Manchester College

Education Department

LESSON PLAN by ___Miranda_Ford____________________________

Lesson: _Introduction to the Anglo-Saxon period (AD 449-1066)___                  Length: __50 minutes___

Age or Grade Intended:  ___12th__Honors__British Literature_______

Standards:

12.4.5  Enhance meaning using rhetorical devices, including the extended use of parallelism, repetition, and analogy and the issuance of a call for action.

12.4.6  Use language in creative and vivid ways to establish a specific tone.

Objectives:  Given key words of rulers and literature techniques, the students will list the main     points of the Anglo-Saxon period with 95% accuracy.

Advanced Preparation by Teacher:
        1. The teacher needs to read pages 42-45 of the text.
        2. The teacher needs to create a worksheet (with blanks) for the students outlining the

Anglo-Saxon period.

        3. The teacher needs to make copies of the Anglo-Saxon runes worksheet.

Procedure:

Introduction/Motivation: Words such as daughter, son, cheese, and father all came from

Anglo-Saxon words such as dohtor, sunu, chese, and faether. (I will write them on the board and see if they can guess what the words are).

Step-by-Step Plan:

1.  First, we will discuss pages 42-43. (****I will have an outline of the major events that happened in the Anglo-Saxon period with certain words missing that they will have to fill in when I read it to them).

2.  I will then ask if there are any questions about the worksheet and if they missed any blanks. We will correct any mistakes and answer any questions.

                        3.  Then we will discuss the literature of the Anglo-Saxon period on pages 44-45.

                                    A. Their language is now called Old English.

B.  *Does anyone know what Oral Tradition means? (It means the culture’s main way of spreading knowledge was to make facts into lyrics so they communicated by word of mouth. Most Anglo-Saxons could not write).

C.  Monks preserved most of what is known about the Anglo-Saxons because of their love of the written word.  Bede was one of the most popular monks because he wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People. 

D.  There were three major kinds of Anglo-Saxon poetry: 1) Heroic, celebrates courage, honor and loyalty; 2) elegy, mourns a loss; and 3) religious, focuses Christian teachings and stories. We will look for these types as we read more Anglo-Saxon literature.

E.  Most Anglo-Saxon poetry had alliteration.  *Can anyone tell me what alliteration means? (The initial consonant sound is repeated more than twice in a line).

F.  Poetry consisted of two lines split by a caesura (a natural pause) and at least one syllable in the first part alliterates with one in the second.  Their alphabet was called the ‘futhork’ and their letters were called ‘runes.’ Later on, you’ll be able to write a message using runes.      

G.  The themes in Old English poetry dealt with seafaring warrior heroes.

H.  The prose dealt with histories and sermons.  King Alfred who ruled from 871-899 created a program to translate Latin texts into Old English. 

            1) Caedmon was the first poet to compose in Old English.

2)  The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was the first great text written in OE and was a record of historical events from writers over a three-century period.

4.  **The teacher passes out the Anglo-Saxon runes worksheet and explains that the students will write one sentence using runes and exchange with a friend to see if that friend can read the message. (They have 8-10 minutes to finish).

5.  The students will then pass their papers to a person behind them and that person will have 5 minutes to translate the message.

Closure:

1.  **For homework, the student must create his own short 2-line poem that includes alliteration and is written in runes.  An example would be…

Heather: I have it written down on my printed copy. Ask me and I’ll show you it in runes.  I also have the Anglo-Saxon runes worksheet.

            Down from the dusty dunes, fell the dirty girl;

            Young Tammy Tuttle, tortured eyes and torn shirt.

2.  Next, we will deal with the tragic hero and how he plays an important role in Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Adaptations/Enrichments:

Self-Reflection:

* means Bloom’s Taxonomy Level I because it deals with the student’s knowledge

** means it is Gardner’s interpersonal intelligence

*** means it is Gardner’s musical/rhythmic and intrapersonal intelligences

**** means it is Gardner’s visual/spatial intelligence

The Anglo-Saxons period (A.D. 449-1066)- Worksheet with answers

800-600 B.C. - The Celts migrated to Britain and settled there. They were called the Britons  and settled mostly in the British Isles (England, Scotland, and Wales) and so their land became known as Great Britain.

A.D. 43 – The Romans started invading lowland Britain and the Celts were forced to move north into what is now called Wales or taken as slaves. Romans built walls and roads to help protect their strongholds and also brought Christianity to the Celts.  After fighting off tribes such as the Picts, the Scots, and the Saxons, the Romans in Britain were finally driven out by more Germanic invasions by the early fifth century.

Early 5^th century – Britain was now vulnerable to more attacks and Vortigern, the ruler of the southeastern part, hired mercenaries (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) to help protect his land.  However, in time, these mercenaries turned on their ruler and seized Briton towns.

A.D. 650 – The Anglo-Saxons drove the Britons to the western part of the island and even though the Anglo-Saxons divided their land into smaller sections, they considered themselves English.  England means “land of the Angles”

At the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon rule, warfare was a way of life. Tribes consisted of warrior families and tenant farmers.  The Anglo-Saxon ruler was normally a warloard who had helped them defeat opposing tribes.  The Anglo-Saxons valued courage, strength, generosity, and loyalty.  They worshiped pagan gods and some major ones were Woden, protector of heroes and rouser to battle, Tir, god of glory and honor, and Thunor, aid to warriors in battle.

A.D. 596 – The Pope sent missionaries to England to reestablish Christianity.  By the end of the 7^th century, most of England was converted.  Monks from Ireland had also brought over Christianity.  Not only did the missionaries and monks bring Christianity, they also brought literacy and used Latin as a common language.

A.D. 829 – King Egbert of Wessex paved the way for unification of Anglo-Saxon England.  However, Vikings, also called Norse, were Scandinavian seafarers and were attacking the coasts of England. 

A.D. 879 – King Alfred, Egbert’s grandson, defeated the Norse (also called the Danes) at Edington.  Alfred drove the Danes back and during the 10^th century, the kings of Wessex won back and united England.

A.D. 1016 – The English were being attacked by the Vikings again and the Danish prince Canute took the throne.  He worked to reconcile the Danes and English.  Across the sea, the Vikings had taken most of France and Canute and his descendents died within a decade of each other.  The English turned to Edward, a nobleman with both Anglo-Saxon and Norman roots.

1066 – King Edward died and some accounts say that the throne was promised to William, duke of Normandy but Harold of Wessex also claimed the crown. 

Battle of Hastings A.D. 1066 – William sailed across the English Channel and defeated King Harold.  William was now the first Norman king and the Anglo-Saxon period came to an end.

The Anglo-Saxons period (A.D.                    ) - worksheet

800-600 B.C. - The              migrated to Britain and settled there. They were called the           and settled mostly in the British Isles (England, Scotland, and Wales) and so their land became known as Great Britain.

A.D. 43 – The                       started invading lowland Britain and the Celts were forced to move north into what is now called Wales or taken as slaves. Romans built             and               to help protect their strongholds and also brought                           to the Celts.  After fighting off tribes such as the Picts, the Scots, and the Saxons, the Romans in Britain were finally driven out by more Germanic invasions by the early fifth century.

Early 5^th century – Britain was now vulnerable to more attacks and                            , the ruler of the southeastern part, hired                                    (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) to help protect his land.  However, in time, these mercenaries turned on their ruler and seized Briton towns.

A.D. 650 – The Anglo-Saxons drove the Britons to the western part of the island and even though the Anglo-Saxons divided their land into smaller sections, they considered themselves English.  England means “                                        ”

At the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon rule,                              was a way of life. Tribes consisted of warrior families and                         .  The Anglo-Saxon ruler was normally a                     who had helped them defeat opposing tribes.  The Anglo-Saxons valued courage,                           ,

                                      , and loyalty.  They worshiped                                   and some major ones were Woden, protector of heroes and rouser to battle, Tir, god of                and                  , and Thunor, aid to                               .

A.D. 596 – The Pope sent                            to England to reestablish Christianity.  By the end of the 7^th century, most of England was converted.  Monks from Ireland had also brought over Christianity.  Not only did the missionaries and monks bring Christianity, they also brought

                       and used                                  as a common language.

A.D. 829 – King Egbert of Wessex paved the way for unification of Anglo-Saxon England.  However,                      , also called Norse, were Scandinavian seafarers and were attacking the coasts of England. 

A.D. 879 – King Alfred, Egbert’s grandson, defeated the Norse (also called the                    ) at Edington.  Alfred drove the Danes back and during the 10^th century, the                                won back and united England.

A.D. 1016 – The English were being attacked by the Vikings again and the                      prince Canute took the throne.  He worked to                                 the Danes and English.  Across the sea, the Vikings had taken most of France and Canute and his descendents died within a           of each other.  The English turned to Edward, a                               with both Anglo-Saxon and Norman roots.

1066 – King Edward died and some accounts say that the throne was promised to                 , duke of Normandy but Harold of Wessex also claimed the crown. 

Battle of Hastings A.D. 1066 – William sailed across the                                         and defeated King Harold.  William was now the first                                 king and the Anglo-Saxon period came to an end.