Encourage further exploration by your students with these excerpts from literature. Individual or discussion activities follow each literature excerpt to further enrich students' learning. The excerpts may be read on the screen or printed out. Permission to photocopy these literature excerpts for classroom use is hereby granted to teachers using History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond.

1. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (about 1340 - 1400)

Unit 1: Europe During Medieval Times

Unit 2: The Rise of Islam

Unit 2: The Rise of Islam

Unit 3: The Culture and Kingdoms of West Africa

Unit 4: Imperial China

Unit 5: Japan During Medieval Times

Unit 6: Civilizations of the Americas

Unit 7: Europe's Renaissance and Reformation

Unit 8: Europe Enters the Modern Age

Chapter 3: The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe

Chapter 10: Contributions of Muslims to World Civilization

Chapter 10: Contributions of Muslims to World Civilization

Chapter 15: The Cultural Legacy of West Africa

Chapter 19: China's Contacts with the Outside World

Chapter 22: The Rise of the Warrior Class in Japan

Chapter 25: Daily Life in Tenochtitlan

Chapter 30: Leading Figures of the Renaissance

Chapter 33: The Age of Exploration