Using Artifacts to Teach Literature A Unit Plan Template for 12 th Grade English Literature

Introduction to Historical Period For each work of literature, the instructor will begin by introducing the peculiarities of the historical period in which the work was written –Example: For Beowulf, talk with the students about Germanic heroic culture, blood-money, and the beginnings of the feudal system

Assign Artifacts The Instructor should prepare “artifacts” representative of the period to distribute among students (perhaps assigning a group of students to each artifact) Artifacts could be replicas, photos, or images on a web page

Assignment 1 Example You have found one of these artifacts in your back yard. Your teacher told you that it came from a period known as the "Anglo-Saxon" or "Old English" period. The first thing I want you to do is write a one paragraph description of your chosen artifact. Try to be as specific as possible: –How big do you think the thing is? –What color is it? –What does it appear to be made of? Web Page

Group Work Divide students into groups according to their artifacts. Have each group discuss the artifact: –What do they think the artifact is? –Why do they think that? –What it might have been used for during the period? –Why do they think it looks why it does? Have each group present their findings on their artifacts.

Movie of Text Watch a movie of the text that closely follows the text. Ask students to look specifically for things in the movie that remind them of their artifacts. –Ex: Watch American Video Cassette Educational Library video of BeowulfBeowulf

Read Text Assign excerpts from text. Ask students to look specifically for things that remind them of their artifacts. –Ex: Read excerpts from Beowulf in Textbook Discuss the text. –What in it reminds them of their artifacts?

Artifact from Text In the same groups, ask students to choose another “artifact” described in the story and “make it” –Have students discuss in class the artifact and how they will “make it” –Homework – each student should prepare/compile materials individually to contribute to the group –Provide in-class time to make it

Group Presentation As a group, present their new artifact to the class. –What did they chose? –Why? –How did they decide to make it? –How did the artifacts help them to understand what is going on in the text?

Variants and Addenda Watch a movie based “loosely” on the text –Ex: Star Trek Voyager episode (Heroes and Demons) based on Beowulf –Or watch animated Grendel.Grendel Discuss similarities and differences between “retelling” and original. What do the changes “change” with respect to character, themes, etc. Perform an Archeological Dig –“Set up” (bury) artifacts, perhaps at end of semester. –Have student excavate an artifact. –Write a reflection about the artifact, perhaps trying to link the artifact with one of the works they read that semester.