Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons, and The Epic Project Options
This will be a large grade. Have fun with it!
1)Create your own hero. See back for necessary components. (1 or 2 people)
Skill(s) practiced: Analyzing epic hero traits, creative writing based on conventions of the epic, working with a partner, presentation/public speaking
2)Create a comic book with at least 15 comic pictures and summaries. You should only select this if you have artistic ability/try hard I have format sheets you can use if you would like. When you present this, you can focus on a few of the pictures and what you wanted them to show. (1 person)
Skill(s) practiced: Summarizing text, quoting text, visualizing what you read, presentation/public speaking
3)Write a song parody. Do you like to make up random words to songs? If so, this is for you! Take an existing song and write a parody that relates to some combination of the following: Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons and the epic. Perform this live, or video record it and show it to the class. (1-3 people)
Skill(s) practiced: Demonstrating historical and textual comprehension, creative writing within set rhythms, presentation/public speaking, working with a group, incorporating technology
4)Give a 4-6 minute presentation on the value of studying Beowulf and the time period. You should use notecards, and I will collect your cards. This should be persuasive in nature. (1 person)
Skill(s) practiced: writing to a particular topic, establishing connection to text, analyzing the value of literature, public speaking, using notecards in public speaking, possibly working with a partner, establishing tone
5)Do you love Super Bowl commercials? Create your own using characters from Beowulf. Select at least 4 characters from Beowulf and put them in commercials. For example, maybe Grendel, needing to clean the human remains from his hideous teeth, advertises for dental floss. Maybe Brecca, less of a swimmer than Beowulf (who isn’t?), advertises for floaties. Be creative! You’ll need props/costumes/differentiation of characters. (1-2 people; you can have more people if you are willing to have more commercials; talk to me). You can video record and play these ads in class, or you can do live presentations.
Skill(s) practiced: Demonstrating textual comprehension, creative writing demonstrating character analysis, presentation/public speaking, working with a group, incorporating technology, establishing tone
6)Create a movie/play version of part or the entire epic. This should be 6-10 minutes long. You can decide the focus—all battles? One battle? Unferth and Beowulf? You should use sound effects and/or sound track to build the scene. Skill(s) practiced: Demonstrating textual comprehension, creative writing, demonstrating character analysis, presentation/public speaking, working with a group, incorporating technology, establishing tone
7)What connections exist between Beowulf and modern-life? You can examine the ways in which our society and human relationships connect to stories you see in the news. Look at our conception of heroes. There are many different ways that you could accomplish this. For example, you could create a powerpoint or collage of recent news story and compare these stories to particular lines or scenes in the epic. Skill(s) practiced: Demonstrating textual comprehension, presentation/public speaking, research, data analysis
8)Become a scop. Memorize a passage from the epic and present it to the class like a storyteller. Talk to me about the passage you want to select. It should be around 40 lines. This is an individual project. Skill(s) practiced: Demonstrating textual comprehension, presentation/public speaking, text interpretation
9)What interests you? Do you have other ideas for a project related to this unit? Are there skills you need to practice? I am open to suggestions. Talk to me!
Timeline:
I cannot give you definitive school days because of snow, but you will have half a day after you take the final Beowulf test and then two full days of class to work in this project. I would be willing to give a third day if they entire class has been working on the project in class and not simply talking about anything other than the project. Any additional time you spend outside of class is up to you and your group. This is a big grade so it should take some out of class work.
Create Your Own Epic Hero Guidelines
Using the characteristics of an Epic Hero you are going to create your very own Epic Hero. Think about the characteristics we discussed and the guidelines below to invent your own character.
Guidelines:
1. Invent a name- All Epic Heroes must have a name worthy of their “perfectness”.
2. Era in History- All Epic Heroes are an active part in their community and reflect their time period. Pick a homeland and time period yours will reign in.
3. Adventures- All Epic Heroes take part in adventures in their lifetime. Describe at least one triumphant adventure yours experienced. Describe the noble cause he fought for and how he embodied the value and ideas of his society. Your adventure should be at least a page written out or ¾ a page typed.
4. Villain- Name and describe a villain or monster that is your hero’s arch nemesis. This villain may be explained in your adventure story. Draw a picture of what this villain looks like.
5. Visual Representation- Create an image of your Epic Hero. Your picture should represent all the guidelines given for this assignment.
6. Coat of Arms- Your hero will need a coat of arms that represents who he is. Design one that portrays he family heritage, adventures, etc.
7. Presentation- You will be presenting your Epic Hero to the class. Your presentation should include all of the guidelines listed above.