Beowulf Creative Project
Projects are due Monday, February 4, 2013, at the beginning of class!
Choose one of the following to complete for a major grade. You may work independently or with a partner.We may have small amounts of class time for this, but mostly it needs to be completed on your own time. You are welcome to use my classroom before school (by appointment) or after school (any day) as a meeting/working place. You must be prepared to present your project to your class.
Remember: If you work with a partner, your project must represent the work of two people!
Comic book — Beowulf is a story that lends itself well to an action/adventure comic book. Create a comic book based on the story of Beowulf. Include key quotes within the captions or dialogue. End with the meaning of the work (as a moral or epilogue).
Newspaper — Create a newspaper outlining the major events in Beowulf. Write articles and include appropriate pictures (hand or computer-drawn, cut from magazines or newspapers, or found on the Internet). In addition to major articles, include typical newspaper features like editorials, obituaries, advertisements, and comics. Include key quotes.
Film — A trend in film today is to modernize old stories. How would you envision a modern-day or futuristic Beowulf? Think about what modern-day or futuristic counterparts each major character might have and what roles they would play. Write a short description (proposal)or a rough script for the movie. Think about what costumes, sets, and special effects might be needed. Create a video production of part or your entire movie to show in class.
Board game — Create a board game based on the characters and events in Beowulf. A player should be able to learn what happens in Beowulf by playing the game. Include clearly written instructions, some type of board, and all playing pieces.
Collage — Create a collage of images and quotations from Beowulf that somehow demonstrate the book’s theme or message. Be sure that this is creatively done so that your project is worthy of the other options. (This better be impressive and college-level work, not a “poster”! Don’t slap a bunch of printed pictures and quotes on a poster board.)
Essay — Option A: Write an essay in which you compare and contrast Beowulf with other epics you have read. Option B: Write an essay in which you analyze Beowulf as an epic hero, based on the classic hero traits.
Dramatic Interpretation — Interpret a scene from Beowulf, writing a screenplay of one of the major scenes, then dressing as the character(s) and performing the scene for the class on the due date. Some suggested scenes include Grendel’s first attack, the battle between Beowulf and Grendel, the attack of Grendel’s mother, Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother, orthe battle with the dragon.
Creative License Option—If you have creative talents not represented by these options, please write your plan for an alternative project and give it to me for approvalprior to beginning the project. Some ideas may include musical interpretations, a re-telling from another perspective, 3-dimensional representations, etc.