Lesson Plan: Beowulf Creative Writing Activity

Teaching Beowulf and teaching creative writing do not have to be done separately now that you have this creative writing lesson plan:

It involves reading Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, and writing a comparison-contrast essay in which they must compare the epic poem to the 13th Warrior, a 1999 movie starring Antonio Banderas.

Watching a movie and having to pay attention and then write an essay comparing the two is not the most exciting activity for a senior in high school. My intention is to immerse my students into the Anglo-Saxon culture, and if they are not inspired to do so, then they will not be inclined to take interest in this epic poem. This assignment is one that fosters interest among students and gets them excited about Beowulf.

After students complete the comparison and contrast essay, they move into this assignment which is much more fun.

Students are given a choice to write one of the following:

1. A eulogy that hails Beowulf for being a man of honor, heroicness, and bravery.

2. An inscription that would be appropriate to place on a headstone or on a monument.

Purpose

This assignment allows students the opportunity to express their ideas without having to stick to the formality of an essay, which may limit the writing abilities of some students. Many students are extremely creative, and this particular assignment allows students to express their creativity and to demonstrate their ability to express their feeling powerfully through language.

Not only does it inspire students to be creative, but this assignment teaches students the difference between writing an essay, which is based on fact, and a eulogy which is more likely based on one’s feelings and emotions toward an individual.

Students are graded on their creativity as well as on the ability to write lines that are poetic and suggestive of Beowulf’s heroic characteristics.

Students are also able to express their feelings, so they become aware that their teacher is interested in them and how they feel about the literature that they are reading. Teachers will be able to tell which students enjoyed Beowulf and viewed him as a hero as well as those students who did not think that Beowulf was deserving of the title “hero.”