What you will learn (learning objectives)

• Understand who Einhard and Notker were and why they wrote about Charlemagne.
• Compare how two authors shape a reader’s view of the same historical figure (purpose, audience, form).
• Identify and analyse language features, tone and structure in short medieval prose extracts.
• Use textual evidence to support a comparative argument.
• Create a short piece of writing imitating one author’s voice.

How this maps to ACARA v9 (years 9–10)

In classroom terms this unit maps to the curriculum emphases on:

• Responding to and analysing texts: recognising viewpoint, purpose and how stylistic choices shape meaning.
• Comparing texts: explaining differences in representation and reliability.
• Context: placing medieval texts within their historical and cultural background (Carolingian world, monastic authorship, court culture).
• Composing: writing for different purposes and audiences, using controlled voice and register.

Short background to the two authors (student-friendly)

• Einhard — a close courtier of Charlemagne. He wrote a life modelled on the Roman biographer Suetonius. His tone is measured, practical, often concerned with facts, duties, domestic life and administration.
• Notker the Stammerer — a monk writing slightly later. He collects lively anecdotes and miraculous episodes. His aim is partly to entertain and partly to inspire piety; his Charlemagne is larger-than-life and often moralised.
• David Ganz — modern scholar who introduces, edits and translates the texts; his work helps us read the Latin with helpful notes and context.

Step-by-step lesson sequence (5–6 lessons, each ~50–60 minutes)

1. Lesson 1 — Hook and context
   • Short warm-up: close your eyes and imagine a ruler’s morning — what would you expect? (Discussion)
   • Mini-lecture: Carolingian era basics (Charlemagne, the idea of kingship, the Carolingian Renaissance) — 10 minutes.
   • Introduce authors: read a short paragraph about Einhard and Notker from David Ganz’s introduction.
2. Lesson 2 — Read Einhard (close reading)
   • Read a short Einhard excerpt (physical description, habits, or his account of Charlemagne’s building and love of learning).
   • Annotate: circle words about appearance, actions, and duty. Note sentence rhythm, classical references and quiet authority.
   • Comprehension questions (literal): What does Einhard say about Charlemagne’s daily life? How does Einhard explain Charlemagne’s virtues?
3. Lesson 3 — Read Notker (close reading)
   • Read a Notker anecdote (a miracle story or lively episode). Annotate for dramatic language, moral point, and sensory detail.
   • Comprehension questions: What is the story’s main point? How does Notker use surprise or the supernatural?
4. Lesson 4 — Compare and contrast
   • Use a Venn-style comparison: list Einhard’s techniques (calm, documentary, classical allusion) vs Notker’s (anecdotal, miraculous, moralising).
   • Group activity: each group finds 2–3 words or short phrases in each text that create tone. Share why those words matter.
5. Lesson 5 — Produce and present
   • Creative task: write a 200–300 word scene about a moment in Charlemagne’s life in either Einhard’s or Notker’s voice.
   • Presentations: short readings and class feedback focused on voice and textual evidence.
6. Lesson 6 (optional) — Assessment and reflection
   • Assessive task: a comparative paragraph or short essay (400–600 words) answering: 'How do Einhard and Notker present Charlemagne differently? Use evidence.'
   • Reflection: which portrayal seems more believable and why? Which is more enjoyable to read and why?

Activities and classroom scaffolding

• Reading scaffold: provide glossed vocabulary and a one-paragraph summary for each excerpt before reading.
• Annotation prompts: Who is speaking? What is the author’s purpose? What language creates trust or drama?
• Pair work: Student A tracks words of fact and measurement (Einhard). Student B tracks words of wonder and feeling (Notker). Swap and discuss.
• Sentence imitation: take a short sentence from Einhard and rewrite it in Notker’s style; then do the reverse.

Suggested assessment tasks (aligned to ACARA outcomes)

• Formative: annotated extract + short reflection (100–150 words) on tone and purpose.
• Summative: comparative analytical essay (400–600 words) using at least three quotations and referencing context; mark on comprehension, textual evidence, comparison and coherence.
• Creative summative: write a short 'Life' episode in one author’s voice (200–300 words) with an accompanying 150-word explanation of choices.

Example essay prompt and planning steps

Prompt: 'Compare how Einhard and Notker present Charlemagne. In your answer, discuss the authors’ purposes and how language creates different impressions of the king.'

Planning steps (explicit for Year 9):

1. Thesis: one clear sentence saying how the portrayals differ (e.g., 'Einhard constructs a measured, human portrait that emphasises duty, while Notker offers a larger-than-life, moralised Charlemagne').
2. Paragraph 1: Evidence from Einhard (quote, explanation, effect).
3. Paragraph 2: Evidence from Notker (quote, explanation, effect).
4. Paragraph 3: Compare & evaluate reliability/purpose — mention historical context briefly.
5. Conclusion: short judgement — which author suits which purpose (history vs edification) and why.

Key questions for class discussion or homework

• What does Einhard want his reader to believe about Charlemagne? How does he use detail to build trust?
• What does Notker want his reader to feel? How does the miraculous or anecdotal shape that feeling?
• Which author is more useful for a historian? Which is better at making you care? Can a text do both?
• How might David Ganz’s editing and translation choices influence what modern readers notice?

Teacher notes — differentiation and extensions

• For students who need more support: provide shorter excerpts, guided paragraph templates and sentence starters for the essay.
• For advanced students: ask for textual comparison that includes direct reference to David Ganz’s introduction (the historian’s lens), or ask them to compare these Lives to a modern political biography.
• Extension project: research one Carolingian building or reform mentioned by Einhard and present its long-term impact.

Final taste — a short teacher script in Nigella-ish cadence to introduce the texts

‘We will taste two lives of a great king: Einhard’s is like a savoury, carefully composed broth — clear, restrained, nourishing your mind with fact and order. Notker’s is a rich, spiced stew — full of surprises, warmth, and the odd miraculous sweetness that means well and wants to be remembered. Both dishes tell us, in different ways, who Charlemagne was to people who loved him, feared him, served him or prayed for him. Our job is to learn how to read these flavours and to explain what they mean.’

Helpful resources

• Two Lives of Charlemagne, edited, introduced and translated by David Ganz (use the edition your school has; the introduction contains background useful for higher-level responses).
• Short background handout on the Carolingian world (maps, dates, key terms: 'Carolingian Renaissance', 'courtier', 'monastery').
• Short guide to medieval Latin biography conventions (Suetonius model vs hagiographic anecdote).