Meaningful & Fun Activities for Teaching Beowulf

The best prank I ever pulled on my high school seniors was to convince them we were reading an Old English version of Beowulf.  Watching the fear grow on their confused faces as they struggled through lines like, “Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum…hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon” was mean but oh so entertaining. But the best part (and point of the prank) was hearing a collective sigh of relief when I revealed the translated version instead. And that’s exactly what I hope this blog post will do for you. Teaching Beowulf can seem daunting, but it’s really not once you have the right tools for the battle. That’s why I’m arming you with all the things to make teaching Beowulf easier, meaning, and a lot more fun!

Beowulf Short Summary

Beowulf is a window into ancient Anglo-Saxon values where honor, loyalty, and bravery are everything. Heroic Beowulf arrives to help King Hrothgar with a monster who is plaguing his community. This is the first of three battles that test his courage and core Anglo-Saxon ideals. As the first recorded story in English, Beowulf is an epic poem packed with action and larger-than-life characters that continues to be passed down to generations today!

Beowulf Themes

I think the themes and topics in Beowulf are still as relevant today as they were in the Anglo-Saxon period. For example, how many boxes would you and your students be able to mark on this Beowulf Bookish Bingo Board? Grab your free board template here to start the discussion! 

Beowulf Translations 

As my prank mentioned above demonstrates, it’s impossible to read or teach Beowulf in Old English. It’s like a completely different language! Luckily, there are plenty of translations to choose from that will make Beowulf accessible and enjoyable to read.

• Project Gutenberg Version of Beowulf– This is the only translated version of Beowulf in the public domain. It’s free, but very difficult to read.

• Burton Raffel– This is an abridged version of Beowulf that appears in most textbooks. It’s the one I recommend for a shorter unit if you can access it! 

• Seamus Heaney– This is a popular translation that’s beautifully written and really does the full poem justice. 

• Maria Dahvana Headley– This is the latest translation and first by a female author. I love the tone, but it does use the F word, so please use caution if assigning passages from this version. 

• Beowulf Graphic Novel– This is a gorgeous translation that helps students better understand the story. I have one class copy that I use to teach symbolism and clarify certain passages. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with just one copy of graphic novels!

No matter which version you choose, this Beowulf Unit Plan will work! The activities are designed for universal sections that appear in each version of Beowulf. I explain each section below so that you can match it up with your translation. 

Beowulf Introduction Ideas 

If you teach teenagers (which you probably do if you’re about to teach Beowulf), then you know gateway activities are the key to engagement. Before we even step foot into reading, we need to get students to buy in. What better way to engage students than to have them talk about themselves? The Anglo-Saxon Avatar activity is a great way to start off your Beowulf unit. A subtle way to introduce literary devices such as kenning, caesuras, and alliteration, students will create their own avatar where they boast about themselves, Beowulf style. 

One of the great disconnects when it comes to teaching texts from long ago is trying to cover all the necessary information through pre-reading. If we aren’t careful, we may find ourselves two weeks in without even having opened the book! That’s why pre-reading stations can be your best friend when introducing a unit. These stations cover all the necessary information from epic heroes to the role of women in Anglo-Saxon society in both fun and meaningful ways.      

Beowulf Mead Hall Meetings 

One way to keep students invested all unit long is to gamify the experience. An awesome way to do this is through Mead Hall Meetings. At the start of the Beowulf Unit Plan, students form into mead-hall groups. The mead-hall in Beowulf is named Heorot and stands for Hall of Heart. We talk about how the mead-hall is a gathering place and represents community. Students add what they want in their mead-hall and give it a creative name.

These mead-hall groups then become hubs for the rest of the Beowulf Lesson Plans. Either before or after each reading section, I have a little Beowulf-themed game for groups to play. For example, before reading the Dragon section of Beowulf, students play Dragon Trivia to activate schema on dragon archetypes.

Dragon Trivia Example: Which ancient language does the word “dragon” or “draconta” meaning “to watch” come from? (Read to the end to check your answer!)

Other games in this Beowulf Unit include tone sorting, Beowulf job interview tournament, naming Grendel’s mother competition, review riddles, etc. These games only take a few minutes but really up the Beowulf buy-in and engagement!

Another cool element of the mead-hall groups is that they can be used for small group discussions. I call these “Mead-hall Meetings” and students gather in their “mead-halls” to chat about Beowulf discussion questions. 

Beowulf Lesson Plan Section 1: Heorot  

Now that you have set the stage, it’s time to jump into the text! This first section of the epic describes Heorot, the mead hall in Beowulf. In recent years, some textbooks have removed this part of the story. However, I think it really helps set the stage for the Mead Hall Meetings, so try to include it if you can! My favorite description can be found in this excerpt from Maria Dahvana Headley’s Translation (The stanza that starts with “War was the wife Hrothgar wed first”). However, please note that the F word is used in two stanzas down from this one, so be sure not to go past the Heorot passage!

After reading the Heorot passage, have students work together in groups to design their own mead hall. They will think about the symbolism of community and values. Next, explain that they’ll be working in these groups throughout the unit to compete against other groups as mentioned above. Now you are well on your way to creating buy-in for Beowulf!

Beowulf Activities Section 2: Grendel the Monster 

This section of Beowulf describes Grendel the monster. In the Raffel version, it starts with “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in pain…” However, no matter which translation you are reading, these Beowulf activities will work. 

First, get students moving with a tone activity. For example, students practice tone by standing up and shifting from middle (neutral) to left (negative) to right (positive) as they look at lines that describe the Anglo-Saxon invasion. Then, students closely read the first stanza of this section by three different translators to determine the tone toward Grendel.

Finally, after reading the entire Grendel section, students create Grendel’s family tree. As the story goes, Grendel is an evil descendant of Cain, the first biblical murderer. However, this activity also prompts students to flip the perspective and think about Grendel’s point of view. 

Beowulf Lessons Section 3: Beowulf’s Quest and Boastful Introduction

In this section, Beowulf finally arrives at Heorot and delivers his famous boast to Hrothgar, proving why he is the best for the job of defeating the monster, Grendel. Not only can you have a lot of fun by having students write their own boasts for this passage, but you can also work on real-world, vocational skills.

Using this Beowulf activity, have students imagine this scene as a job interview. Students can go back to the text and practice those close reading skills to help Beowulf answer the interview questions listed in the activity. Students can also learn how to embody confidence in their own future job interviews. This is the perfect opportunity to help students practice real-life skills while also honing in on some close reading!

Beowulf Lesson Plan Section 4: The Battle with Grendel 

This section of Beowulf showcases the battle with Grendel. In this famous fight, Beowulf forgoes weapons to battle the monsters with his bare hands. As a way to pique student interest before reading this section, have students pick which weapon they would use to fight Grendel and why. In order to do this, they must analyze Grendel’s character and why the weapon they selected would work.

After reading, be sure to discuss the significance of why Beowulf chooses to fight Grendel without any weapons. With this Beowulf Unit Plan, you can explore how the choices Beowulf made qualify him as an EPIC hero. 

Beowulf Activities Section 5: Grendel’s Mother and Her Lair

This beautifully written section of Beowulf is full of imagery to describe the Mother’s underwater lair. Therefore, this is a great time to explore mood through setting up some spooky swamp ambience in your classroom. The mood lesson in this Beowulf lesson plan will allow your students to connect how they feel with the specific choices an author makes to achieve that. Students can explore how different translations of Beowulf evoke different moods for them. 

Beowulf Lessons Section 6: The Underwater Battle with Grendel’s Mother

This is the section that describes the underwater battle with Grendel’s mother. In the Raffel version, it starts with “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s answer…” Grendel’s mother puts up a fierce fight, so this section provides a perfect opportunity to investigate the key role that women played within Anglo-Saxon society. Using the Fierce Females Activity in this Beowulf Unit Plan, students will explore how Grendel’s mother is more than just a villain while also looking at some incredible accounts of warrior women from the time period. 

Beowulf Lesson Plan Section 7: Beowulf’s Last Battle with the Dragon 

After Beowulf’s triumphs with the Danes, he returns to Geatland and receives praise and honor from his own people. This section describes Beowulf’s homecoming and passage of time until he is crowned king. At a much older age, Beowulf must face his final battle with a dragon that is terrorizing his kingdom. 

Whether you’re a dragon fanatic or not (hello Fourth Wing fans I’m looking at you!), exploring the literary tradition of dragons can be a compelling way to end the unit. Have students gather in their Mead Hall Meeting groups to play Dragon Trivia. Once they have finished reading Beowulf’s final battle with the dragon, you can extend the lesson with the Dragon Devices activity that investigates the symbolism of dragons in Anglo-Saxon literature.  

   

Beowulf Activities Section 8: The Death of Beowulf 

The final section is about the death and burial of Beowulf. One of the complexities of the epic is that it started out as a pagan story, but later morphed into a Christian retelling. Both Christian and pagan elements are woven throughout the story and there is no better place to explore that tension than with Beowulf’s death.

In the Beowulf Theme Mixtape activity, students will contrast the pagan traditions of the time with the Christian elements in the text. Through close reading, students will create a mixtape of evidence that depicts both traditions as presented in Beowulf. This evidence tracking will culminate in an analysis of universal topics in the story that connect to the human experience, while also pushing students to examine different perspectives.  

Beowulf Movie 

Beowulf was passed down through oral storytelling long before it was ever written down, and Beowulf movies are yet another medium that keeps this story alive. Watching a film adaptation of Beowulf can help students better visualize the setting, characters, and monsters while reviewing key plot elements and themes such as heroism, mortality, and legacy. Here are some Beowulf movie options to consider:

• Beowulf (2007, PG-13)- This motion-capture animation directed by Robert Zemeckis stars Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, and Anthony Hopkins. While it takes creative liberties—especially with the character of Grendel’s mother—it’s a visually striking and discussion-worthy adaptation. According to Common Sense Media, this version is best suited for older teens (ages 16+), due to violence, partial nudity, and intense battle scenes. Personally, I’m surprised this one isn’t rated R, and I only show strategic clips. 

• Grendel (BYU Animation)- A short animated film by Brigham Young University animation students, Grendel offers a creative reimagining of the classic tale from the monster’s point of view. In our book Keeping the Wonder: An Educator’s Guide to Magical, Engaging, and Joyful Learning, we talk about how adding novelty pairings can make new connections, and this animated short film does just that! My coauthor Jenna shared this video, and it’s adorable, clever, and surprisingly deep!  Use Grendel by BYU Animation to discuss Grendel’s point-of-view or to do a comparison between how Grendel is portrayed in the text or other animated Beowulf films.

• Animated Hero Classics: Beowulf (1998) – This is a simplified, family-friendly retelling of the Beowulf story as part of the Animated Hero Classics series. While it omits a lot of the darkness and depth of the original, it’s a helpful introduction for students and a handy review tool. 

Beowulf Essay Ideas 

There are so many directions you can take a Beowulf essay assignment. I’ve done many over the years and all the best ones are real-world related. Here are some ideas: 

• Beowulf as a Leadership Model: Analyze Beowulf’s leadership qualities and compare them to modern-day leaders (military, political, athletic, or corporate). Which of his traits are still admired today, and which would be problematic?

• Monster Metaphors: Use Grendel, Grendel’s mother, or the dragon as metaphors for real-life “monsters” students face today, like anxiety, peer pressure, addiction, or climate change. 

• Epic Hero vs. Influencer Culture: Compare Beowulf’s desire for fame and glory with modern social media culture. What has changed? What hasn’t?

• Legacy and Reputation: Beowulf is obsessed with being remembered. Have students reflect on what kind of legacy they want to leave behind and what actions they’d need to take to earn it.

• The Bystander Effect and Moral Courage: When Beowulf faces the dragon, Wiglaf is the only warrior who steps up to help. Use this moment to explore the psychological concept of the bystander effect. Why do people often fail to act in critical moments? What makes someone like Wiglaf step up when others don’t? Connect it to real-world situations like bullying or social justice movements. 

Beowulf Projects

Though I did not add a project option to my Beowulf unit, for those who prefer projects over essays or want to dig into the world view even further, a fantastic Beowulf project would be to have students research a story from around the world that they are curious about then create a presentation or children’s book that showcases the values that are revealed through that culture’s story.

Here are some resources to get you started on facilitating this Beowulf project:

• Play this hero’s journey overview – The Hero’s Journey and the Monomyth: Crash Course World Mythology #25
• Create a hero story choice board with lots of options from around the word. Though I have not previewed all these stories, here are some places to start:

Videos:

• The Epic of Gilgamesh: Crash Course World Mythology #26
•  Ma’ui, Oceania’s Hero: Crash Course World Mythology #31
• The Mwindo Epic: Crash Course World Mythology #29

Podcasts:

The Myths and Legends Podcast not only has some Beowulf episodes, but also offers stories from around the world. Their website is organized by tags, so you can preview Native American stories, Middle East stories, African stories, etc. While I have not listened to all the stories in the tags, I do know that the narrator gives warnings for mature topics. If you want to learn more about how I incorporate podcasts in the classroom, start here: How to plan a podcast unit

I did listen to the Native American Folklore: Monster episode and it was hilarious! It would make a fun pairing for the Grendel section of Beowulf.  

• Encourage students to research the story they are most curious about and find multiple tellings, illustrations, and sources for the story. Then, have students make a list of cultural values that are showcased in the story.
• Have students create a presentation for the class or create a children’s book that showcases the values they infer. You can find my storybook assignment here: Create a Storybook: A fun project for any text or any narrative goal!

Another Beowulf project direction can involve analyzing Beowulf is a superhero story that explores the cultural values of a society. After students have finished reading Beowulf, consider exploring one of the following modern hero projects.

• This first source explores how Jewish writers shaped the comic book hero. You might consider having students research a specific comic book superhero and their connection to the historical context and values of the society they were born into. 

• If you want to investigate the feminist lens a bit further, check out this source that reviews the backstory of Wonder Woman. To extend this further, you might have students create a modern villain (or anti-hero!) inspired by Grendel’s mother. 

• This last source, 5 Ways Black Panther Celebrates and Elevates Black Women, can serve as a springboard for a project analyzing how stories function as cultural celebrations of the societies they come from. Consider having students create their own hero that reflects the values of their society or culture.   

After examining the intersection of superheroes and community values, have students create a superhero that represents their own values and changes they would like to see in the world. 

Conclusion

With these activities, lesson plans, and creative ideas, teaching Beowulf can be as epic as the tale itself. Grab this Beowulf Unit Plan to make teaching Beowulf so much easier and a lot more fun!

Oh, and the answer to the Dragon Trivia question is Greek! 😊