The English IV student will read an epic poem and demonstrate comprehension with 85% proficiency.
The English IV student will identify alliteration, kennings and caesura and analyze how word choice affects characterization with competency.
The English IV student will create a graphic organizer in collaboration with others that illustrates the use of kennings and analysis of word choice with competency
Learning Targets:
I am going to read Beowulf and take quizzes to show what I know about the story.
I am going to find alliteration, kennings and caesura in the story and explain how they develop the plot and understanding of Beowulf.
I am going to work with a group to create a chart explaining our analyses on the use of kennings in Beowulf and how they develop his character.
Day 1:Chapters 4-9 Group Presentations--Student groups will present their chapter presentations. Audience groups will annotate their text accordingly with pertinent character and plot development as well as finding opportunities to identify kennings, alliteration, and other literary devices used in Anglo-Saxon poetry, analyzing the impact of these word choices on meaning and tone.
Days 2-5 chapters 10-23 --Whole group reading of chapters 10-12 --Teacher summary of 13-15 --Skip 16, 17 and 18 --Whole group reading of chapters 19-23
Continue reading the epic poem Beowulf in sections, using a the provided version of the poem.
The Hero’s Journey: Throughout the reading of Beowulf, students will track the journey of the hero Beowulf. Suggested means for this include students’ personal graphic organizers; chart paper on the classroom walls; and small group or individual analysis through bellringers, active closure, and exit tickets.
Note-taking strategies: Students should use sticky notes or Cornell note-taking strategy to annotate the story, especially noting the use of alliteration, kennings, caesura, and Anglo-Saxon sentence structure as well as the different stages of the hero’s journey observed in the poem.
Literary Devices: Each week while Beowulf is being read, teacher will provide students
opportunities to analyze the use of the following literary devices characteristic of Anglo-Saxon literature and the impact that they have on meaning and tone:
Alliteration
Kennings
Caesura
Synecdoche
Also consider the following: Sentence structure of Anglo-Saxon poetry, the epic hero,
Theme Analysis: pagan vs. christian, traditions and customs, good vs. evil, identity, and water (see Schmoop.com).
Bell ringers will include paragraphs written to analyze different themes.
New vocabulary will be presented via a student generated vocabulary log or a teacher generated list. Lesson activities: