This anticipation guide asks students to consider the modern-day, American concept of heroism. Students will brainstorm examples of heroism in today’s world as a means of studying the epic hero and the Anglo-Saxon concept of heroism. This activity establishes student anticipation of reading the poem Beowulf and provides an interesting platform for class discussion and debate. This guide is included in my MEGA Beowulf Bundle, which includes 25 lessons and activities to take your Beowulf unit to the next level! Find the entire bundle in our store, sold separately. BUNDLE AND SAVE!

No study of Beowulf is complete without also studying the life and times of the Anglo-Saxons. This listing includes Anglo-Saxon history notes and a quiz with the answer key included! Anglo-Saxon History Notes a. This handout contains an outline of key historical notes about the Anglo-Saxons and the epic poem Beowulf. You can use these notes as a class handout or as notes for a lecture. Also, consider having students select a topic from this handout to research and present to the class. Anglo-Saxon History Quiz a. This quiz checks students’ knowledge of Anglo-Saxon history. You can use it as a means to hold students accountable for the notes and/or use it as a group activity in which students have to research the answers in order to learn about Anglo-Saxon life and times. Answer key included! These two handouts are included in my MEGA Beowulf Bundle with 25 lessons and activities to take your Beowulf unit to the next level! You can find the entire bundle in our store, sold separately. BUNDLE AND SAVE!

This activity challenges students to consider Beowulf as a work of propaganda. Students are to document examples of propaganda and bias in the poem by looking for specific propaganda devices and tone words in action. After gathering evidence, students synthesize their findings in a piece of writing to use as reference during a class discussion on how Beowulf exists as a piece of propaganda. Answer key included! This activity is also included in my MEGA Beowulf Bundle (25 lessons and activities with answer keys!). You can find the entire bundle in our store, sold separately. BUNDLE AND SAVE!

Included here are three popular creative writing assignments to accompany a unit on Beowulf. Beowulf Kenning Activity a. In this activity, students try their hand at creating modern-day kennings to share with the class. Students have fun being creative with kennings! Anglo-Saxon Boast Writing Assignment a. This assignment asks students to create a poetic boast modeled after that of Beowulf in the epic poem. Students must integrate devices such as hyperbole, alliteration, and kennings into a boast about their accomplishments. Then, students are to write a paragraph explanation of the role boasting plays in the poem using at least two quotations from the text. Students have great fun sharing their boasts and also comparing/ contrasting theirs to that of Beowulf's. This is a great activity to get students involved in the poem in an interactive way! Beowulf Comic Book Project a. This Beowulf project uses the structure of the comic book to assess student understanding of the literary elements in Beowulf, Anglo-Saxon culture, and reading/writing/collaboration skills. Included here is the project assignment along with a Common Core aligned rubric. This is a great project to tap into student motivation in a fun, collaborative, engaging way that will simultaneously target reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. All three creative writing tasks are included in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE (25 activities and lessons with answer keys included!) You can find the ENTIRE bundle in our store, sold separately. BUNDLE AND SAVE!

This is an excellent, jigsaw-type, collaborative activity to use as an introduction to the epic poem Beowulf. Essentially, students break into groups to look at only the Prologue and Parts 1 and 2 of the epic poem. Each group takes on the part of an anthropologist/archaeologist "digging" back into the past to learn about the world of the Anglo-Saxons. Each group receives a different set of questions about Anglo-Saxon culture to respond to by seeking out answers from the Beowulf text. Students then report their findings/ discoveries about Anglo-Saxon culture to the class. This is an excellent way to get students involved in active inquiry into a text. I typically do this activity BEFORE I give them any notes at all on Anglo-Saxon culture because I want them to see what they can discover on their own first. This activity is easily followed with a writing assignment in which students describe their findings using textual evidence. Included here are questions for 8 different groups per class (of course, in reality, you may have more groups per class, so you can simply repeat some of the questions amongst groups-- it's perfectly fine to see how two different groups approach the same questions because they will undoubtedly make different observations). Great way to get into the Beowulf story! This item is part of my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE that includes 25 lessons and activities with answer keys! You can find the ENTIRE bundle in our store, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE! Positive feedback is appreciated for FREEBIES :)

This packet contains the following items to use with your students when preparing for an essay on the epic poem Beowulf: Beowulf Agree/ Disagree Activity a. This student handout contains five thematic statements that are relevant to the Beowulf story. Students either agree or disagree with each statement and then briefly explain their reasoning. This handout taps into students' prior knowledge on life themes relevant to the poem in order to establish a framework for thematic ideas they will observe in the story. I typically use this activity as an Anticipation Guide at the beginning of the Beowulf unit; however, it can also be used as an essay brainstorming guide or a classroom debate guide. These statements really get students interested in the story as they begin to think about why they believe what they believe and discuss/disagree with their peers. Beowulf Debatable Statements Activity a. This essay brainstorming activity contains 16 debatable thematic statements that relate to the Beowulf story to help students generate ideas for a Beowulf essay. Students are to think about how each statement applies to the Beowulf story (apart from their own personal opinions) and then briefly explain how each statement is true or false in the story. Students can complete this activity on their own or in small groups, and it is a terrific means of organizing whole class discussion and debate prior to beginning the writing process. After discussing the themes presented, students can then select one theme as the focal point for a theme analysis essay on the epic poem. Beowulf Essay Brainstorming Activity— Topics/ Themes Chart Beowulf Essay Thesis Statements Literary Criticism: “Subversive Female Power in Beowulf” Beowulf Essay Prompts + Outline Form and Rubric ALL of these items are included in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE (25 lessons and activities/ 108 pages with keys)! The entire bundle can be found in our store, sold separately. Bundle and SAVE!

These graphic organizers are a nice supplementary item for a Beowulf unit. They give basic definitions of epic conventions, epic hero traits, archetypes, and major characters from the poem and allow space for students to write in textual evidence plus explanations for these items as they find them in the text. These are excellent tools to keep students organized when analyzing key concepts in the poem-- great for students of all levels! Thorough answer keys included with textual evidence and explanations! Graphic Organizer #1: Epic Conventions Graphic Organizer #2: Traits of the Epic Hero Graphic Organizer #3: Main Characters Graphic Organizer #4: Archetypes These items are included in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE (25 lessons and activities with answer keys!). You can find the ENTIRE BUNDLE in our store, sold separately.

These Beowulf journal prompts contain writing tasks for all three levels of writing. They are excellent to use as warm-up/ bell-ringer tasks at the beginning of class periods or as more developed writing assignments. They also lend themselves to small group and/or whole class discussions. This listing is included in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE with 25 lessons and activities plus answer keys! You can find the ENTIRE BUNDLE in our store, sold separately.

These Beowulf question sets take students through a close reading of the major parts of the poem and account not only for plot but also comprehension and interpretation as well. These questions also provide excellent discussion topics for small groups or the whole class. They can also serve as study guides for an objective-based test on the epic poem. Answer keys included with extended analysis and textual evidence to take your class discussion to a deeper level! These questions can also be found in my MEGA BEOWULF BUNDLE with 25 lessons and activities/ 108 pages including answer keys! You can find the ENTIRE BUNDLE in our store sold separately.

In these 5 debate activities, students consider key, debatable questions regarding the Beowulf text such as whether or not Beowulf is a success or failure as an epic hero. Students are to compile evidence for BOTH sides of the argument in preparation for a class debate and then write an analytical/ argumentative paragraph after each debate. Included in this packet you will find: 1. Teacher Page with instructions 2. Debate Rubric to use for grading the debate 3. 5 reproducible debate sheets, each containing a separate debate question about Beowulf This is an excellent way to target both speaking and writing skills while practicing argumentation and rhetoric.

This handout gives students lists of words to edit out of their essays-- a great tool for the Writer's Toolbox! Positive feedback is always appreciated :)

In this FREE 21-page booklet, find information on how I use the Writer's Notebook as an Interactive Notebook in my secondary English classes. This freebie includes explanations of how I have my students organize the notebook as well as the charts, handouts, graphic organizers, rubrics, etc. that my students use with the notebook throughout the school year. Positive feedback is always appreciated for FREEBIES!

In this mega Beowulf Bundle, you will find 25 lessons and activities that include very thorough answer keys with textual evidence where applicable to take your Beowulf unit to the next level. This bundle includes the following items: 1. Beowulf Anticipation Guide: Heroism 2. Beowulf Cultural Discovery: An Introduction to the Anglo-Saxons 3. Beowulf WebQuest and Wordle Poem 4. Anglo-Saxon History Notes 5. Anglo-Saxon History Quiz 6. Anglo-Saxon Values and Vices Chart 7. Beowulf Journal Prompts 8. Beowulf Reading and Discussion Questions 9. Beowulf Reading Checks 10. Beowulf “Connecting the Dots” Graphic Organizers 11. Beowulf vs. the Epic Hero Cycle 12. Beowulf Rhetoric Activity 13. Bias and Propaganda in Beowulf 14. Intertextuality Activity: Beowulf and Wilbur’s Poem 15. Beowulf and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 16. Beowulf Agree/ Disagree Activity 17. Beowulf Debatable Statements Activity 18. Beowulf Essay Brainstorming Activity— Topics/ Themes Chart 19. Beowulf Essay Thesis Statements 20. Literary Criticism: “Subversive Female Power in Beowulf” 21. Beowulf Essay Prompts + Outline Form and Rubric 22. Beowulf Kenning Activity 23. Anglo-Saxon Boast Writing Assignment 24. Beowulf Comic Book Project 25. Beowulf Skills Application Test

This listing is for a characterization activity entitled "What's in a name?" in which students analyze how a character's name reveals character traits. This mini-lesson is part of the Mega Characterization Bundle of over 15 characterization mini-lessons that get your students working with all literary devices and techniques. You can find it listed separately in our store. Bundle and save over $15.00! For this mini-lesson: Task To research the meaning of a character’s name and analyze how the meaning of names helps to create characterization Objectives To develop criteria for analyzing character To assess comprehension of character development across a text To select appropriate academic vocabulary for literary analysis To support analysis with textual evidence To conduct research from multiple sources and use that research to support analysis Common Core Standards R1, 3, 6, 11/ W1, 2, 4, 7, 9-11/ SL 1, 4, 6/ L1-3 Instructions Many modern literary critics argue that researching a character’s name in a piece of literature is a necessary part of conducting character analysis. In this activity, students will research the meaning behind a character’s name from a piece of literature. Students can either select the character, or you can assign each individual student or student groups to a particular character. Students will then visit several websites to conduct research on the meaning behind the name and compile their findings onto the Research Activity Sheet. After students have conducted the name research, there are three optional follow-up activities that involve discussion (“What’s in a name?” Pair Discussion), exploration (“What in a name?” Chart), and writing (“What’s in a name?” Analytical Paragraph)—all are attached below. These optional activities will allow students to compare/ contrast their findings from their name research and discuss how this research informs character analysis.

This listing is for a characterization activity entitled "Subtext Submarine" in which students analyze how subtext reveals character traits. This mini-lesson is part of the Mega Characterization Bundle of over 15 characterization mini-lessons that get your students working with all literary devices and techniques. You can find it listed separately in our store. Bundle and save over $15.00! For this mini-lesson: Task To assess how subtext reveals character traits Objectives To develop criteria for analyzing character To assess comprehension of character development across a text To support analysis with textual evidence To use inference to analyze character To present findings to the class in an effective, organized, and compelling way To work effectively with others to produce a product Common Core Standards R1-4, 6, 10, 11/ W1, 2, 4, 10-11/ SL 1, 4, 6/ L1-6 Instructions Subtext is a difficult skill for students to comprehend because it requires students to look beyond what they see and to use their inference skills to draw conclusions about character. For this reason, I have developed the metaphor of the submarine to help students visualize this concept. In the “Subtext Submarine” activities that follow, students are introduced to the concept of subtext and then asked to apply that concept to character analysis. The Lead Activity contains an introduction to subtext using the metaphor of a submarine—the idea being that text exists on the surface (above the water), and subtext exists below the surface (under the water). Students are then asked to analyze a series of silly conversations for subtext and then to create their own. They will not only enjoy analyzing the silly conversations (“Ten Ways to Say NO!”) but also inventing their own (“Ten Ways to Say YES!”). The follow-up activities ask students to find examples of subtext in a piece of literature and explain how the subtext reveals character traits. Students can refer back to the list of Characterization Adjectives at the beginning of this packet in order to select appropriate academic vocabulary as they assign character traits to each example of subtext. Finally, students will then create a skit in which they use subtext to reveal character in order to synthesize their understanding of the concept. Once students have a grasp of the concept of subtext, they will enjoy working with it and using it to analyze character.

This listing is for a characterization activity entitled "Stargram" in which students analyze how a character's name reveals character traits. This mini-lesson is part of the Mega Characterization Bundle of over 15 characterization mini-lessons that get your students working with all literary devices and techniques. You can find it listed separately in our store. Bundle and save over $15.00! For this mini-lesson: "Stargram" Task To characterize a character from a text using textual evidence Objectives To develop criteria for analyzing character To assess comprehension of character development across a text To select appropriate academic vocabulary for literary analysis To support analysis with textual evidence To communicate points effectively with small groups and large groups Common Core Standards R1, 3, 6, 11/ W1, 2, 4, 10/ SL 1, 4, 6/ L1-3 Instructions For this activity, students will first fill out the “Stargram” chart for a specific character—either of their own choosing, or assigned by you (you could even assign student groups to specific characters). Students will then list five adjectives on the “Stargram” to describe the selected character. This is an excellent opportunity for students to use the “Characterization Adjectives List” (sold separately) in order to expand their vocabulary. Be sure to make dictionaries available as well. For each of the selected adjectives, students will find a quotation to support it from the text and add the quotations to the “Stargram.” After completing the “Stargram” Activity, you can have students complete any of the follow-up activities that are included: the “Stargram” Discussion, “Stargram” Analytical Paragraph, or the “Stargram” Class Debate. These follow-up activities provide opportunities for students to synthesize their findings from the “Stargram” Activity and to practice both oral and written communication.

This listing is for a characterization activity entitled "Relationship Rectangle" in which students analyze how a character's relationships work to develop character traits. This mini-lesson is part of the Mega Characterization Bundle of over 15 characterization mini-lessons that get your students working with all literary devices and techniques. You can find it listed separately in our store. Bundle and save over $15.00! For this mini-lesson: "Relationship Rectangle" Task To analyze how character relationships contribute to character development Objectives To develop criteria for analyzing character To assess comprehension of character development across a text To select appropriate academic vocabulary for literary analysis To support analysis with textual evidence To communicate and defend an argument through class discussion Common Core Standards R1, 3, 6, 11/ W1, 2, 4, 10-11/ SL 1, 4, 6/ L1-3 Instructions For this activity, students will consider how the protagonist’s relationships in a story develop characterization. The “Relationship Rectangle” asks students to focus on the protagonist’s key relationships, including the protagonist’s most important relationship, most difficult relationship, the relationship that provides the protagonist with the most help and support, and finally the antagonist that acts against the protagonist throughout the story. Student’s selections for these relationships may vary, but students are asked to support their relationship selections with textual evidence and then discuss their findings with a group. Through this discussion, students will begin to agree/ disagree with each other’s relationship selections as a means of synthesizing how relationships in a story serve to characterize the protagonist. Students are then asked to develop an analytical paragraph that asks them to analyze how one particular relationship constructs the characterization of the protagonist. I have provided a shaping sheet for this analytical paragraph; however, you may wish to use it only for differentiation, with all of your students, or not at all (depending upon your students’ skill levels and needs).

This listing is for a characterization activity entitled "Personality Profiles" in which students analyze character by creating various social media profiles. This mini-lesson is part of the Mega Characterization Bundle of over 15 characterization mini-lessons that get your students working with all literary devices and techniques. You can find it listed separately in our store. Bundle and save over $15.00! For this mini-lesson: "Personality Profiles" Task To create social media pages from the perspective of a literary character in order to explore character traits Objectives To develop criteria for analyzing character To assess comprehension of character development across a text To select appropriate academic vocabulary for literary analysis To support analysis with textual evidence To apply modern-day culture and technology to character analysis Common Core Standards R1, 3, 6, 11/ W1-4, 10-11/ SL 1, 4, 6/ L1-3 Instructions One of the best ways for students to get “into” a character’s mind is to envision how a character would use social media. This always captures students’ attention because they themselves use social media in their everyday lives. The activities that follow can be used either as simple activities or as more involved project presentations. Depending upon your school’s technology (and whether or not these social media sites are blocked), you might even be able to have students design real accounts for a character and then share them with the class. You could even give the following handouts to groups as brainstorming and planning tools to use in class to brainstorm ideas for creating social media pages outside of class. This is particularly useful for me because we do not have computers at my school for students to use, so I have them plan out their social media pages in class and then assign students to create the “real” pages outside of class. They then bring in “screen shots” of each page to share with their peers and submit for a grade (due to the fact that all social media sites are blocked at my school). However, if your school has computers and these sites are not blocked, groups could even present their social media to the class and explain the rationale behind their posts, photos, comments, etc. The following handouts include forms modeled after such social media sites as: Twitter Facebook Instagram While these handouts are not exact replicas of these social media sites, they do capture the essence of how they are laid out, and students will understand how to fill them out based upon their own use of social media. A reflection guide follows each social media activity that asks students to explain their rationales behind the character’s posts/ pics/ page.

This listing is for a characterization activity entitled "Motivation Machine" in which students analyze how a character's motivations reveal character traits. This mini-lesson is part of the Mega Characterization Bundle of over 15 characterization mini-lessons that get your students working with all literary devices and techniques. You can find it listed separately in our store. Bundle and save over $15.00! For this mini-lesson: "Motivation Machine" Task To analyze the relationship between character motivation and plot Objectives To develop criteria for analyzing character To assess comprehension of character development across a text To support analysis with textual evidence Common Core Standards R1-3, 6, 11/ W1-4, 10-11/ L1-3 Instructions In this set of activities, students will look at the relationship between character motivation and plot in order to observe how the protagonist’s desires create or drive the plot of the story. The “Motivation Machine” lead activity asks students to consider plot points that are organized according to character decisions. The questions on the “Motivation Machine” Activity follow the typical character motivation pattern as follows: 1. The character has a problem—wants something but cannot get it. 2. The character worsens the problem by making a mistake. 3. The character has to deal with the worsened problem and faces obstacles. 4. The character either solves the problem and gets what he/she wants or does not. After students complete the “Motivation Machine” activity, they can then complete the three follow-up activities: “Motivation Machine” Silent Swap “Motivation Machine” Consequences Chart “Motivation Machine” Analytical Paragraph In the Silent Swap, students swap the “Motivation Machine” activity three times and answer reflection questions independently in order to compare/contrast other students’ character analysis with their own. In the “Motivation Machine” Consequences Chart, students consider the cause/ effect relationship of a character’s motivation. In the Analytical Paragraph, students synthesize their findings into a writing task that responds to the question: “How does the protagonist’s motivation affect the plot of the story?” This activity will enable students to grasp how the protagonist creates the action of a story according to what he/she wants.

This listing is for a characterization activity entitled "Magic Mirror" in which students analyze how a character's perceptions of himself/herself reveal character traits. This mini-lesson is part of the Mega Characterization Bundle of over 15 characterization mini-lessons that get your students working with all literary devices and techniques. You can find it listed separately in our store. Bundle and save over $15.00! For this mini-lesson: "Magic Mirror" Task To analyze the similarities and differences among a protagonist’s view of himself/herself versus how other characters view the protagonist Objectives To develop criteria for analyzing character To assess comprehension of character development across a text To select appropriate academic vocabulary for literary analysis To support analysis with textual evidence Common Core Standards R1, 3, 6, 11/ W1-4, 9-11/ SL 1, 4, 6/ L1-3 Instructions Oftentimes, the disparity in perception between how a protagonist of a story sees himself/herself and how other characters view the protagonist causes the protagonist to make a mistake—sometimes a very tragic mistake. In “Magic Mirror,” students are to consider how the protagonist views himself/herself as compared to how other characters view him/her. By looking at the protagonist through this lens, students can begin to see the imperfections of the protagonist that bring about conflict in the story. The lead activity, “Magic MIrror,” asks students to brainstorm adjectives to describe how the protagonist sees himself/herself. It also asks students to brainstorm adjectives to describe how other characters view the protagonist. Then, students can complete any or all of the follow-up activities to analyze the information from the “Magic Mirror” Activity including the “Magic Mirror” Chart, “Magic Mirror” Venn diagram, or the “Magic Mirror” Writing Task. All of these activities lend themselves to sharing/ discussing either in small groups or as a whole class, so consider ways for students to interact throughout these activities.