Beowulf Study Exercises and Vocabulary Practice

Vocabulary

• Setting: Escenario, colocación
• Characters: Personajes
• Plot: Trama, drama del guion
• Conclusion: Conclusión
• Frightening: Aterrador
• Tale: Cuento o anécdota

1. Beowulf Graphic Organizer

• Setting: Sometime before the 8th century in what is now Denmark and Sweden.
• Characters: Beowulf, Grendel, Hygelac.
• Plot: A young man has the strength to face a terrible beast.
• Conclusion: Beowulf kills the beast and returns a hero.

2. Story Summary Matching (Pages 18-25)

• A. A fight to the death: 23
• B. A long journey: 20
• C. A frightening tale: 19
• D. Preparing for the night: 20
• E. The monster approaches: 24
• F. The strongest boy in the kingdom: 18

3. Adjective Definitions

• Monstrous: Grotesque
• Ferocious: Wild, violent, savage
• Joyous: Happy
• Courageous: Brave

4. Epic Poetry Discussion

Beowulf is an epic poem. In groups, read the words in the box and discuss what you think epic means. Then answer the questions.

Words: long, heroic, romantic, poetic, narrative.

• A. What famous epic poem do you know? What is it about?
  The Odyssey by Homer, which tells the adventures of Odysseus in his attempt to travel home after the Trojan War.
• B. What do you think are common themes of epic tales?
  A long journey, the monster, fights with giants.

5. Picture Labeling

Label the pictures with the words: joyous, perilous, monstrous, ferocious, courageous.

A. Ferocious, B. Monstrous, C. Perilous, D. Joyous, E. Courageous.

6. Grammar Exercises

• a. Beowulf and his men were sailing.
• b. I was reading my book when the electricity failed.
• c. Grendel had attacked.
• d. Beowulf is an epic poem.

7. Synopsis Verb Forms

1) Wrote, 2) Adapted, 3) Told, 4) Moved, 5) Found, 6) Was.

8. Mind Map Categories

• Hurricane: Tropical, flood, cyclone, sea temperature, rise, destructive, fierce, erode.
• Wildfire: Evaporation, forest.
• Heat Wave: Arid, beetles, drought, soil, crops.

9. Relative Pronouns and Advice

Complete the sentences giving advice:

• a. People should recycle plastic bottles.
• b. Drivers had better not throw trash.
• c. Take public transportation to work.
• d. Make sure not to waste food.