Extension Activities for the Knights of the Kitchen Table

"The Knights of the Kitchen Table" by Joe Scieszka is the first volume of the Time Warp Trio books. Three friends---Joe, Sam and Fred---are whisked back to the Middle Ages to face giants, fire-breathing dragons and evil knights. The boys use their wits to defeat the foes and are praised as heroes by King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Many activities can be used in conjunction with reading "The Knights of the Kitchen Table."

Group Work

Break students into groups of four and assign a portion of the book to each group. Give each student in each group particular tasks to complete using its assigned section of the book. For example, have one student create questions based on the passages selected, including a cause and effect question, a prediction question and a multiple choice question. Another student must research and draw a character. A third student becomes a "word wizard," seeking new and interesting words in the book for vocabulary words. The fourth student in each group identifies language use such as figurative phrases and use of similes. Then each member of the group teaches the entire group its section of the assignment.

Coat of Arms

The boys in the stories are sent back in time when knights existed. Discuss what a coat of arms is with the class and provide some examples of what real coats of arms look like. The students should be aware that every aspect on the coat of arms represents a specific idea for each family. Have the students create their own family coats of arms using construction paper or have them design them on computers.

Knights of the Round Table

In "The Knights of the Kitchen Table," the Time Warp Trio meet many of the mythical knights from the King Arthur legend. Provide the students more information on the knights in Arthur's world. Have them write a paragraph on which of the knights they would most like to meet and why. Have the students draw a picture of the knight. Instruct students to place their drawing on construction paper and attach their writing underneath. Display this work on bulletin boards.

The Middle Ages Language

In the book, there are times when misunderstanding occurs because of how the knights and characters spoke during the Middle Ages. English in the Middle Ages was spoken differently than it is today. Write some examples from the book on the board. Discuss with students how language evolves and continues to evolve. Provide other examples of words that had been used in the past but are not today, such as "foot feed," another word for "gas pedal." Ask students to write down phrases they are familiar with but their parents may not be. Then have them write a few sentences using language combining phrases from the Middle Ages with some of the phrases they wrote down earlier. Does the message still make sense? Ask who would have a hard time understanding the sentences.