New Canaan Country School Fifth Graders Study, Perform Beowulf

As part of a study of the Anglo-Saxons in social studies, New Canaan Country School fifth graders read Robert Nye’s Beowulf: A New Telling and on Jan. 23, performed a play based on the book.

“I liked the excitement of being up on stage,” said Opal Thompson of Stamford who acted as a narrator and memorized a good deal of lines. “Our class used a couple of different ways to help us remember our lines, but I just practiced and got it.”

Originally written to inspire and entertain warriors, this heroic story would have been told in Saxon mead halls as they ate, drank and celebrated their battle victories. In re-staging the story, the students lear­­­ned about the importance of the oral tradition, timeless themes such as good vs. evil and how the continued existence of stories, such as this one, are vital to understanding and appreciating an ancient culture.

After reading the text, students began the process of preparing a performance. In addition to learning strategies for memorizing lines, they also learned how to effectively project their voices towards an audience and about the importance of responding nonverbally to other characters’ lines.

“If it is not your time to deliver a line, you still need to be in the scene and act with your facial expressions and body language,” explained Fifth Grade Homeroom Teacher Julie Porter.

The play, split into four acts—one for each class—was performed for members of the Pre-K through Grade 9 school.

New Canaan Country School is a co-ed, independent day school for students in Pre-K (ages 3 & 4) through Grade 9. Located on a 75-acre campus in New Canaan, the school provides transportation for families living throughout Westchester and Fairfield Counties. For more information about the school’s Middle School program (Grades 5 & 6), please visit: countryschool.net.