The Oldest Poem in English

Year 6 English

Summer 1

Week 119th April 2021

Beowulf: An Epic Poem

Beowulf is one of the first recorded stories we have in

Britain and it was written in Old English.

Other famous epic poems are The Song of

Hiawatha, Gilgamesh and the Iliad.

Beowulf is a famous epic poem.

‘Epic’ means a very long poem about heroes

and warriors.

Beowulf is the hero of a Scandinavian tribe, the Geats, and

the poem tells of his battle with a monster called Grendel.

There is one surviving manuscript in the British Museum.

Experts believe it is around 1000 years old!

Old English, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons, was

very different to the English we speak today.

Beowulf

The story of Beowulf, first told around 800AD, tells of events

around 200 years before that. It wasn’t written down back then.

Instead, the story was passed down orally by storytellers.

Listen to the start of

Beowulf in Old

English! Can you

understand any of it?

Have a look at

Beowulf written down.

Can you understand

any of it?

Characters and PlacesBeowulf (bay-oh-wolf) the hero of the story from Geatland

Hrothgar (hroth-gar) the King of Denmark

Grendel (gren-dell) a monster believed to be a descendent of Cain

Grendel’s Mother A female beast who lives in a swamp

Wiglaf (wee-lahf) a young kinsman of Beowulf

Denmark (den-mark) where the Danes lived

Geatland (gaey-aht-land) where the Geats lived

Heorot (hay-oh-roht) Hrothgar’s kingdom

Mead Hall Feasting Hall

Norse lands (Sweden and

Denmark)

Where the Vikings lived,

the land of the Angles, Jutes,

Danes and Geats

Monday 19th April: Guided Reading

An ancient tale…

Pre Read

Hear and listen well my friends and I will tell you a story that

has been told for a thousand years and more. It may be an

old story, yet, as you discover, it troubles and terrifies us

now as much as it ever did our ancestors, for we still fear

the evil that stalks out there in the darkness and beyond.

We know that each of us in our time, in our own way, must

confront our fears and grapple with this monster of the night

who, given a chance, would invade our homes and even

our hearts, if he could.

Beowulf (p13)

Think, pair, share…

What could the evil be?

How do we confront our fears?

What sort of a story will this be? (genre)

What might happen? (character, dilemma)

Where might this story be set?

The Mead Hall at Heorot.

19.4.21 Writing

Monday 19th April 2021

LO: To plan a vivid description of the Mead

Hall of Heorot

• First person

• Exciting WOW vocabulary

• Variety of sentence structures

• Describe ALL FIVE SENSES (hear, see,

smell, touch, taste)

Hrothgar Builds Heorot

The story began when the King of the

Danes, Hrothgar, built a mead hall. He

called the hall, Heorot, meaning heart.

Why do you think Hrothgar

called the mead-hall Heorot?

What does the word symbolise?

Planning

Use the boxed planner to collect words and phrases that you will use.

Use the sentence prompts to support you to plan some of your ideas.

Vocabulary/wow words I will use

Sentences I will use

Tools/techniques

Description of the Mead hallPURPOSE: to create emotion and atmosphere.

Metaphors similes

Power of 3Althoughsentence

Fronted adverbial

As sentence

What can you see?• How is the hall heated?

• How is the hall lit?

• What is in the middle of the room?

• What materials are used?

• What is being eaten and drunk?

• How is the hall decorated?

Focus Sentence Types

As I entered the Mead Hall, my heart thumped with anticipation.

Although it was a cavernous space, it was brightly lit with thousands of candles.

The heavy tables, which were carved from ancient oak trees, were laden with a huge feast.

Shimmering like a myriad of stars, the magnificent candelabra hung from the wooden beams.

I gasped; I was truly astonished at the spectacular sight.

Hrothgar looked majestic; my heart filled with gratitude.

Tuesday 20th April 2021LO: To write a description of the Mead Hall “in role”

Imagine you are one of the Danes entering the Mead Hall after it has been built. Describe your amazement as you enter for the Feast of the Solstice.

What can you see? Hear? Smell?

What is the atmosphere?

Describe your experience as vividly as you can.

As I approached the new Mead Hall, my excitement began to

build. It towered magnificently at the centre of the village. It was

the crowning glory of our recent success in battle, a gift from our

beloved king. I could hear singing and cheering from within; I

was gripped with anticipation. I entered…

Tuesday 20th April Guided Reading

“But there was another listener.Outside the walls of Heorot, in the dim and the dark, there stalked an enemy from hell itself. The monster Grendel, sworn enemy of God and men alike, a beast born of evil and shame.”

Think/pair/share: how does this make you feel?

Grendel, a monster who lived nearby, despised the noise

from the celebrations. One night, he decided to attack the

hall, killing and devouring thirty of Hrothgar’s warriors.

Grendel Attacks

Once Heorot was built, King Hrothgar and his people

enjoyed feasts and celebrations there. The hall was filled

with the sounds, sights and smells of happy gatherings.

What does the word ‘devouring’ make you think

about Grendel?

Why do you think Grendel ‘despised’ the noise

from the celebrations?

1 2

3 4

BUT, there was another listener…p17-21

Read the description of the Grendel and highlight the powerful vocabulary that the author has chosen to depict the horror of the monster.

Talk about your favourite words and phrases.

Read them aloud to your friend. How should the words be read? Which words should be emphasised? How could you use volume, intonation, facial expression and hand gestures.

Beowulf: Grendel’s Hate

1. What ENRAGED Grendel? (1 mark)

2. When did Grendel attack? (1 mark)

3. FIND and COPY a phrase from p2 that shows that Grendel’s attack was out of control (1

mark).

4. FIND and COPY a word on p3 that shows that Grendel’s cruelty showed no pity. (1 mark)

5. FIND and COPY a word from p4 that shows that the attacks continued non stop.

6. What IMPRESSION do you get of the monster Grendel. Support your ideas with evidence

from the text. (3 marks)

Impression Evidence

Tuesday 20th April

2021: Reading and

Writing

LO: To collect words

to describe GrendelRe-read the section of the book

that describes Grendel (p17-21) Collect your favourite phrases.

Word Classes

noun/adjective

verb/adverb

similes

metaphors

Can you read your

favourite parts out loud,

making the story sound

truly terrifying?

Beowulf: What is Grendel

Go through the text and collect vocabulary that describes Grendel and his effect on

the Danes.

verbs/adverbs nouns/adjectives other

Draw your personal impression of Grendel.Use the vocabulary you have collected and some of your favourite words/phrases from the text to annotate your picture.Present it with care, focusing on your handwriting.

Wednesday 21st April

Guided Reading: Grendel Song

“Beowulf” a songhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/music-ks2-anglo-saxons-beowulf-part-one-grendel/z66jjhv

Read the lyrics to the song.

commotion

loathsome

fought in vain

no earthly blade

mighty foe

wrenched

Find these words in the

text.

Mark the word class.

Talk about what these

words mean.

Find a synonym and an

antonym for each one.

Wednesday 21st April 2021: Writing Task

LO: To write a contrast poem about Heorot

SEES HEARS SMELLS FEELS

THEN (ONCE)

NOW

Once the Mead Hall saw rich banquets and sumptuous feasts,

But now it sees empty chairs and abandoned tables that seat only ghosts.

Once the Mead Hall heard the voice of the storyteller; magical music and joyous

laughter filled the timbers,

But now it hears only echoes and the whispered despair of lost hope.

Once the Mead Hall smelled the bright air of victory and success as the kingdom

flourished,

But now it smells decaying hopes and dreams.

Once the Mead Hall felt majestic and immortal,

But now it feels as if the beating heart of the Viking clan has been ripped out; only

death remains.

Writing: The Despair of the Danes