Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village

Written by Laura Amy Schlitz

Published by Candlewick Press in 2007

"I don't know why the fields have the right to rest when people don't" (10)

Summary: Set in England on a Medieval Manor in 1255, this book chronicles life in Medieval times through  23 characters' voices. Monologue and Dialogue help readers learn about society in Medieval England, from lords to peasants. The book also provides asides which give readers some historical information on the three-field system, the Crusades, various religious groups, and town life. 

Awards: 

• 2008 Newbery Medal Award Winner

Reading Level: Lexile Framework: NP Grade Level: 5.6

Suggested Delivery: Individual and/or Small-group Read, Read-Aloud and Act Out by Students

Description: Monologue/Dialogue, Historical Fiction

Key Vocabulary (by page number): manor (1), fatigue (3), forge (6), amiss (15), pilgrimage (23), miller (28), chivalry (34), conscience (73), farthing (79), relic(80).

[Note: There are dozens of words in this book which may be unfamiliar to students. Most of them are names of social classes, plants, medicinal practices, locations, etc. of Medieval times which are now obsolete. Take time to pick out the most important words which add to the meaning of the story and will be useful to students in future reading.]

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Before Reading, students should have a basic understanding of Medieval society. Use the video listed below for a brief overview, or allow students to do some of their own research on Medieval life.
2. This book is written in dialogue and monologue and therefore meant to be read aloud/ acted out! Before assigning characters to students, model one or two monologues to encourage proper pacing, tone, and prosody. Then, carefully assign characters based on students' reading ability and interests. 

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading: Once students have been assigned their character, have students perform a character analysis. They will work individually or in pairs depending on if they have a monologue or dialogue. Prompt their analysis with questions like, "What emotions is your character feeling?", "What place does he/she have in society?", "Where does the monologue/dialogue take place?" etc.

During Reading: While allowing students to perform their monologues/dialogues out loud, stop at each section of the book entitled "A Little Background". These sections provide general information on Medieval times. The teacher can read these sections aloud so that each students hears all of them. Then, generate a small discussion or have students take notes on the historical facts they are learning. 

After Reading: Through a fishbowl discussion, have students connect the characters in the story. Many of the characters relate to another in some way. Start by having one students go in the middle of the circle/class and share a general overview of his/her character's relationships. Then, have any student who connects to this character jump in. When there are no more connects, start over with someone new. 

Writing activity: From their character analysis and read-aloud, students will turn their monologue/dialogues into a diary entry. While the content will be similar, the students will showcase their understanding of their character through adapting the poem into a first-person perspective narrative. 

Electronic Resources:

Video Clip: A Brief Overview of Medieval Society

This video clip shows reenactments to take viewers through different social classes in a Medieval village. 

A Teacher's Guide

This guide provides more ideas for teaching, discussing and writing about Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! 

Schultz, L.A. (2007). Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.