Beowulf: Unit 2 Test Review

Tomorrow and Thursday will be our second Beowulf test. We completed an outline for our written response in class (students were NOT permitted to take these home to ensure test security). However, I can say that the written response will involve the argument that everyone has a good side and an evil side. Students are required to provide direct quotes for this written response, so students were given part of Monday and Tuesday to plan out their responses and find relevant text evidence. They will receive the cold read article the day of the test, but will not receive the text of Beowulf.

Below is the review for the unit 2 test. If you are not sure what to study, this provides a good, thorough overview of what will show up on the test.

Beowulf: Group Passage Analysis

Due to the change in schedule, 4th and 6th period spent this class period finishing reading Beowulf. Those classes will begin these activities on Monday.

Today, we worked as a whole class and in small groups to analyze passages from Beowulf for 6 different areas of focus to prepare for the content of our upcoming test.

Here are the 6 foci:

1. Analysis - What is this passage about? What is happening? What is it referring to? Summarize the main points and underline the text where these things are happening.
2. Background influences - what aspects of Anglo-Saxon cultural beliefs are reflected in this passage? How can we tell what they believed? Underline the references and then explain what those beliefs are briefly. 
3. Conflict & Theme - What is the thematic/conceptual conflict present in this passage? (Examples: good vs evil, bravery vs cowardice, fate vs free will) What is a theme that goes along with this conflict? (Remember that a theme is a SENTENCE and states a universal lesson. It is NOT advice and it shouldn't use words like "must," "always," or "never")
4. Details - What details do we learn about the characters involved? Underline the text that gives you those details.
5. Epic Hero Traits - What epic hero traits do we see presented? (Check your epic hero notes for these!) Underline the relevant text evidence.
6. Figurative Language & Tone - What literary devices are used? Underline and label them. What is the tone of the passage? Identify it in a complete sentence.

You can see some of our class examples below!

In groups, your job is to create a visual representation of this activity. Some groups made it very organized and simply wrote their responses off to the sides or underneath. Other groups used arrows and wrote their responses in the "margins." Others still used pictures to try and illustrate some of their ideas. In one class, I'm fairly certain I heard discussion of doing a body diagram. 

Most classes did not get a chance to finish today, so we will continue this activity on Monday. Afterwards, we will begin the review for the multiple choice portion of the test as well as planning for the written response. 

Warm Ups Set #1 - Due Friday, September 21

Below are all of the warm ups that I will be collecting and grading on Friday, September 21st. There are 12 in total. I will be grading 10 of them.

Beowulf: "Beowulf's Last Battle"

Today, during our reading of Beowulf, we noticed a few important points. You can read yourself at the online version HERE to get caught up as necessary.

• Beowulf is getting more humble with age. He is acknowledging that he is not as fierce as he was in his youth.
• Beowulf's tone is considerably less cocky than it was in his youth. He acknowledges that he is the only one strong enough to fight the dragon and will do it alone, but he is not certain he can win. 
• While fighting the dragon, Beowulf's sword and shield both fail him. His shield melts and his sword shatters. He is unable to deliver any kind of fatal blow. This is fate (Wyrd) at work here. 
• Beowulf's men flee, but it's not like they would be any help. They are not strong enough to fight the dragon and certainly cannot change their king's fate.
• Wiglaf is the only one who stays behind. He is brave and noble, showing courage and honor to his lord, Beowulf, but ultimately bad timing. As he speaks, Beowulf is being burnt to a crisp by the dragon. Wiglaf may not be the brightest, but he is one of the noblest and bravest of Beowulf's soldiers as we will see soon.

As for the battle with Grendel's mother? You can check out the information from our padlet below!

Writing Friday: College Essay - Peer and Self Editing

Today, during Writing Friday, we worked on editing and revising. I passed back essays to individuals who had submitted one by the deadline so they could review my comments and feedback. If you are unsure of what a mark means on your paper, here is a key for my feedback system.



Then, we discussed some facets of MLA formatting, such as the appropriate header, the correct margin size, and how to format paragraphs. You can see a video tutorial below of how to make sure your essay is MLA formatted in Microsoft Word.




To start, we talked about some general advice that everyone can follow:

• Avoid using basic words like good, bad, sad, kid, things, nice, etc.
• Would HAVE, could HAVE, should HAVE. Not "would of."
• My family an and I...
• Make sure you are using the correct homonym. If you aren't sure what each one means, watch this video to start.
• Avoid any of the following phrases which are just redundant, too casual, and not at all necessary
• "What I'm trying to say is..."
• "My point being..."
• "I mean..."
• Finally, SHOW, don't tell. You can tell me all you want that you're confident, but you need to show me the moment you demonstrated that confidence. I can say I'm an astronaut, but it's not true until I actually go to the moon. 

Finally, we began our peer editing. The editor completes step one of the handout below. Then, they give the handout and essay back to the person they were editing for. If you weren't in class or if  you didn't get feedback on everything, this could also be a friend, a parent, or another teacher. Make sure it's someone you trust and wants the best for you. You are supposed to do anything marked "For the author" and step two on your own. I will be checking that portion for a grade. You will turn in this completed handout along with your final draft. 

Your assignment this weekend is to revise and type up your final essay. It should be in MLA format and be a sample of your best effort. If you aren't sure what I'm looking for, go through the self-editing checklist and rubric below while you work. 

Turnitin.com Codes and Tutorials

Please make sure you enroll for our Turnitin.com class in order to submit your essay by 7:25 AM on Tuesday, September 18th.

The enrollment key for ALL classes is eaglepower

Make sure it is all lower case and there are NO spaces inside or at the end of the word.

Below are the class codes for each class. Make sure you enroll in the correct class.

• 2nd - 18780842
• 3rd - 18780851
• 4th - 18780863
• 5th - 18780871
• 6th - 18780878
• 7th - 18780885

So, how do you enroll?

Step 1: Click Log In if you have an account. Log in with your account email and password. If you DON'T have an account, click Create Account and create one. 

Step 2: Click on Enroll In A Class

Step 3: Enter in the enrollment key and class code as listed above.

Step 4: Click OK.

Here's a video of how to enroll or how to create an account.

Beowulf Review

Today, we prepared for our Beowulf test by completing a couple of review activities. First, we did a Kahoot in class and then moved on to completing our review sheet in small groups. You can see that review below:



A few notes to help you complete the review:

• An epic poem is the story. An epic hero is the person.
• The four values of Anglo-Saxon culture are
1. Be strong in battle
2. Keep your word
3. Defend those who need it
4. Honor your lord
• Beowulf is a GEAT. His lord is Higlac. 
• Hrothgar is a DANE. 
• Herot is a PLACE.
• Your written response prompt will involve the idea of moral obligation. Consider what you think that means. 
• VOCAB WILL BE ON THE TEST

Stuff you should probably review to prepare:

• The white review sheet above
• Your green packet (especially the first page)
• Your vocab notes

Our powerpoint for the day is below as well.

Written Response Expectations and Practice

Summative assessments in English 4 are usually made up of multiple choice questions and then some sort of written portion. We call the written portion the written response. The written response is a chance for you to demonstrate your comprehension of the text.

The written response is NOT a short answer in that it is usually longer, more elaborate, and requires more than just an answer and a quote. In fact, a written response may have an answer that involves multiple claims and, thus, involves more than one quote.

Ultimately, there is not really a length restriction or requirement, but your average written response is going to be 1-2 paragraphs. These paragraphs may not be the stereotypical 3 sentences in length.

Below are the notes we completed over written responses using the powerpoint below that.





Notice that, ultimately, a written response is your opportunity to tell me how YOU interpreted the text. The only wrong answer is one that you can't defend with the text itself. You also do not have to agree with the premise of the question. You are more than welcome to prove to me by Beowulf is NOT a hero (it may be incredibly difficult, but it's possible).

Also, grammar and spelling DO matter. Colleges will make assumptions of you based on your grammar and spelling. Start practicing taking it seriously now.



The rubric below explains ultimately how your responses will be graded.



This rubric is for single selections only. If a prompt asks you to compare and contrast or apply an idea to more than one text, the only addition is that you must give evidence and commentary from BOTH pieces.

This is a rubric you've probably been seeing since 9th grade, so let me summarize up the main points.

• 0 - We are going to assume that no one will be scoring a 0, which you can only get by writing nothing or writing something that has absolutely nothing to do with the question or not even making an attempt. 
• 1 - You wrote something that sounds familiar; it might even be something we discussed in class. However, I can't actually tell if you read with us or not. Or, maybe you had some text evidence, but it doesn't fit with the point you are trying to prove. You don't even make an attempt to explain how your answer can be seen in the story. 
• 2 - You've got a solid response here. Your answer may even be something we discussed in class and it has relevant text evidence or indirect paraphrase evidence to support it. You explain how your evidence relates to your thesis with commentary and analysis.  Your writing is near-college level. 
• 3- Your response is superbly written or contains a unique and perceptive idea that might even go against traditional thinking. Your writing is sophisticated enough for college level.

Some classes (not all) then moved on to annotating and examining some sample written responses for thesis, evidence, and commentary. You can find that activity and the samples below. These examples should be kept for reference in your class binder. 

Writing Friday: College Essay - Body, Conclusion, and Model Essays

On this Writing Friday, we worked on completing our rough draft of our college essays. Now, remember that your college essay should reflect:

• Your strengths
• Your goals
• Your personal style

Since these things are different for everyone, everybody's essay may look a bit different. I can give you some guidance and advice, and so can tons of universities like this one and this one and this one. However, there is no set structure or style that your essay must be written in. 

Your essay should reflect you in all ways. 

In order to start writing our body and conclusion, I wanted to make sure we all had a chance to see what a successful college essay might look like, so I set out to find some good ones.

Well, I found some great ones.

Back in 2001, NPR's "Morning Edition" asked students to send in their successful college essays. The packet below contains 4 essays they thought were the best of them. Notice how they are all somewhat different in style, structure, and tone.

Amber Espinoza's essay is emotional, heartfelt, and a testament to the struggles she has overcome in her life. Her essay has a more formal style - she gives details and examples and explains how they have changed her or her perspective - but also uses things like dialogue and some conversational parts to make it sound more natural.

Leo Stoscheck is much more creative and poetic in his form. His paragraphs are lengthy, his vocabulary is sensory and detailed, his sentences are varied and demonstrate his talent at creating a flow in his writing. He focuses on location and the significance of it. He demonstrates how observant and appreciative he is of the world around him and crafts extended metaphors. 

Clayton Kennedy blends creativity and introspection. He reflects back on a time in his life when he seemed at his lowest. He directly confronts something most would find difficult to even look at in ourselves. He makes allusions to authors and artists to demonstrate his point. 

Finally, Leah Knobler compares herself to her brother, not because she feels lesser than him. She tells it in pure story format of the realization that she could be the things her brother is not. She refuses to live in his shadow and in the same breath thanks him for the shade he casts over her. Her vocabulary is not as sophisticated as Leo or Clayton, but it still gets the job done. 

As you can see, the RIGHT style for your essay is the one that feels NATURAL to you. 

As for what you should write about, consider what our classes identified in Leah's essay together:

Ultimately, you could read through hundreds of example essays and advice columns. They won't tell you the magic formula to write your college essay. But if you really want some help, here are a few small pieces of advice to follow:

• Paint us a picture when necessary. Show, don't tell. Give details, dialogue, etc. Make scenes come alive if it feels like your writing is just kind of dragging along.
• Demonstrate that you are a complex individual, not just a stereotype. The admissions board will have probably already seen your GPA, your transcript, your recommendations, and your extracurriculars. They may already think they know who you are. Maybe you have a dream or a passion you've never told anyone about. Let them know that!
• Show maturity, adaptability, and introspection. Show them that you don't just let your problems stand in your way; explain how you actively work to solve problems. Ghandi once said "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Show the admissions board that you don't just wait for the problem come to you...you go to the problem and change it yourself.
• Maintain the likability factor. Confidence is good. Arrogance is not. Show that you will always give YOUR 100%. 

Finally, just like before, sometimes the best thing to do to start is to JUST START. Start writing! Let yourself wander on the page. Go over 2 pages if you want. Write it in prose or in essay form or in a poem. We can work with that. 

I know it can be scary because ultimately, you are putting something on paper that you think is beautiful and special about you (and yes, there is something beautiful and special in ALL OF YOU) and it can be terrifying to think that someone else might not find that part of you beautiful and special too. This is a risk worth taking though, because those who read it will be able to tell it's a risk. And they (and me) will appreciate you so much for it. 

Your assignment this weekend is to work on the rest of your essay. Just like before, feel free to email me what you write. If you have shared it with me on Google Drive, just send me an email notifying me that you have updated the document and want feedback. I will work as quickly as I can to give that meaningful feedback to you.

Now, have a great weekend!

Full Text of "Beowulf"

You can access the full text of Beowulf HERE.

After clicking the link, the file may open in your browser or download to your device.

Powerpoints - 9/5 and 9/6

Below are the powerpoints for Wednesday, September 5th and Thursday, September 6th. On Thursday, we finished our Beowulf Passage Analysis and turned it in at the end of class. If you were absent on this day, please be sure to turn it in upon your return.

"Beowulf" Review Padlet

Here is a padlet of facts from the first 3 parts of Beowulf: "Grendel," "Beowulf," and "The Battle with Grendel." Use this padlet to review as needed before our first Beowulf test on Wednesday, September 12 and Thursday, September 13.

Anglo-Saxon Lecture Notes and Quizlet

Below is a completed version of the Anglo-Saxon lecture notes. If you missed anything, were absent, or just needed to refresh your memory, be sure to look through these notes.



You can find a quizlet to study from HERE.