Beowulf

In the age of heroes and monsters, a great hall stands tall — Heorot, home of laughter, feasts, and courage.

But as darkness falls, terror prowls the night. Grendel, the shadow-creature, comes to kill and silence the songs of men.
Only one warrior dares to face him — Beowulf, the strongest of all.

Across the sea he sails, fearless and proud, to meet the horror head-on. With his bare hands he battles the beast, proving that true strength lies in heart as much as muscle.

Yet victory breeds new danger, for Grendel’s mother rises from the deep to avenge her son.
Down into her dark lake Beowulf dives, seeking to end the evil once and for all.

Years later, as a wise and weary king, he faces his greatest foe — a dragon wreathed in fire.
His final fight will decide not only his fate but the future of his people.

A tale of courage, loyalty, and destiny, retold in vivid language for new readers.
Beowulf’s legend burns bright — a timeless story of heroism that never dies.Enter the ancient world where monsters roar, and one man’s bravery echoes through the ages.

Our first question set consists of 10 questions. They include both multiple choice, single answer and sorting questions, and cover: retrieval questions, tenses, sequencing the events, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and more.

Chapter 1 Summary – Usborne Beowulf (Rob Lloyd Jones)

In ancient Denmark, under the rule of King Hrothgar, a magnificent mead-hall called Heorot has been built. The hall stands as a symbol of the king’s success and the strength of his people — a place of feasting and celebration by day, where warriors gather in friendship and triumph.

But even as the hall shines with light and joy, a darker presence looms. The land around is still wild and dangerous, and the peaceful nights within Heorot are under threat. Hrothgar’s brood of warriors maintain watch, yet the sense of unease grows. The chapter sets the scene of prosperity and festivity, while hinting at the underlying tension that the monstrous visitor will bring.

Thus Chapter 1 introduces us to the world: the glorious hall of Heorot, the proud king, his loyal men, and the promise of a story where light and dark will clash.

This is another comprehension resource consisting of 10 questions aimed at Year 3 classes.

Chapter 2 Summary – Usborne Beowulf (Rob Lloyd Jones)

King Hrothgar rules over the Danes and has built a magnificent mead-hall called Heorot, where his people gather to feast, sing, and celebrate. Their joyful songs echo across the land — but far away, in the dark swamps and misty moors, the monster Grendel hears them.

Grendel, a creature of darkness and evil, becomes enraged by the sound of human happiness. One night, while the warriors sleep, he creeps into Heorot. Without warning, he snatches and kills several men, carrying their bodies back to his lair.

The next morning, the Danes are filled with horror and grief. They try to guard the hall, but Grendel returns every night, attacking again and again. Soon, no one dares to sleep in Heorot — it stands empty and silent, haunted by the monster’s shadow.

Chapter 3 Summary – Usborne Beowulf (Rob Lloyd Jones)

Far across the sea, in the land of the Geats, lives the mighty warrior Beowulf. He is known for his great strength and courage, and when he hears of King Hrothgar’s suffering at the claws of the monster Grendel, he decides to help.
Beowulf gathers a small band of brave men and sails across the sea to Denmark. When they arrive, the Danish coastguard challenges them, but after hearing their purpose, he welcomes them and leads them to Heorot.

Another 10 questions for this short chapter book.

This teaching resource is for Chapter 4 of Beowulf and consists of 10 questions.

Chapter 4 Summary
In this chapter a guard takes Beowulf and the Geats past lakes and bogs to Heorot. Beowulf gives the guard his sword as a show of trust and friendship so the king would not be wary of him.

In Heorot, Beowulf tells King Hrothgar his plan and the king gathered the Danes and Geats together for a feast before nightfall.

This comprehension covers the battle scene of chapter 5 between Beowulf and Grendel in Heorot.

In this comprehension we cover retrieval, author techniques of: Onomatopoeia, alliteration and repetitive language, sequencing events, finding spelling and punctuation errors and the where, were and wear homophones.

Chapter 5 Summary
Night fell. The Geats huddled together at the back of the hall armed with swords, knives and axes. Beowulf sat alone in a dark corner and his friend Leofric asked him where his sword was. Beowulf informed Leofric that he will fight Grendel with bare hands.

An hour passed, Grendel rose from the swamp and tore open the doors of Heorot. As Grendel reached for Leofric, Beowulf pounced and wouldn’t let go of Grendel’s arm. After some thrashing, slashing and swiping from Grendel, Beowulf tugged his arm and it tore off.

Grendel charged back into the swamp and Beowulf and the Geats were rewarded with treasures. But that’s not all, something else was stirring…

In Chapter 6 of Beowulf, King Hrothgar wakes Beowulf from the barn to warn him that another monster has struck and killed Leofric. We find out that monster is Grendel’s mother and she can be found int he Lake of Demons.

Beowulf has a new challenge and seeks to find Grendel’s mother and destroy her, but will this battle be as easy as the first one?

Access our question set for Chapter 6.

Chapter 7 is a longer chapter and we have created 15 questions to support the text.

Chapter 7 Summary
The Geats and Danes followed Beowulf to the Lake of Demons in search of Grendel’s mother. Beowulf grasped his sword and glared into the lake. The king told him he didn’t have to go, but he insisted.

Beowulf dived into the lake and swam deeper and deeper in search for Grendel’s mother. Suddenly, a long tentacle wrapped around Beowulf’s waist and dragged him even deeper.

Beowulf was dragged to an underwater cave and Grendel’s mother rose from the foul water. Beowulf managed to free himself from the monster’s grip, but his legs were heavy.

The monster had him in a dark spell, but he summoned all his strength, whirled his sword and killed the monster. Beowulf appeared above the lake holding the monster’s head. Beowulf and the warriors went back to Heorot.

For this resource, your class will read chapters 8 and 9 of Beowulf and then answer 20 questions.

In chapters 8 and 9, the story fast forwards 50 years and there is a new creature terrorising his kingdom. Beowulf has one more fight left in him and he decides to ignore the advice of Wiglaf and his warriors, and fight the dragon himself.

The battle concludes with one costly error from Wiglaf, resulting in the death of his king… but of course Beowulf slays the dragon before his death.