Starter quiz
- Put the following events in order.
- 1⇔Grendel crept into Heorot.
- 2⇔Grendel devoured Leofric.
- 3⇔Beowulf snapped off Grendel's arm.
- 4⇔Grendel's arm was hung from Heorot.
- 5⇔Hrothgar rewarded Beowulf richly.
- What happened to Grendel after Beowulf fought him?
- He lay dead on the floor of Heorot.
- He staggered out of Heorot. ✓
- He regrew his missing arm.
- He fell to the floor, crushing a Geat warrior.
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- Which word below means 'take revenge for someone's death'?
- converge
- throttle
- shrithe
- avenge ✓
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- Match the following words to their meanings.
- hasten⇔go faster ✓
- guttering⇔flickering ✓
- marvel⇔be amazed by something ✓
- rekindle⇔make burn again ✓
- Which of the following was Beowulf given by Hrothgar as his reward?
- a banner ✓
- a bejewelled saddle ✓
- a decorated helmet ✓
- eight horses ✓
- a gold buckle
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- Which of the following can contribute to characterisation?
- things a character says ✓
- things a character does ✓
- the way a character is described ✓
- the setting of the text
- details given about a character's life ✓
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Exit quiz
- Match the following words to their descriptions.
- roused⇔woken up ✓
- donned⇔put on ✓
- renowned⇔well-known ✓
- perilous⇔dangerous ✓
- Which character was taken by Grendel's mother?
- Hrothgar
- Aeschere ✓
- Beowulf
- Grendel
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- What motivates Beowulf to help others?
- He wants money.
- He wants to be well-known. ✓
- He wants to be happy.
- He wants to get a wife.
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- How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother?
- with his own sword
- with Unferth's sword
- with his bare hands
- with a sword he finds in the under-lake hall ✓
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- Which of these might be a kenning?
- chain-mail
- over-the-top
- bone-breaker ✓
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- What might the kenning 'wind-rider' be describing?
- the sun
- a bird ✓
- a sword
- a storm
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- After Grendel is defeated, another monster - his mother - arrives at Heorot, taking away a Dane.
- Beowulf and his companions travel across bleak countryside to find her lair.
- Beowulf fights with Grendel's mother, narrowly avoiding death before killing her with a special sword.
- Authors make specific language choices in their writing in order to have a specific effect on the reader.
- A kenning is an Old English way of replacing a noun with a two-word phrase that describes it indirectly.
Common misconception
Pupils may struggle to identify the effect of the kennings in the second task.
You may want to complete this task orally with partner talk, or as a class discussion, rather than as independent work.
Keywords
Setting - where a story takes place
Language choices - decisions writers make in order to create a certain impression or have a certain effect on the reader
Impressions - feelings about a person, place or thing gained from reading a text
Kenning - a phrase of two words that replaces a noun that is often used in Old English poetry
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