Teaching Beowulf....

[Michelle in AL]

I'll be teaching a class of middle school-high school students Beowulf next yr. Most of the kids have probably never heard of Beowulf. Some have done some work with difficult reading such as Shakespeare. In this situation would you read them a child's version 1st, let them watch a movie (not sure of any good ones out there-suggestions welcome) or just let them read the book so the element of surprise is not taken away.

 

Thanks for suggestions!

[Jane in NC]

The Sutcliffe version offers a nice introduction.

 

What version were you planning on using? If it is Seamus Heaney's, consider having your students listen to at least part of it. Heaney's Irish brogue is wonderful!

[Laurie4b]

The Sutcliffe version offers a nice introduction.

 

What version were you planning on using? If it is Seamus Heaney's, consider having your students listen to at least part of it. Heaney's Irish brogue is wonderful!

 

We used Sutcliff's version for the kids to read on their own, then listened and read along with Heaney's version. It was wonderful! Even my grammar aged kids really got it!

[Karenciavo]

How long do you have, meaning how many classes? I had a Beowulf class with 9-12 year olds. They read along as we listened to the audio of the Seamus Heaney text, we did basic literary analysis, and then they wrote a script and made a movie with puppets they constructed. It was a lot of fun, I think it would be good for older students too. I'd love to do it again with another book, but I work on the administrative side of our co-op now. :-/

[Spy Car]

I'll be teaching a class of middle school-high school students Beowulf next yr. Most of the kids have probably never heard of Beowulf. Some have done some work with difficult reading such as Shakespeare. In this situation would you read them a child's version 1st, let them watch a movie (not sure of any good ones out there-suggestions welcome) or just let them read the book so the element of surprise is not taken away.

 

Thanks for suggestions!

 

Under no circumstances watch the movie. They twisted the story (and Beowulf's nature) out of recognition. The middle-school boys might enjoy the 3D animated version of a nude Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother, but their parent might not.

 

I won't win any "parent-of-the year" awards, but I watched this with my four year old (who was in a huge "Beowulf" kick). The computer generated nudity of Miss Jolie ultimately proved less of a problem than the Beowulf character stripping down to bare-skin for battle. As over the next weeks the little man started doing the same thing, and more than once his mother or I had to chase after him running naked down the street.

 

I digress.

 

Here are a few adaptations we read (or I pre-read) that I'm going to cut and paste from an earlier thread.

 

1) Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold by James Rumford. My favorite! If we only had ONE this would be IT.

 

2)Beowulf By Gareth Hinds. My son's favorite. This one is done is "graphic novel" style and I'm sure was intended for somewhat older readers. MY son loves the graphic battles and clashes, but it ain't "My Little Pony". For us it was the perfect follow-up to (1) but I can't say it wouldn't be too "violent" for some parents.

 

[Added: The graphic-novel style might really appeal to middle schoolers. It was not over-the-top, although it clearly shows pitched fighting.

 

3) Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo. Another solid picture-book version. Similar to (1). Highly recommended. But by the time we read this one they are starting to "blur" (a good thing). [Edit: as the coffee kicks in I recall this version has a more extended text to picture ratio than (1). By the time we read this one William was "hooked" and he "listened" in rapt attention.

 

4) The hero Beowulf Eric A. Kimmel. I love Eric Kimmel as an author of children's books, but this was not his finest effort. Things were "added" to the story (why?) and it covers only through the fight with Grendel. So while it was nice to have one more version, this would not serve as a sole stand-alone re-telling by my measure. Not a thumbs down, but not a two thumbs up.

 

5) Beowulf by Rosemary Sutcliff. I'm a big fan of the author, but this version was un-illustrated, and at my discretion it was abandoned as a read-aloud. I hope we re-vistit this one when my son is a strong reader and he reads it himself.

 

[Added: This was dropped for a four year old, as I felt is was a middle school aged book, or an elementary school read aloud. And I didn't really get the full flavor from reading so little.]

 

6) Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne. This is just a quick-hit in an anthology of other tales. My wife and son read this one. Her books are quite fine, but this would only qualify as "exposure" (not that exposure is a bad thing). I liked this book, it is just not real "meaty".

 

7) The audio recording of Seamus Heaney reading his translation. I did not expect this to go over (and really got it for myself). To my pleasant surprise William enjoyed it with me.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Bill

[Michelle in AL]

Thanks all this is really helpful! Bill, I am laughing about your reaction to the movie. I remember now having a discussion with my local librarian, who is also an actor, that very emphatically told me never to let my class watch the movie!

 

I loved the Seamus Hiney version, I'm going to compare it to some of the other versions mentioned to see which I like the best.

 

I can take as many classes as I want to do this book~beauty of teaching. (I wouldn't want to go over a month though). Karen, how many classes did you do this over?

 

Here's my plan so far:

Discuss the context of Beowulf

Discuss Anglo-Saxon riddles, make and solve some of our own

Discuss kennings and alliteration

Listen to Benjamin Bagby perform a portion in Old English.

Read and discuss along with literary analysis including construction of an epic.

Discuss the archetypes of the hero and the anti-hero

Produce a drama of one scene.

[Carol in Cal.]

...at the conference last week?

 

She introduced the setting and the audience very effectively. At the end she told us what resources she used, and the main ones were Google maps and the Norton annotated edition (TE, I think?) of Beowulf. She said that many of her talking points were from Norton. So you might want to pick up that resource to help you prepare.

[Karenciavo]

Karen, how many classes did you do this over?

 

We did it in 10 hours, it was insane. :tongue_smilie:

 

ETA: I edited the movie at home, that was probably another 10 hours.

[Michelle in AL]

Thanks Carol, I do have maps included and will try to find the Norton edition. It took me a long time to write the context portion of the class.

 

Thanks for the info Karen. My class is 2 hrs long once/week. This may work. The CD is 2hr and 13 minutes.

[Lori D.]

We enjoyed the Seamus Heaney version, along with the Great Books Discussion Guide, which guided us into some interesting worldview discussions. The Great Books Discussion Guides are $7, and are from a Christian perspective: http://www.thegreatbooks.com/books/details.php?ISBN=0451527402&return=www.thegreatbooks.com/courses/medieval.php

[Michelle in MO]

I couldn't agree more about the recent movie that came out; it was really bad, and the depiction of Grendel's mother as a seductress of Beowulf twisted the story out of all recognition.

 

I cannot get the link to work, but, as a supplement to your reading, I would recommend watching part of Benjamin Bagby's Beowulf. I did find a couple of YouTube videos; here's a clip from the opening lines, and here's another clip from Grendel's Ambush. There is a DVD version which you can buy from Amazon or probably rent through Netflix. Benjamin Bagby performs Beowulf in a manner that most likely duplicates how an Anglo-Saxon poet might have performed the work.

 

The kids might enjoy hearing their mother tongue spoken as it was over a thousand years ago! Very cool!

[Spy Car]

I couldn't agree more about the recent movie that came out; it was really bad, and the depiction of Grendel's mother as a seductress of Beowulf twisted the story out of all recognition.

 

 

Not only his seductress but also his.....spoiler altert (high-light to see) mother :confused:

 

Who cares if the plot was good enough to be passed down for a thousand years? Let's goose it a little for the Hollywood version :glare:

 

Bill

[Michelle in MO]

Not only his seductress but also his.....spoiler altert (high-light to see) mother :confused:

 

Who cares if the plot was good enough to be passed down for a thousand years? Let's goose it a little for the Hollywood version :glare:

 

Bill

Well said, Bill. Why does Hollywood always feel that they have to improve the classics? (although I do prefer the film version of "The Wizard of Oz" to the book, which I found a little strange). I also didn't like the way that Hrothgar was played by Sir Anthony Hopkins. He's normally an actor that I really like, so I don't know if it was the directing, or what, but seeing Hrothgar portrayed as a drunken buffoon was too much for me. Hrothgar in Beowulf seemed somewhat indecisive and too weak to defeat Grendel, but he was much more kingly than the way the movie version portrayed him.

[Michelle in AL]

Thanks Michelle I am using the Benjamin Bagby clips from You Tube, just enough to give them the feel for it.

 

I might have to just watch this movie to see how bad it is! I like Anthony Hopkins too.

[Spy Car]

Well said, Bill. Why does Hollywood always feel that they have to improve the classics? (although I do prefer the film version of "The Wizard of Oz" to the book, which I found a little strange). I also didn't like the way that Hrothgar was played by Sir Anthony Hopkins. He's normally an actor that I really like, so I don't know if it was the directing, or what, but seeing Hrothgar portrayed as a drunken buffoon was too much for me. Hrothgar in Beowulf seemed somewhat indecisive and too weak to defeat Grendel, but he was much more kingly than the way the movie version portrayed him.

 

Yep. Removing the nobility of the characters, as you say reducing Hrothgar to a buffoon was the most galling aspect (to me), and Beowulf too was mis-characterized. But there were so many galling aspects.

 

We were so pumped up to see this movie, and after I wish we had not. And certainly not my son. *Sigh*

 

Bill

[titianmom]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this one, but I'll be using it next year with my 7th grader. It's pretty understandable, IMO. I loved it!

 

I have the Oxford World's Classics verse translation. It's a great translation.

 

Also, don't know if you are aware, but on Youtube, there's an entire program on Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons cut up in 10 min segs. Very good, very interesting IMO. Don't know how you can use it, but go out and search Beowulf Anglo Saxons and you'll find it, I'm sure.

 

Kim

 

I'll be teaching a class of middle school-high school students Beowulf next yr. Most of the kids have probably never heard of Beowulf. Some have done some work with difficult reading such as Shakespeare. In this situation would you read them a child's version 1st, let them watch a movie (not sure of any good ones out there-suggestions welcome) or just let them read the book so the element of surprise is not taken away.

 

Thanks for suggestions!

[Julie in GA]

I created a mapwork activity for Beowulf that you may find helpful. Here's the link:

Map the Great Books

[Julie in GA]

This project sort of "died" but I did get Beowulf & Roland done!

[Michelle in AL]

Thank-you Julie this is great!

 

This thread has been so helpful, maybe we should do this for all the popular Great Books.