Pre-Reading Activities:

DAY ONE: Getting Ready to Read

Activity #1: 

1. List all of the superheroes that you can think of.

2. What are some common traits that all of these superheroes have?

3. Why are superheroes so important in society?

Activity #2: Background Investigation:

  ~Since Beowulf is part of Ancient English Literature, it is important to understand the historical time

    period before reading the poem. 

You can use this handout to help you answer the questions below.

1. When and where do scholars believe that the Beowulf text was written? What are some clues they have used to explain why they believe it was written during this time period?

2. The decline of paganism and the rise of Christianity was significant to this story. What do you already know about the decline of paganism and the rise of Chritianity?

3. What importance did dragons have in mythology? What have dragons traditionally represented in literature?

4. Why do you think that Beowulf is still considered a classic of English Literature?