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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

An introduction to “Beowulf”: Language and poetics

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=813

A lesson plan for grade 12 English Language Arts

Provider: IRA/NCTE


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Students are introduced to the language and poetic devices found in Old English in this study of the epic poem Beowulf. The lesson introduces students to the poem’s original Old English form and explains the relationship between Old, Middle, and Modern English. After hearing an audio clip of the poem in Old English, students read the translated version. Then using W.H. Auden’s poem, “The Age of Anxiety,&rdquo the teacher introduces the literary technique of alliterative verse. After students are familiar with this poetic device, they apply their knowledge by identifying examples of alliteration in Beowulf. The teacher explains the specific poetic functions of kenning and compounding in the poem, and students find examples of both techniques in the poem. In addition to providing helpful reading guides for teachers, Readwritethink offers several web resources for studying the poem.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 12

  • Goal 5: The learner will deepen understanding of British literature through exploration and extended engagement.
    • Objective 5.01: Explore British literature by:
      - recognizing common themes that run through works, using evidence from the texts to substantiate ideas.
      - relating the cultural and historical contexts to the literature and identifying perceived ambiguities, prejudices, and complexities.
      - making associations between historical and current viewpoints.
      -understanding how literary movements influence writers.
    • Objective 5.02: Extend engagement with selected works of British literature by:
      - observing how the imaginative experience of literature broadens and enriches real life.
      - relating style, meaning, and genre (including fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry).
      - applying literary, grammatical, and rhetorical terms of literature.
      - demonstrating in various print and non-print media the significance of works.
      -discerning the effect of interpreting literature from various critical perspectives.