1. Half term 5 week 3 theme - event
St. Georges Day

2. Day 1 – A golden Legend
A city called Silene had a large lake, where a plague-bearing dragon who breathed fire and disease lived. The dragon poisoned all the countryside. To please the dragon, the people of Silene gave it a sheep every day, for food, and when there were no more sheep, they gave their children to the dragon. The children were chosen by a lottery.
One year the lottery chose the King's daughter. The King, sad and desperate, asked the people to take all his gold and silver, and half of his empire - but only if his daughter could be saved. The people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed in white as a bride, to be a fine meal for the dragon.
Not knowing this, Saint George was riding past the lake on the same day. The princess, terrified and trembling, tried to send him away, but George said he would stay and protect her.
The dragon came suddenly out of the lake while they were speaking. Saint George made a gesture called the Sign of the Cross, jumped on his horse and advanced toward the dragon. He used his long spear to hurt the dragon badly. Then he asked the princess to throw her long pretty belt to him. He put the silk belt around the dragon's neck. Now, the dragon followed the girl like a humble pet follows its master.
The Princess and Saint George took the dragon back to the city of Silene, where the people were terrified to see the dragon enter. But Saint George told them not to be scared. He said that if the people became Christians and went to Church to be baptized, he would kill the dragon immediately.
The king and the people of Silene converted to Christianity, George killed the dragon with his sword, 'Ascalon', and its body was taken out of the city on carts. Fifteen thousand men were baptized, not counting women and children. On the site where the dragon died, the king built a Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George. From the altar in the church came a fountain of holy water. The water cured any disease.

3. Day 1 – A golden Legend Discuss in your groups the previous page:
Consider the following:
When do you think this happened?
Who has the most to gain from people hearing about this legend.
Are the similarities with anything in the modern world?
Share your discussion with your class mates and you TFL
Reflect on your thoughts and the discussion for 1 minute in silence.
Finish with your house prayer.

4. Day 2 – Origins of a legend
The life of St. George is shrouded in legend, making it nearly impossible to disentangle fact from fiction.
The following details seem to belong to the category 'fact': George was born to noble, Christian parents in the third century AD. After the death of his father he and his mother moved to Palestine, where the family owned land.
He became a soldier during the reign of Roman emperor Diocletian ( ), a bitter enemy of the Christians, who put to death each one of them he could find.
As a brave Christian himself, George complained personally to Diocletian of the harshness of his decrees and dreadful purges of Christians. George then left the Roman army and for this he was imprisoned and tortured for seven years.
He would not recant his faith and was finally beheaded at Lydda in Palestine.
Discuss in your groups:
Why was George killed?
How were his views and that of his emperor different?
Should he have been imprisoned and killed?
Reflect on your thoughts and the discussion for 1 minute in silence.
Finish with your house prayer.

5. Day 3 – Coventry?
You may be surprised to learn that legend has it St George was born and died in Coventry.
Richard Johnson, 16th century author of the Famous Historie of the Seven Champions of Christendom, was the first to place St. George in Coventry.
Johnson said George was born the son of Lord Albert in a local castle with a "blood red cross on his arm and a dragon on his chest".
Admittedly that's a story, but it points the finger at Coventry's historical importance as a city once powerful and important enough to have been selected as the birthplace of our patron saint.
Johnson's selection of the city may also be linked to Edward III's decision to change the Patron Saint of England from St Edward to St George in around At the time, Coventry was the fourth largest city in England.
Edward III's mother, Queen Isabella lived there and his eldest son, the Black Prince was to inherit Coventry's Royal Palace, Cheylesmore Manor, the remains of which now serve as the city's register office.
The romantic Caludon Castle, now in ruins, was chosen by Johnson as St George's family residence.
The beauty and majesty of the building could well have been another influence in Johnson's selection of Coventry as the birthplace of a legend.

6. Day 3 – Coventry? Discuss in your groups the previous page:
Consider the following:
Was the choice of Coventry because of religion or politics?
Does doing this make St. George more English?
Is there any truth whatsoever in this?
Share your discussion with your class mates and you TFL
Reflect on your thoughts and the discussion for 1 minute in silence.
Finish with your house prayer.

7. Day 4 - Images Discuss these images in your groups :
Consider the following:
Which “legend” do you think is being shown the most?
Why do you think this is?
Knowing the facts about St George (day 2) is this right?
Share your discussion with your class mates and you TFL
Reflect on your thoughts and the discussion for 1 minute in silence.
Finish with your house prayer.