
Click here for a sample section of The Minstrel in the Tower Study Guide! Get the book Minstrel in the Tower HERE
Roger and Alice live alone with their mother in a tiny cottage. Their father, a knight, left five years earlier to fight in the Crusades and never returned. Roger and Alice are sent by their mother, who is sick and feverish, on a journey to find an uncle they did not know they had. They take with them their mother's lute. "Show him the eagle carved on the back," she tells her children. "Ask him to come quickly. Quickly!" Their journey is complicated when they are captured by outlaws, and their lute (their only proof of identity for their uncle) is stolen. Alice, the better climber of the two, climbs out of the tower from a high window. Now she journeys alone, and somehow must find her uncle and persuade him to help.
Through Gloria Skurzynski's exciting story, students will learn:
Historical Background: Learn about the Crusades, France, 1195 A.D.
Author Biography: Learn about Gloria Skurzynski and her writings.
Vocabulary words used throughout the novel, utilizing a variety of activities to stimulate retention and growth.
Literary Techniques: Similes, flashbacks, synonyms, description, alphabetize,
Moral Lessons and Character Values: Obeying, sacrificing to help others, kind words, strength from God, hope from suffering, first impressions, anger, forgiveness & compassion.
Activities and Writing Assignments: Minstrels and jesters, mapping, Medieval legends, Francis of Assisi, wordsearch, Crusades, oral reports, cooking, art, clay crafting.
Suggestions for Further Reading: We include an in-depth reading list of more books by the same author(s) and other books that tie in with, or are similar to, Minstrel in the Tower by Gloria Skurzynski
All of the unit lessons are written from a Christian perspective!
E-guide Format