Where does the battle with Grendel's mother take place, and what is the outcome?

What details reveal pagan values, such as a belief in fate, a pride in loyalty, and a desire for fame?

What sort of person or creature would you expect to find in a lair?

Why might a creature have stalked another creature?

Choose at least one unfamiliar detail from the text. Briefly research that detail. In what way does the information you learned shed light on an aspect of the epic?

Write a summary of the excerpt from Beowulf to confirm your understanding of the epic.

What details show the importance of Christian beliefs?

After the first battle, what trophy does Beowulf hang from the rafters of the hall?

(a) List two characteristics that make Beowulf an epic hero. (b) Identify a passage that shows the hero's more human side. Explain your choice.

With your partner, choose one aspect of Anglo-Saxon culture to research. You may select a topic of your own, or you may research one of the following: $\bullet$the life of a seafaring warrior $\bullet$the construction of a mead-hall $\bullet$the concept of fate $\bullet$the design of Beowulf's ship

According to Beowulf, what are the only two possible outcomes of his encounter with the dragon?

Using a college-level dictionary, identify the word origins and write the meanings of these words featuring the suffix-some: burdensome, cumbersome, meddlesome, noisome.

Would you want to witness a gruesome sight? Why, or why not?

Concept Vocabulary: lair, gorge, writhing, stalked, gruesome, loathsome. These concept vocabulary words show to various degrees the vile, monstrous, predatory nature of the monsters Beowulf faces. For example, a gruesome sight is something that is hideous and repulsive. The sight of a writhing creature, on the other hand, would probably be unpleasant but not provoke quite as strong a reaction. What other words in the selection connect to this concept?