I am so proud of you, 4th Grade Class! You have read Beowulf and know more about the story and the time in which it was written than most high school seniors do! The question was raised on Friday, "Why are we reading something that is so old?" And others answered: "It's an important piece of literature!"
That it is--it's important for many reasons. It is the first piece of literature said to have been written in ENGLISH--and we know that English to be very different from modern English! It also carried on that genre that the Greeks created--the epic poem. It is from epic stories such as Beowulf that Marvel Comics got the idea for Superman, and George Lucas got the idea for Star Wars, and J.R.R. Tolkien got the idea for Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and that ring!
We will finish Beowulf this week and have our test over it next week, just as the 9 weeks is coming to a close. We will perform our story-telling with our "tapestry" for Miss Brindley's 3rd grade class on Tuesday, October 26 during our literature time, at about 11:45. Parents, you are invited to come!
Remember to read every day for 30 minutes--this week, you can count Beowulf. Fill out your Reading Logs, and study your Spelling List!
HOMEWORK FOR OCTOBER 19-22: Spelling test on Thursday, October 21
For TUESDAY, October 20--Read Chapter 8 of Beowulf at home Monday night, and complete the chart for Chapter 8. Study Spelling for test on Thursday.
For WEDNESDAY, October 21--Read Chapter 9 of Beowulf at home Tuesday night, and complete the chart for Chapter 9. Study Spelling for test on Thursday.
For THURSDAY, October 22--Read Chapter 10 of Beowulf at home Wednesday night, and complete the chart for Chapter 10. Study Spelling for test TOMORROW.
THURSDAY, October 22--SPELLING TEST; Charts over Beowulf due.
FRIDAY, October 23--No Literature Class due to early dismissal at 11:30.
SPELLING/VOCABULARY
1. kenning with definition: An Anglo-Saxon literary device in which two hyphenated words are used in place of one noun. EX: throne = gift-seat.
2. hoard with definition: To accumulate and store secretly. EX: A dragon hoards shiny things.
3. horde with definition: A large group or crowd. EX: Hordes of warriors went to slay the dragon.
4. guardian
5. poisonous
6. expedition
7. treachery
