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Middle Ages

Becoming a Knight

Becoming a Knight
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.7

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    chivalry, knighthood, punching, quintain, battlefield, tunic, hawk, spears, rank, medieval, musical, warrior, celebration, social, sword, bravery
     content words:    Middle Ages

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Becoming a Knight
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     When you were six years old, did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up? Most people wouldn't. However, if you lived back in the Middle Ages, it would have been time to start your training if you were going to be a knight one day.
 
2     Preparation for knighthood was a long process. It lasted about fourteen years.
 
3     At around the age of six, young boys who were the sons of knights or other nobles were sent away from home to live at a neighboring castle where they began their training. During this first step on the path to knighthood, the boy was known as a page.
 
4     Pages dressed in their lord's colors, received training, and took on responsibilities right from the beginning. Their main duty was to help the lord. They would help him dress and help take care of his armor. They did all kinds of useful chores, like using sand to clean the armor when it got rusty. Pages also served at the table, and one important skill they learned was how to carve and serve meat.
 
5     Pages began to learn the courtesies and social skills that an adult knight was expected to know. They learned to sing and dance and maybe play a musical instrument. They learned how to treat a lady with respect.

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