Retelling the story of 'Beowulf and the dragon' | English

Starter quiz

Which of the below were true of warriors in Anglo-Saxon culture?
- they were respected ✓
- they had to fight for the king ✓
- they owned land farmed by peasants ✓
- they were kings
How did Anglo-Saxons show their respect for warriors?
- the king would reward them with wealth and land ✓
- people would tell their stories ✓
- they would be allowed to return to Europe
- they would be given elaborate burials ✓
Put the elements of the story structure in order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  opening
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  build-up
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  climax
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  resolution
How is 'Beowulf' best described?
- one main story made up of four mini-stories
- three main stories each containing three mini-stories
- one main story made up of three mini-stories ✓
Put the three mini-stories that make up 'Beowulf' in order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf and Grendel
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf and Grendel's mother
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf and the dragon
Put the events from the final mini-story - Beowulf and the dragon - in order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf has been king of Geatland for many years.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  A dragon is provoked to attack the Geat stronghold and burn it down.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf argues he should be the one to fight it.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf tries to fight the dragon, but he struggles until Wiglaf helps him.
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  Beowulf is able to slit the dragon's throat and kill it.

Exit quiz

Which part of the story is being described here? 'A dragon attacks the stronghold and Beowulf is determined to defeat it himself.'
- opening
- build-up ✓
- climax
- resolution
Which part of the story is being described here? 'Beowulf tries to kill the dragon, but can’t; he is clamped in the dragon’s jaws.'
- opening
- build-up
- climax ✓
- resolution
What is the resolution in the story of Beowulf and the dragon?
- when Beowulf becomes king of the Geats
- when Beowulf is in the dragon's jaws
- when Beowulf kills the dragon ✓
- when Wiglaf comes to help Beowulf
Which event below follows this one? 'Beowulf saw the damage to the stronghold and he wanted to fight the dragon.'
- Beowulf took some men to the dragon's cave.
- Wiglaf protested that he was too old. ✓
- Beowulf banged on the stone to make the dragon come out.
- Wiglaf stabbed the dragon in the belly.
Which of these are true of a text map?
- We can use it help us learn the events of the story. ✓
- Each picture represents one word in the story we will write.
- We can use it to help us story-tell to prepare to write. ✓
- It's okay to use a mixture of pictures, words and letters. ✓
What is the best way to use your text map to make writing easier?
- repeatedly practise saying the story aloud using your text map ✓
- rewrite the text map several times
- rewrite the text map more artistically

Worksheet

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Presentation

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

We are going to be writing a narrative retelling of most of the story of 'Beowulf and the dragon'.
We will be covering the build-up, climax and resolution of this mini-story.
To be ready to write, we need to know the events really well. To do this, we can create a text map.
We can use the text map to rehearse saying the events we will cover.
We can also use it for storytelling - saying the events out loud as if telling a story.

Common misconception

Pupils may find it difficult to remember the events of the narrative.

You may wish to work with a group of pupils to create a shared text map together, meaning it will be easier for you to rehearse with these pupils, modelling the process using a shared text map instead of individual ones.

Keywords

Events - plot points or things that happen in a story or text
Text map - a visual representation of a series of events, where pictures represent events
Storytelling - saying an oral version of a story out loud, perhaps using notes or a text map to help