Lesson 13 Reading: The Knight of the Cart

The Knight of the Cart

For use after Lesson 13.

Sight Words to Know

go, she, too

to, who

was, his

the, one, done

her, for

then, with, that, them

there

Sight or Common Words Child Should Be Becoming Familiar With

some, someone, something

could, would

again, said

saw, look

why

give, live, have

Words above Instructional Level (From Context, Parent)

Point out what a child knows about the word; briefly explain rules he doesn’t know yet.

knew, knight

now, road, hair, told, horse, call

dress, tree

far, cart

upon, away, agreed (two syllables, but other skills down)

once, walk, meant, love

another, arrow, castle, a-Maying, Lancelot, Guinevere

            Once upon a time there was a knight named Lancelot. He was the best knight there was, and he was in love with the queen, Guinevere. But Lancelot and Guinevere had a fight. Guinevere got so mad that she made Lancelot leave and go far away.

            Then one fine day May came, and Guinevere went a-Maying with some of the knights who had not left with Lancelot. She had rose buds in her hair and on her dress, and she was a sight to see. But a bad knight hid in the trees. He ran from the trees and grabbed Guinevere, and not one of the knights there could stop him!

            The bad knight made Guinevere go to his castle. He locked her up high in it and waited. A lot of knights came to save her, but he locked them in the castle, too. But then someone told Lancelot that a bad knight had Guinevere. He rode back as fast as he could.

            Lancelot rode to the bad knight’s castle. But the bad knight waited in the trees again. He shot an arrow, and it hit Lancelot’s horse. Now Lancelot could not go fast. It would take a lot of time to get to the castle and save Guinevere.

            But as Lancelot walked, a man drove by in a cart. Lancelot hailed the man. “Please,” said Lancelot, “give me a ride!” Back then, knights did not ride in carts. If someone rode in a cart, it meant they had done something bad and would die for it. But the man saw that Lancelot needed his help, and he gave him a ride in his cart.

            Guinevere was looking at the road. She saw a cart pass with a knight in the back. “Look!” she said. “Why is there a knight in that cart? He must have done something bad.”

            Now Lancelot was at the castle, and he called the bad knight. The fight did not take a lot of time. No one had Lancelot’s might, and the bad knight knew Lancelot was right. In the end he stopped fighting and asked Lancelot let him live. Lancelot agreed, but made him say that he would not steal Guinevere again. He said it. It was a lie, but that is another tale for another day.