THE NINTH HOUR STUDY GUIDE

Teaching Beowulf in your high school or college classroom?

This 35-page PDF by Peter Horn, Ed.D. offers analysis, activities, and discussion questions centered on the 2019 Met Cloisters performance of The Ninth Hour, a modern retelling of the ancient epic poem.

This study guide includes the full lyrics for the show and an interview with the creators alongside numerous discussion prompts, drama activities, and more.

You can learn more about the core content and curriculum standards below.

The Ninth Hour Study Guide Activities and U.S. Curriculum Standards

Thumbnail descriptions of National Core Arts Standards and Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts abbreviated in the bulleted list appear below it. For each activity offered in the study guide, the Arts standard appears first. For example, “AS7” refers to National Core Arts Anchor Standard 7. If applicable, the ELA standard follows a semicolon. “R.2,” for example, refers to the second Common Core State Standards College and Career Readiness Anchor Standard for Reading (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2).

  • BEFORE YOU WATCH questions (p. 5) - Arts AS7, AS8; ELA R.2, R.3, R.5, R.7

  • MUSICAL NUMBERS questions (pp. 6-22) - Arts AS7, AS8, AS9, AS11; ELA R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, R.8, R.9, SL.1, SL.2, SL3, L.3, L.5

  • STORYTELLING: Discussion (p. 25) - Arts AS11; ELA SL.1

  • STORYTELLING: Half-Hour Hero (p. 25) - Arts AS1, AS2, AS3, AS4, AS5, AS6, AS10; ELA R.2, R.5, R.7, W.3, 

  • POETRY: Poetic Devices Exploration (p. 26) - Arts AS7; ELA R.4, SL.2, L.3, L.5

  • POETRY: Applied Devices (p. 27) - Arts AS7, AS8; ELA R.1, R.4, R.5, R.6, W.1, W.4, SL.2, SL.3, L.3, L.5

  • MOVEMENT/CHOREOGRAPHY: Slow-Motion Race (p. 28) - Arts AS6, R.6

  • MOVEMENT/CHOREOGRAPHY: Greek Exercise (p. 29) - Arts AS6, R.6

  • DESIGN: DIY (p. 31) - Arts AS1, AS10, AS11; ELA R.6, R.7, SL.1 (with team variation)

  • DRAMA: Thematic Sculpture Park (p. 32) - Arts AS1, AS6, AS10; ELA R.6, R.7, R.9, SL.1, SL.2, SL.3, L.5

  • DRAMA: Scripting the Unsaid (p.33) - Arts AS1, AS2, AS3, AS5, AS6, AS7, AS8, AS9; ELA R.1, R.2, R.3, R.5, R.6, R.7, R.9, W.3, W.4, SL.1 (with partner or other performers), SL.2, SL.3, L.3, L.5

  • MUSIC: Collaborative Songwriting (p. 34) - Arts AS1, AS2, AS5, AS6, AS10; ELA R.6, R.7, W.3, W.4, SL.1 (with collaboration), SL.2, SL.6, L.3, L.5

national core arts standards

Creating

Anchor Standard 1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

Anchor Standard 2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

Anchor Standard 3. Refine and complete artistic work.

Performing/ Presenting/ Producing

Anchor Standard 4. Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.

Anchor Standard 5. Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.

Anchor Standard 6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.

Responding

Anchor Standard 7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.

Anchor Standard 8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

Anchor Standard 9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.

Connecting

Anchor Standard 10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

Anchor Standard 11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding. 

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.3. Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.