BEOWULF UNIT PLAN OUTLINE
LEARNING GOAL: Students will understand the values represented by Beowulf as a hero and critically
consider whether or not he IS a hero at all. Students will compare and contrast our society’s definition
of a hero with the ideas of heroism from Beowulf’s time-period and determine whether Beowulf
meets our criteria, their criteria, or no criteria.
PERFORMANCE OF UNDERSTANDING: As a final project, we will re-enact the feast at Heorot. Students
will create well-researched characters for themselves, and during our feast the characters will discuss
Beowulf’s feats with one another, focusing particularly on whether or not they believe Beowulf is a
real hero.
Monday September 26: Intro
LEARNING GOAL: To gain a basic understanding of Beowulf’s time period and setting.
PERFORMANCE OF UNDERSTANDING: Create a visual representation of Heorot
Go over what the unit will be like
Power point with lots of video clips on setting and time period
Activity: Pick one description from Beowulf and create a representation of the setting described. This
can be a drawing, a paragraph on how you think this place looks in your own words (minimum 100
words), or a sculpture of some kind if you are super motivated. However you choose to complete the
assignment, you will be graded primarily on the effort you put into it. If you give me a drawing with
stick people standing around a boxy house you’ll get a bad grade. Give me something you’re proud of.
MATERIALS: Power point, video clips, syllabus, reading guide
HW: No homework, but you can use tonight to catch up on the heroism chart or your representation
of the setting. Also, be warned that we are going to read 400 lines of poetry tomorrow night. This
might be a little difficult at first, so if you think you need more than one night start reading now.
BINDER: Setting representation, at least one page of notes on the setting and time period
Tuesday September 27: Intro
LEARNING GOAL: To understand the literary techniques used in Beowulf and think critically about
heroism. Basically to prepare ourselves for the reading.
PERFORMANCE OF UNDERSTANDING: A thoughtful and respectful poster-discussion.
Power point with video clips on the poem itself (literary techniques, characters, vocab)
Fill out vocab and character sheets during presentation
Activity: Poster discussion. WITHOUT TALKING AT ALL, walk around the room and answer the
questions written on the pieces of poster paper on the walls. You can answer the question, ask a
follow up question, or make a comment on someone else’s writing. You don’t have to sign your name,
but remember to be big elephants. Again, there is ABSOLUTELY NO TALKING. Anyone talking is going
to answer all three questions as a graded bellwrite.
Questions – What qualities make a person a hero?
What qualities make a person a villain?
What values do some of your heroes (or heroes in today’s society in general) represent?
Example: For the third question – the one about what values heroes represent – I think I’ll pick
Batman as my hero. We’re going to talk about him as a class later, and besides, he IS one of my
heroes. So I will write, “One of my heroes is Batman. I think he represents a loss of faith in society,
since he is needed because the criminal justice system in Gotham is so severely flawed.” Then Mr.
White might come by and see my comment and decide he wants to respond. So he’ll draw a line from
my comment, maybe with an arrow, and write something like, “I don’t agree with this at all. I think
Batman represents man’s capacity for goodness in the face of incredible odds, because he singlehandedly keeps Gotham safe.” Notice that even though he doesn’t agree, he is polite. He doesn’t
write, “No way, this is wrong and you are stupid!” Also, notice that both our comments are more than
one word long. We write something that other people can comment on. If I had just written, “loss of
faith” there wouldn’t have been much for Mr. White to say to that. Think of this as a conversation
you’re having with the whole class; you want to be clear and engaging.
MATERIALS: power point, video clips, posters with questions, markers
HW: Read lines 1-398
BINDER: Vocab and character sheets (you’re going to add to these as we go on)
Wednesday September 28: 1-398
LEARNING GOAL: To understand the text we have read so far.
PERFORMANCE OF UNDERSTANDING: Self-evaluation with exit slip
Check in to see how it went
Discussion and clarification of the text, some reading aloud
A little intro to the final project – how to be preparing for it while reading
If there’s time: Find three examples of Christian or Pagan values within the first 400 lines and write a
little about each line. What does it mean? How does it fit into the text so far?
Exit Slip: What questions do you still have? Was the reading last night too much, too little, just right?
MATERIALS: Final project rubric
HW: Re-read lines 1-398. DON’T skip this homework because you think you got it the first time. You
can skim some of it, but pay close attention to how the coast guard and Wulfgar interact with
Beowulf. We’re going to talk about this tomorrow. As you read, find one example of each of the
literary techniques we discussed in class, and write the line next to the vocab word on your vocab
sheet.
BINDER: 3 examples, vocab sheet (again)
Thursday September 29: 1-398
LEARNING GOAL: Understand the text we’ve read so far AND be aware of the social customs and
values at work.
PERFORMANCE OF UNDERSTANDING: Bellwrite
Now you’ve all read these lines at least twice, and you should have a pretty good understanding of
what’s happening in the story. Therefore…
Bellwrite! Retell the events in lines 229-319 from the coast guard’s point of view. Consider how he
feels about the importance of his job, the desperate situation in his country, and the arrival of these
fearsome warriors. NOTE: This bellwrite (and all bellwrites during this unit) will go in your binder.
MAKE SURE TO DO A WORD COUNT.
Reading as a class, goal is to get through Beowulf’s verbal sparring with Unferth.
Pick your character’s name! You can’t have a good character, a really rounded and fleshed out
character, without having a good, Anglo-Saxon name. You can pick one from the list on the board,
then write a kenning describing your character. As queen of this classroom, I have named myself
Weahltheow, slayer of the servants of Bowser. I could also be Weahltheow, Koopa-slayer. Have fun
with this! Do not lose the paper you write this on! We’re going to add more to it!
MATERIALS: List of anglo-saxon names, definition of kenning reminder
HW: lines 398-835 (we read some of this in class, but skim it with the reading guide to help you). As
you read, think about how an innocent observer might feel about what is happening. Start thinking
about your character. Do a little research if you need to. Who is (s)he? One of Beowulf’s thanes,
watching him fight? One of Hrothgar’s men? A peasant in the kingdom? How does (s)he feel about
what is happening? How does (s)he feel about Beowulf?
BINDER: Bellwrite, Anglo-Saxon character sheet (to be continued)
Friday September 30
Teacher In-Service Day
Monday 10/02/11 – 398-835
LEARNING GOAL: To understand and interact with the text and the literary techniques its author uses.
PERFORMANCE OF UNDERSTANDING: Bellwrite and meaningful discussion
Discussion of the text. The fight with Grendel is a fun one to read aloud.
Bellwrite options: Choose one prompt to respond to.
1.
Write a boast for yourself similar to the ones Beowulf makes. Use Old English techniques like
kenning and litotes. Be dramatic!
2.
Using Beowulf’s boasts, write a resume for Beowulf. What job is he applying for? What are his
qualifications? Who are his references? Avoid using anachronisms. Reference the text by including
line numbers when appropriate. (Use the resume handout)
3.
Write a complete description of Grendel, using details given in the poem and adding others from
your own imagination. Be sure to include alliteration, kennings, and litotes.
Final project update – You have a name and description of your character now. As an exit slip, tell me
your character’s name and kenning, and list three occupations you think you want your character to
have. You can’t be any of the main characters, which means you can’t be the king or queen. You CAN
be one of the young princes (and we’ll assume there might be some young princesses too), but you
can’t all be royalty. By Monday we’ll have gone over your characters and assigned you each a role
based on your top three picks.
MATERIALS: Resume guide handout
HW: Keep thinking about your character, and don’t be afraid to do a little research online on what life
was like back then. We aren’t experts: you’re going to be the expert. Keep track of where you get your
information from so you can cite it later. Read lines 836-1490. I know that’s a lot of reading, but there
are some parts you can definitely skip. Use the reading guide and this will go much more quickly. After
you are done reading, write one page describing what has happened from your character’s point of
view.
BINDER: The one page description you write for homework, bellwrite
Tuesday October 4: 836-1490
LEARNING GOAL:
PERFORMANCE OF UNDERSTANDING:
Assigned roles on the board – write yours down somewhere you won’t lose it!
Note passing activity – Everyone partner up! For three minutes, write a note to your partner about the
reading. If you didn’t do it, write some questions about it that might help you in the class discussion
today (and do the reading later!). Switch notes. One minute to read. Three minutes to respond.
Switch. And so on. We’ll do this for 10-15 minutes. Stay on topic with your notes! I’m going to collect
these when we’re done, so make sure both your names are on it.
Class discussion. I know there are probably some questions.
If there’s time left over we’ll either do silent reading to get a head start on homework, or we’ll read
together out loud.
MATERIALS: Role assignments
HW: 1491-1885 by Wednesday. You will have another one page writing assignment recounting what
happens in these lines from your character’s point of view, also due on Wednesday.
BINDER: They should have added to their character sheet.
Wednesday October 5: Meet in Computer Lab/ library
Today is a research day. You will be working on creating a complete profile of your character.
Research what life was like for someone of your gender, age, and social status. Now that you have an
occupation, research about that. Remember, you are going to be the expert, and your character has to
be fleshed out enough that you can meet the rubric requirements AND be able to stay in character for
54 minutes.
At the end of class you should have a full page – either typed or hand written – on your character
INCLUDING citations. These can be notes that you plan to polish later, but you have to be able to
prove you have been working hard. I will not collect the notes, but I will check to see that you have
them and they will be worth points.
If you finish early, or can prove that you have done plenty of research at home, then you have some
extra credit options. These are not due at the end of class; you can turn them in with your binder.
Each assignment is worth 10 points, and you can only do one for credit. You can do more than one if
you want to, and I’ll look over it when I grade your binder and feel good about you, but it’s not worth
points.
Options:
1.
Play the bbc.co.uk Viking Quest. Don’t just rush through it though; read the options and pay
attention to the historical information. Beowulf and his men are not Vikings, but Viking culture was
very similar to Anglo-Saxon culture. After you complete the quest, write an account of your quest.
Don’t just write, “I picked a big ship, I picked thirty men, I sacked the monastery.” Be creative with
this! Maybe you are one of the monks at the monastery, or a Viking on board, or you can still be your
character and recount what you HEARD happened. Give lots of details!
2.
Create a mix CD for Beowulf with at least 5 songs. You don’t have to turn in a physical CD if you
don’t want to. Turn in a list of the songs you picked, which character or passage each song relates to,
and a few sentences explaining each song choice. Draw from the text and list line numbers or give
quotes when necessary.
3.
Beowulf mentions that Unferth killed his kith and kin (i.e. a family member). Scholars typically
believe that Unferth killed his own brother, linking him to the biblical figure, Cain. We don’t really
know much about Unferth; for the sake of Beowulf’s structure, narrative and themes we don’t have to
know much. But it can be fun to speculate. Write a story or poem that explains Unferth’s past. Why is
he so bitter when we meet him in the poem? What happened in his past? Did he murder his family
member in cold blood, or was there a good reason? Should we feel sorry for him, or is he a total
villain? Remember, we are speculating on what MIGHT have happened, but we are also trying to be
believable. Draw from the text as much as possible. Your story should seem authentic to the time
period, meaning that there are no major anachronisms and the characters in your story live by the
same customs and moral codes they do in Beowulf.
MATERIALS: Computers, extra credit explanations
HW: finish reading to 1885 and write your page long account from your character’s pov
BINDER: The notes you took today
Thursday October 6: Through lines 1885
Clarification and discussion time
Poster discussions (if the first one went well)
Possible questions:
1. Would you sacrifice yourself/ put yourself in major danger for your community?
2. Does Beowulf act like a hero in his battle with Grendel’s mother?
3. Is Grendel’s mother a villain?
If the poster thing didn’t work out last time: Socratic Seminar on the values Beowulf has represented
so far and whether Grendel’s mother is a villain according to those values.
MATERIALS: Poster paper
HW: 1886-2198 (use the reading guide to see what you can skim). Keep thinking about how your
character would react, but you don’t need to do any writing. BRUSH UP ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF
THE HERO’S JOURNEY FOR TOMORROW!
BINDER: Nothing!
Friday October 7: 1886-2198
Now we’ve made it through Beowulf’s first two battles. He fights three monsters, but these two –
Grendel and Grendel’s mother – are more closely linked than his final battle. They fit together a little
more naturally as a narrative. We’re going to pause here to consider Beowulf as a hero.
If you think Beowulf is a hero, go to x side of the room. If you think he is not a hero, go to y side of the
room. If you absolutely cannot decide, no way, no how, go to z side of the room.
Debate
If you’ve changed your opinion, move now.
Okay, return to your seats and write yourself some notes from this activity. Is Beowulf a hero? Why or
why not? Is he a hero by different standards than our own? Is he hard to relate to as a hero? Write
everything you can while your mind is still in this zone; don’t worry about grammar and spelling as
long as you can come back to this and understand it later. It can be bullet points or a web, whatever is
easiest for you.
Exit Slip: How are you doing with the reading? Are you behind, ahead? Is this confusing? What
questions do you still have? I’m looking specifically for how well you understand the narrative.
MATERIALS: Hero’s Journey poster to use as a reminder
HW: Brush up some more on the hero’s journey, reread anything you weren’t clear on the first time or
catch up on reading. You need NEED NEED to be finished with 2198 by tomorrow if you aren’t already.
Bring your art supplies to class tomorrow.
BINDER: Your notes from the activity
MONDAY October 10th: Hero’s Journey
Activity – create a visual representation of Beowulf’s Hero’s Journey. You might not believe Beowulf is
much of a hero. He certainly doesn’t fit the Hero’s Journey exactly. It can be a little tricky to figure out
what goes where. If you don’t think Beowulf is a hero, make a visual representation of how he does
NOT fit the hero’s journey.
MATERIAL: Two examples to share
HW: Continue researching and adding to your character profile. Read 2200-2509.
BINDER: Hero’s Journey representation
TUESDAY October 11: 2200-2509
Oh snap, now there’s a dragon! Does anyone know what dragons were called in Old English? I bet
some of you do and don’t realize it. I believe Tolkien uses this word too, although it’s been a while
since I read The Hobbit. Answer: Wyrm.
Discussion
BELLWRITE:
EXIT SLIP:
MATERIALS:
HW:
BINDER: