Carla Aira

Liam O'Connor

Intrigued by an archaeological find, a mysterious golden object, Tom Matrix visits the Anglo-Saxons thanks to his virtual reality helmet.
 Tom learns about their culture, customs and traditions. He also learns about their literary works (The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Beowulf ) and famous people of the time (the Venerable Bede, Alfred the Great); he meets the indefatigable monks of a monastery and a friendly, pretty girl named Darlene.
 However, the possession of the mysterious golden object gets him into serious trouble and leads to an unimaginable surprise…
 A comic-strip historical journey through time and space which enables the reader to meet these the Germanic people who invaded Britain in the 5th century. 
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 Incuriosito dal ritrovamento archeologico di un misterioso oggetto d’oro, Tom Matrix si reca presso gli Anglo-Sassoni grazie al suo caschetto di realtà virtuale. Un viaggio nel tempo e nello spazio che ci fa incontrare questi popoli germanici che invasero la Britannia nel V secolo.
 Tom apprende i loro usi e costumi; viene a conoscenza del loro patrimonio culturale, di personaggi famosi e meno famosi e di una dolce e graziosa fanciulla di nome Darlene. Tuttavia, il possesso del misterioso e prezioso oggetto gli riserva seri guai e un’impensabile sorpresa……

Chapter 1 – A mysterious and precious find

Extension: Archaeological sites

Chapter 2 – Stranger in a strange land

Extension: Anglo-Saxon England: from the Dark Ages to the Norman invasion

Chapter 3 – A kind and educated brother

Extension: Language: the Anglo-Saxon heritage

Chapter 4 – It’s a hard life

Extension: Gods and goddesses

Chapter 5 – I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

Extension: The first missionaries

Chapter 6 – Let’s dance

Extension: Beowulf

Chapter 7 – Who’s that boy?

Extension: Christian literature

Chapter 8 – I want to be free

Extension: Government and society

Summing-up activities

Glossary

Hrothgar built his palace near the sea and a monster, Grendel, who lives in a sea cave5, devours6 his thanes7. One night, when Grendel appears in the hall, Beowulf fights and kills him. Grendel s mother tries to take revenge8, but Beowulf kills her, too. The second part of the poem opens fifty years later. Beowulf is now old, but still strong. He is king of his land, which is happy under his rule. But one day a dragon comes to destroy and burn the country. Beowulf kills the dragon, but dies of the burning breath9 of the dragon and the poem closes with his burial10. The poem is written in Old English, and shows the importance of stress11 and alliteration12 in Anglo-Saxon verses because they helped the comprehension and the memorization of the lines. Beowulf is a very important picture13 of Anglo-Saxon life in the early period. For example, it shows that women s role14 in Old England was different from the Graeco-Roman system, where men had absolute power. On the contrary, women married only with their own consent15 and everything they possessed remained their property even after their marriage. They could also rule a kingdom if their husband died. 5. cave: cavern. 6. devours: eats up. 7. thane: in Saxon time, man in the condition between freeman and nobleman; knight. 8. to take revenge: to punish or kill someone because they have made you suffer. 9. breath: the air that goes into and out of your lungs. 10. burial: funeral. 11. stress: the pronunciation of a syllable with greater force than other syllables (in address the stress is on the second syllable). 12. alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (as in sing a song of sixpence). 13. picture: description. 14. role: task, duty. 15. consent: permission. 66 

7  Who s that boy? Chapter BEFORE READING 1 What do you remember so far? Answer the following questions. a. Who was Gwyneth? .............................................................................................. b. Who is Darlene? ...................................................................................................... c. Where does she live? ........................................................................................... d. What does her father do? ................................................................................. e. What does her mother do? ............................................................................. f. What is the name of the metal object that Dave dug out? ...... g. Where did Tom see it? ........................................................................................ 2 Complete the following summary. The beginning of the words is already given. Tom has learnt that the Saxons are not only s.................. and w.................., but they are f......................, c....................., b.................... and h........................ . Also women work: they are w........................ and h........................ . 3 Choose the correct alternative. a. The warriors are taking Tom... c to a ship. c to a prison. c to meet some men. b. Tom is going to be... c punished. c killed. c rewarded. c. Darlene will... c help him. c capture him. c betray him. 67 

Tom Matrix esplora gli Anglo-Sassoni grazie a un caschetto di realtà virtuale. Scopre un oggetto d'oro che gli riserva guai e sorprese.

The Anglo-Saxons Collana RAINBOWS

Level A2 • Elementary - Collana RAINBOWS

The Anglo-Saxons

Flowbooks è una piattaforma di distribuzione dedicata al mondo della scuola e dell'università.  Con questa piattaforma di distribuzione, il team di sviluppo Flowbooks  si impegna a soddisfare le esigenze degli utenti digitali, rendendo l'utilizzo accessibile e piacevole.  Entra nella tua area di interesse!

Edisco è una Casa editrice indipendente che opera prevalentemente nel settore educativo.

Edisco

Flowbooks è innovazione didattica a portata di click