This LitPlan Novel Study for Beowulf as translated by Burton Raffel is a comprehensive foundation of ready-to-use materials that will ensure your students get the most out of their Beowulf novel study.

My Beowulf LitPlan Novel Study now includes CCSS Alignments for grades 11-12!

Practical, flexible, and standards-based with step-by-step plans for the whole novel unit, my LitPlan Novel Study is especially helpful to new teachers or veteran teachers teaching Beowulf for the first time.

18 Step-by-Step Daily Lessons guide you and your students through this novel study. Assignments and Activities are planned for each day of the novel unit.

Vocabulary Worksheets that focus on meaning in context and dictionary definitions go with each reading assignment.

Comprehension Questions and Quizzes follow the reading assignments, so you know if your students are keeping up with their reading and if they are understanding what they are reading.

Writing Assignments are sprinkled throughout this novel study for Beowulf, too! Detailed writing assignment sheets guide students' writing.

• The first is to inform: students compose an essay in which they illustrate how Beowulf exemplifies the features of a literary epic. 

• The second is to persuade: students pretend to be Grendel’s mother, writing a persuasive journal entry that describes the action and events from her perspective.

• The third is to express personal opinions: students write a composition in which they identify what passions or qualities they possess that, if fostered, could lead them to living in fame after their deaths.

One lesson is also devoted to Leveled Critical Thinking Questions:

• Interpretive Questions require students to simply interpret facts that are given.
• Critical Questions require students to think deeply to develop answers that go beyond what is in the text.
• Personal Response Questions have no right or wrong answer; students formulate and give their own opinions.

A Nonfiction Reading Assignment is incorporated into this novel study unit for Beowulf. Students are required to read at least one nonfiction article and view at least one nonfiction video related to the story and complete a short report form analyzing their sources.

A Variety of Additional Activities are woven into this Beowulf novel study:

• Features of a Literary Epic
• Literary Terms
• Oral Reading Evaluation
• Writing Conferences
• Oral Reports

This LitPlan Novel Study includes a group theme project in which students will work in small groups to discuss several of the important themes relating to Anglo-Saxon society and their manifestation in Beowulf. Using information, they have acquired through reading assignments and class discussions, students will meet in groups to discuss the Anglo-Saxon societal influences in Beowulf.

A class period is devoted to Vocabulary Review. Review puzzles, games, and worksheets are provided.

One class period is devoted to Whole-Unit Review in preparation for the unit test. Review puzzles, games, and worksheets are provided.

Five Different Unit Tests are provided on different levels and to use for make-up tests or tests for different classes if you're teaching the book to more than one class at a time. Two are multiple-choice, two are short-answer, and one is advanced short-answer. You can mix-and-match test sections as well.

Evaluation Rubrics are included for some activities.

A page of Bulletin Board Ideas is included.

A page of ideas for Extension Activities is included.

Answer Keys are provided for the short-answer comprehension questions, multiple choice quizzes, vocabulary worksheets, tests, and review materials.

FLEXIBILITY is a key property of this novel study unit for Beowulf.

• It is formatted so that you can skip an activity I have planned and plug-in one of your own favorites if you want to.
• You can use all or just parts of this LitPlan.
• Written for whole-class use, but easily adaptable for:
  • independent study
  • small groups or lit circles
  • Homeschooling
  • tutoring

A teacher-favorite for years, hundreds of thousands of LitPlans (and Puzzle Packs!) have been used by tens of thousands of teachers in the USA, Canada, and overseas schools, providing reliable, high-quality, standards-based resources for teaching literature. If you want a solid foundation for teaching a work of literature, LitPlans have proved themselves worthy over years of use worldwide.

Additional Products available for Beowulf:

• Puzzle Pack
• Google Forms Chapter Quizzes
• Interactive PDF Unit Test
• Novel Unit Bundle

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