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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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")
- Details - What details do we learn about the characters involved? Underline the text that gives you those details.
- Epic Hero Traits - What epic hero traits do we see presented? (Check your epic hero notes for these!) Underline the relevant text evidence.
- 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.
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