of couples. Some fall in love and get married, some have children, but not all are in love. As you read, keep a record of these partnerships and love stories. | Man | Woman | Marriage? | Children? | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | King Gorloïs | Queen Igrayne | yes | 3 daughters, including Morgana | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | b When Arthur falls in love, he asks King Leodogran if he can marry his daughter, Guinevere. The King agrees and offers Caerleon castle as a wedding gift. Is it or was it traditional in your own country for parents to have to give agreement for their daughter or son to marry? What other wedding traditions do you have? What are typical wedding gifts? Macmillan Readers King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 2 This page has been downloaded [from](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It)[ www.macmillanenglish.com.](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It)[ It](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It) is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2008. Published by Macmillan Heinemann ELT. Heinemann is a registered trademark of Harcourt Education, used under licence. 5 The two pictures show important moments in the story connected to Arthur’s swords. Write a paragraph saying what has just happened and what is going to happen next for each picture and explaining the importance of the swords. Macmillan Readers King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table 􀀳 This page has been downloaded [from](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It)[ www.macmillanenglish.com.](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It)[ It](from www.macmillanenglish.com. It) is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.© Macmillan Publishers Limited 2008. Published by Macmillan Heinemann ELT. Heinemann is a registered trademark of Harcourt Education, used under licence. C After Reading 6 “You shall travel through the

FAQs

What tasks should learners complete before reading?

Learners activate prior knowledge of English history, predict knights’ adventures and attributes, and plan what kinds of items knights may wear or carry. They also reflect on the Holy Grail, Merlin, and magic as part of early story understanding.

What does learners’ record-keeping during reading focus on?

Learners keep a record of couples and love stories, noting which characters marry and whether they have children. They then connect these relationships to specific plot events.

How do learners finish the activity after reading?

Learners choose one Knights of the Round Table story and write a summary as if instructed by Arthur. They also write opinions on war and fighting, and on whether it is good or bad for a country to be ruled by a king or queen.

Aug 29, 2026

Upload by Angel