Old British literature was created based on folklore and legends that had been passed down for centuries. One of the best examples of this literature is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. This book is made up of one hundred and twenty stories with genres ranging from medieval to fantasy, all with a hidden lesson within the pages.

Ms.Swander’s senior English class created their own version of the tales, with a little twist. Each student completed two parts to this project: 1) character summary/description; 2) their character’s story. Each story had a moral and either shaped or reflected some aspect of modern society.

For their final grades, students were required to present their tales.  Each story was about something different: a working-class man with a low social status who is looked down upon due to his disadvantages, but gets promoted for his honesty; a stay-at-home mom teaches that failure is a part of life, to expect it, and when it happens, pick yourself up and keep going; a student with a good home life, but was pushed by his father about grades and school, learns independence and self-confidence as he breaks away from an unhealthy environment.

Part of the assignment was to dress like their character and use props to enhance the presentation. Rhett Sieverts wore board shorts, a baseball hat, and his trusty pug on his chest; Mike Wilps wore a football helmet; Jazmine White wore a handmade police badge; and Tia Miranda wore a medal-decorated letterman’s jacket. Overall, this assignment turned out very well, and the students enjoyed their writing.