Beowulf

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• nostalgic
• flak
• cartoony
• creepy

• epic poem
• state-of-the-art
• trailer
• 3D

• texture
• motion sick

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Beowulf is one of the oldest stories in the English language. The epic poem about the battle between a great warrior and a monster called Grendel dates to at least the 11th Century.

Recently, the poem was made into a state-of-the-art animated film that uses computers to make very realistic-looking characters based on real actors. Listen to Marni and Beren talk about the movie.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Beren

Marni:  So have you seen Beowulf?

Beren:  No, I haven’t. I saw the trailer...

Marni:  Not into it?

Beren:  Naw! I don’t like animation, like CG…yeah CGI…there’s something about it that’s really disturbing to me.

Marni:  Huh. That’s interesting. I read the original story in college, so I was like, “Okay, I’ll go see what this is all about.” And it’s really interesting. I don’t necessarily seek out CGI movies either, but I did get to see the 3D so I was kind of into that.

Beren:  Whoa! See, I think that would make me motion sick.

Marni:  Really? The whole 3D thing reminded me of being little and putting on glasses and it was kind of nostalgic. But it was fun. It was interesting, I mean I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, I just walked away thinking, “That was really interesting.” Angelina Jolie has kind of gotten some flak for being this beautiful…you know she’s supposed to be a monster. But the cast is just amazing. I kept thinking, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this person is in it.” Like Crispin Glover and John Malkovich.

Beren:  See, I love both of them. It’s just I can’t get over the animated aspect of any movie, really. If it’s really cartoony I don’t mind, but when they to make it look like future, animated people/things it’s creepy. They have like skin texture...

Marni:  And the 3D really brings that out. It’s an experience. It’s something to go to if you’re up for just visual eye candy.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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