- Information about Mark Twain - A section with background and contextual information - A glossary of difficult words - Comprehension and grammar activities including A1 Movers style exercises and 21st century skills activities - Final test
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
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In this reader you will find:
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Hank Morgan is the boss of a factory in late 19th century Connecticut. One day, while he’s working, a man hits him on the head. When Hank wakes up, he’s in sixth century England. He’s at the Court of King Arthur where he meets the Knights of the Round Table, Queen Guenever and also makes friends with Sandy and Clarence. Hank knows more than the others, so he soon becomes very important for the King. He wants to make the country more modern, but things don’t always go the way he wants...
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Mark Twain A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Mark Twain
Stage 1 A1
ELT A1
ELT A1
Margherita Downloadable Micheli Audio Files
A ConnecticutBook Yankee in King Arthur’s Court brief
1 2 3 4 5
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is an 1889 novel by American writer, Mark Twain. A comedy set in the 6th century, when Hank Morgan, a Yankee engineer from Connecticut in the 19th century, finds himself back in the time of King Arthur, after being hit on the head. Twain wrote the book after dreaming about being a knight, and it’s often considered an example of how to write a ‘time travel’ story. In the story, Hank tries to teach the people of medieval England what he knows to make their lives better. The book questions many social ideals and is a humorous satire of feudalism and the monarchy.
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In this reader: 21st Century Skills
Movers
To encourage students to connect the story to the world they live in.
A1 level activities.
Story Notes
A brief summary of the text.
Glossary
Explanation of difficult words.
Picture Caption
A brief explanation of the picture.
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These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded.
Think
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To encourage students to develop their critical thinking skills.
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For this series of ELI graded readers, we have planted 5000 new trees.
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Mark Twain
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Retold and with activities by
Jane Bowie Illustrated by
Margherita Micheli
Teen
Readers
Contents
6
Characters
8
Before you read
10
Chapter 1
18
Activities
20
Chapter 2
28
Activities
30
Chapter 3
38
Activities
40
Chapter 4
48
Activities
50
Chapter 5
56
Activities
58
Focus on... Mark Twain
60
Focus on... Who was King Arthur?
62
Test Yourself
King Arthur’s Court Freemen! The Holy Fountain The Yankee and the King War!
63 Syllabus
5
Main Characters
Hank Morgan
A Yankee engineer from 19th century Connecticut. He tries to make life better for King Arthur’s people.
Sandy
Clarence
Hank’s best friend. He helps him with his new ideas.
Merlin
A pretty girl who believes in magic.
The magician at King Arthur’s Court. He doesn’t like Hank at all.
6
King Arthur
The King of Camelot. He listens to Hank’s ideas because he wants to help his people.
Guenever
King Arthur’s wife.
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Before you read
Reading and Writing
MOVERS
1 These words are all in Chapter 1. Look at the pictures and choose
the correct word for each definition.
armour
magician
castle
dragon
lightning
king
prison
tower
dragon This animal is in many old stories: _______ 1 You see this when the weather is bad: _______ 2 This is where they put people who are bad: _______ 3 This building is very high: _______ 4 In some places, this person is head of the country: _______ 5 Important people lived in this kind of building in the past: _______
Speaking 2 This book is called A Connecticut Yankee
in King Arthur’s Court. Look online and answer these questions.
1 2 3 4 5 6
21st
Century Who was King Arthur? Skills What does ‘Yankee’ mean? Can you see Connecticut on this map? Which country is it in? What kind of story do you think this is? What kind of books do you like reading? How important do you think it is to read? Why?
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Grammar 3 Circle the correct form of the verb for each sentence. 1 2 3 4 5 6
The writer meets / meet a man at Warwick Castle. Warwick Castle is / has in England. The man says / tells the writer many stories. The man’s name is / are Hank Morgan. Hank go / goes to the hotel to speak to the writer. Hank gives / give the writer his story to read. Hank comes / goes from the USA.
Listening 3 4 Decide if you think the sentences are true (T) or false (F).
Then listen and check your answers.
T F
3 ■ Hank Morgan starts his story at work. ■ 1 Someone hits him on his legs. ■ ■ 2 When he wakes up he sees a man in armour on a horse. ■ ■ 3 He meets a young man who tells him he’s at King Arthur’s Court. ■ ■ 4 He meets King Arthur. ■ ■ 5 There are no women at King Arthur’s Court. ■ ■ 6 Merlin the magician is boring. ■ ■ 7 Sir Kay says Hank is very dangerous. ■ ■
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Chapter 1
King Arthur’s Court 2
I was at Warwick Castle in England when I met a man. He told me many stories about the past. The writer meets a man I liked them very much. Then we saw some old called Hank armour1. There was a bullet2 hole3 in the armour. Morgan at Warwick “That’s strange4,” I said. “They didn’t have guns5 Castle. The at that time.” man gives him “I did it,” said the man, and smiled. his story to read. I was surprised. The man came to my hotel room that evening. He gave me some papers. His name was Hank Morgan. This is his story. I was in my factory in Connecticut. A worker 3 hit me and I fell down. I woke up under a tree and saw a strange man in armour on a horse. He said I was his prisoner6. His name was Sir Kay. I went with him to a village. He said it was Camelot. I thought it was all a bad dream. I thought all the people were mad7. They all looked at my clothes. They thought I was strange. I started to talk to a boy. His name was Clarence. 1
armour bullet 3 hole 4 strange something you don’t usually see 5 gun 6 prisoner if you’re someone’s prisoner, you must do what they say 7 mad if someone is mad, they do strange or silly things 2
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
“Where am I?” I asked. “King Arthur’s Court, in the year 513,” he answered. “You’re going to prison1 and then they want to kill2 you.” Then some people took me to the King at his Round Table. There were lots of knights3 round the table. The room was very big and there was music. The knights ate and the women watched them. They all had beautiful clothes. An old man stood up and told a story. Everyone was bored and fell asleep. The old man was Merlin. Then Sir Kay told them about me. He told a lot of lies4 and said I was very dangerous. He took me to Queen Guenever. He said my clothes were magic5. They took away my clothes and then put me in prison. I fell asleep. 4 When I woke up, I thought it was all a dream but I was wrong. I was a prisoner at King Arthur’s Court. Clarence came to visit me. “Help me to get out of here,” I said to him. “I can’t,” he answered. “There are lots of guards6 and there’s a spell7 on this prison. Merlin 1
prison where they put people who do something wrong kill make someone die 3 knight 4 lies if you tell a lie you say something that isn’t true 5 magic a special power to do something impossible 6 guard a person who watches prisoners so that they don’t get away 7 spell a kind of magic 2
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Someone hits Hank Morgan on the head and when he wakes up he’s in the year 513 at King Arthur’s Court.
Mark Twain
did it. No one can get out of here. Tomorrow at 12 o’clock, they want to burn1 you.” I was very sad and angry, but I had an idea. “I’m not afraid,” I said. “I’m a great magician2. Is today the 20th of June?” “Yes, it is,” said Clarence. “Then go and tell the King that, if I want, I can take the sun away from the world and make it dark forever if they try to hurt me.” I knew from my studies that on 21st June 513 there was a total solar eclipse3. That was my magic: to make the sun disappear4! The next day they came to get me and tied5 me to a big tree. People sat around to watch. Everyone wanted to see. I was afraid. What if I were wrong about the eclipse? Then everyone looked up. The eclipse is starting, I thought. “Burn him,” shouted Merlin. “Stop!” shouted King Arthur. “Please, don’t take the sun away! What do you want? I can give you anything!” I said I wanted to be his minister6 and help 1
burn you burn yourself if you go near something hot magician 3 solar eclipse when the moon passes in front of the sun 4 disappear if something disappears, you can’t see it anymore 5 tie if you tie someone to something, they can’t move. 6 minister someone who helps the king with his work 2
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They want to burn Hank so they tie him to a tree, but then the solar eclipse starts and they think he’s a magician.
Mark Twain
The solar eclipse passes and the sun comes out again. King Arthur and his people think that Hank did it so he saves himself and becomes King Arthur’s most important minister. Merlin doesn’t like him so Hank uses gunpowder and lightning to make his tower go BOOM! Everyone now thinks he’s a very clever magician.
him, and he agreed1. The moon was in front of the sun now and everything was dark. So I pointed at the sun and shouted, “Sun! Come back to us!” The sun started to come out again and everyone was happy. So, the King made me his minister and everyone in Camelot had to do what I said. Clarence helped me. I had beautiful clothes which were difficult to wear all day, and the best rooms after the King. People came from all over the country to see me. I was famous, but they wanted some more magic from me. Merlin was in prison. He was my enemy2, so I said I wanted to burn his tower with fire3 from the sky. His tower was an old Roman one and very strong. One stormy4 night I put lots of gunpowder5 inside the tower and tied a long piece of metal6 to it. Then I called everyone and we watched as the lightning7 hit the tower and it went BOOM! Everyone was afraid. They thought I was a very clever magician. Day after day, I could see that the people 1
agree if you agree with someone, you think the same as them enemy someone who isn’t a friend 3 fire 4 stormy when the weather is very bad 5 gunpowder 6 metal a car is made of metal 7 lightning 2
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
in Camelot were like children. They didn’t understand many things. They couldn’t read or write and they weren’t good with numbers. They believed1 everything they heard. I started to open secret2 schools. I put down wires3 for telephones. I wanted to write for a newspaper. I taught Clarence to be a journalist. The King and the nobles4 believed they were better than me but they thought I was clever. I thought I was better than them because I knew more than them, but I liked them. So, we were all friends.
Hank wants to make things better and more modern for the people so he starts secret schools and puts in telephone wires.
After four years, King Arthur was very happy with my work. He was richer5 because I helped him to make more money. More money went to the people of Camelot so they were happier too. They started to call me ‘The Boss’. I liked it. People at Camelot loved watching jousting6. Hundreds of knights did this sport and many hurt themselves. Sometimes the knights went to
Hank also helps the King to make more money and to help his people, so everyone is happier and they call him ‘The Boss’.
1
believed when you think what someone said is true secret if something is a secret, you don’t want other people to know about it 3 wires 4 noble a person who comes from an important family 5 richer to have more money than before 6 jousting a medieval sport where two knights try to make each other fall their horses 2
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Mark Twain
Hank agrees to go with Alisande to save her mistress and forty-four girls who are the prisoners of huge guards with four arms and one eye, in a castle.
Think
How do you think Hank can save the prisoners?
save1 princesses2 from dragons. They believed in dragons and giants3. One day a girl came to Camelot. Her name was Alisande la Carteloise. She said her mistress4 and forty-four girls, many of whom were princesses, were prisoners in a castle. The guards were three huge men with four arms and one eye. At Camelot they said I had to save them. I thought it was time for a holiday so I agreed. I asked Alisande questions which she couldn’t answer. “Where’s the castle?” “Many miles5 away,” she answered. “How many?” I asked. “I don’t know,” she said. “They all look the same.” I got up early and had breakfast. Then I put on my armour. It took a very long time. There were many parts and I couldn’t move or do anything. They had to carry me out and help me onto the horse. Then Alisande climbed onto the horse behind me. She had to show me how to get to the castle. We left and everyone waved goodbye to us. 1
save help someone to stop something bad happening to them 2 princess the King’s daughter 3 giant 4 mistress a woman boss 5 miles 1 mile = about 1.60 km
16
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Hank and Alisande are going to the castle to save the girls.
After-reading Activities • Chapter 1
Reading and Writing 1 Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)? An American tells the story. 1 Someone hits the man on the head. 2 He wakes up in the sixteenth century. 3 There are a lot of people at King Arthur’s Court. 4 King Arthur puts the man in prison. 5 His friend Clarence saves him from burning. 6 Merlin likes Hank. 7 People think the solar eclipse is magic. 8 Hank helps King Arthur to make more money.
Reading and Writing
T F 3 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
MOVERS
2 Choose the correct word(s) for each sentence.
to kill The people at King Arthur’s Court wanted _________ Hank.
kill to kill killing 1 They _________ Hank’s clothes because they thought they were magic. had got took 2 Hank _________ the people that he could take the sun away. spoke said told 3 Hank knew there was a solar eclipse _________ 21st June 513. on in at 4 Hank had the _________ rooms after the King. good better best 5 Alisande climbed onto the horse _________ Hank. before behind near
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■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Speaking 3 Answer the questions with a partner.
21st Century Skills
1 In the story, Hank travels back in time to the year 513. What other stories or films do you know where the people are time travellers? 2 What kind of films do you like? 3 Do you watch films on TV or online? Why? 4 Would you like to travel back to the past or into the future? Why? 5 What can you learn if you travel to other countries? 6 Which countries would you like to visit? Why?
Before-reading Activity
Listening 6 4 Listen to track 6 and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F). T F 1 Hank meets a group of rich people. ■ ■ 2 The Freemen give Hank a present. ■ ■ 3 The Freemen are knights. ■ ■ 4 They have to pay tax. ■ ■ 5 The Freemen are repearing the bishop’s house. ■ ■ 6 Clarence is teaching people to read and write. ■ ■ 7 Hank gives the men five pennies. ■ ■
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Focus on...
Mark Twain
1835
Mark Twain American writer, real name, Samuel Langhorne, born in 1835 in the USA, when Halley’s Comet was near the Earth.
In the middle, Mark Twain February 1871
Early life He grew up in Missouri and after his father died when he was 11, he started to work for a printer. He loved reading and studying by himself in libraries. Then, after a boat trip on the Mississippi, he studied to become a steamboat pilot. He also tried gold mining but he didn’t do well in this.
1865
Early works and first success In 1865, he started to write stories and became a successful journalist and public speaker. His first successful novel was Tom Sawyer (1876) based on his 1876 time as a child in Missouri.
58
Marriage and later life He married Olivia Langdon in 1870. They moved to Connecticut and had three daughters. In his last years he was sad, after two of his daughters and his wife died. 1870 1881
1885
1889
Other works and interests In 1885, he wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which people call “The Great American Novel”. Twain was interested in science and social problems. He was against slavery and wanted working people to have a better life. We can see this in his novels, The Prince and the Pauper (1881) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889).
Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Halley’s Comet In 1909, Twain said, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It’s coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It’ll be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.”
Died He died in 1910, one day after Halley’s Comet arrived.
1910
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1909
Focus on...
Who was King Arthur?
King Arthur and Sir Lancelot by William Morris
Between reality and invention No one knows if King Arthur really existed, but it’s possible. Historians aren’t convinced, but say that perhaps he was a Romano-British leader of the late 5th or early 6th century, who fought against the Anglo-Saxons to defend his country. Two early documents, from the 9th and 10th centuries, talk about him and say
that he fought in the Battle of Mount Badon, killing 960 men by himself. It seems he originated from or near Wales. Many historians believe that it’s possible only to say that King Arthur probably or possibly existed, but some say it’s impossible and that he’s just a literary invention.
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Kings,Queens and Knights Most of the characters we hear about with him are certainly invented: Queen Guenever, Merlin the magician and Sir Lancelot, are all literary figures from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 12th century stories. He took some of these from other works, but he invented many himself. In medieval times, the stories of the King, Queen and the Knights of the
Round Table were very popular. They were more about medieval society than real 6th century history. In
The legend lives on
After Malory, people lost interest in King Arthur. Then, in the 19th century, poets and artists used him again in their works. Wordsworth and Tennyson wrote about him, the pre-Raphaelite painters used the legends in their works. His popularity continued: Mark Twain used the legends, and Thomas Hardy. In the 20th century, after the First World War, people didn’t want to hear
the late 15th century, Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur fixed the legends in people’s imagination.
about knights and fighting. However, people began to like these stories again, thanks to the cinema and popular novels. A stage musical, Camelot, also became a film, Walt Disney made the animated film The Sword in the Stone and even the Monty Python team made a film about King Arthur: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. One thing is sure: the legend lives on.
Questions 1 Why do you think King Arthur is so popular? 2 Are there any legends like King Arthur in your country? What do they talk about?
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Test Yourself 1 Find and correct the ten mistakes in this summary. Hank Morgan is British. Someone hits him on the head and he wakes up in the court of King Arthur. He saves himself from death thanks to a solar eclipse and makes a friend, Clarence. Clarence is a knight. Hank becomes the King’s Prime Minister. People call him The Chief. Merlin is his friend. One day he goes on a journey with Sandy to save some ladies: the ladies are really horses. He meets Morgan le Fay and saves her prisoners. His second journey is with the King. They meet a poor woman who dies of influenza and then stay with a family. The artisans get angry with them, so they run away. A noble rescues them but sells them as farmers. The police almost shoot Hank and the King but Sir Lancelot saves them. Many years later, Hank marries Morgan le Fay and tries to start a revolution. He returns to his original world and lives for a long time. 2 Complete the sentences with words from the book. The first letter is given. 1 Arthur is King of Britain and his wife is Q Guenever. 2 His knights meet at a R Table. 3 Some people in the kingdom have to work for others without earning any money: they are s . 4 The groups who decide everything in the kingdom are the Church and the n . 5 Hank travels to the V of Holiness. 6 He tries to make the country better, to i it.
3 What do you think of Hank Morgan? Who are your favourite characters? Why? Tell your partner.
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Syllabus Verb tenses Present simple Present continuous Past simple regular and irregular forms Modal verbs Can, could, have to, had to Verb+ infinitive Verb+ ing Comparative and superlative adjectives Prepositions of place and time Conjunctions And, but, then, because, when Relative Pronouns Which, who, where, when, that, whose Lexical areas Medieval people, places and pastimes Town and country Parts of the body Clothing Animals Jobs
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Teen
Readers
Stage 1
Maureen Simpson, In Search of a Missing Friend Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales Janet Borsbey & Ruth Swan, The Boat Race Mystery Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Angela Tomkinson, Great Friends! Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna Anna Sewell, Black Beauty Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
Stage 2
Elizabeth Ferretti, Dear Diary… Angela Tomkinson, Loving London Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mary Flagan, The Egyptian Souvenir Maria Luisa Banfi, A Faraway World Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island Elizabeth Ferretti, Adventure at Haydon Point William Shakespeare, The Tempest Angela Tomkinson, Enjoy New York Frances Hodgson Burnett, Little Lord Fauntleroy Michael Lacey Freeman, Egghead Michael Lacey Freeman, Dot to Dot Silvana Sardi, The Boy with the Red Balloon Silvana Sardi, Scotland is Magic! Silvana Sardi, Garpur: My Iceland Silvana Sardi, Follow your Dreams Gabriele Rebagliati, Naoko: My Japan
Stage 3
Anna Claudia Ramos, Expedition Brazil Charles Dickens, David Copperfield Mary Flagan, Val’s Diary Maureen Simpson, Destination Karminia Anonymous, Robin Hood Jack London, The Call of the Wild Louisa May Alcott, Little Women Gordon Gamlin, Allan: My Vancouver