Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Analyze the relationship between music and monsters literature, film, and TV series.
• Research and gather information about monsters from different cultures.
• Read and discuss the poem, Beowulf.
• Compare monsters from literature, film, and/or the performing arts.
• Write a story about an original monster and how it came to be. 
• Present an original monster and backstory to an audience.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

• Capture Sheet: Monsters
• Monster Creation
• Rubric: Monsters

Books

• Beowulf, Author Unknown
• Grendel, John Champlin Gardner

Article

• Your Brain on Music: Chills & Thrills

Music

• Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by J.S. Bach
• Night on a Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky
• Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg
• The Shining Main Title by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind
• Jaws Main Title by John Williams
• Stranger Things Main Title Sequence by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein
• Halloween Main Title by John Carpenter

Teacher Background

Teachers will need to be well-versed in both Beowulf and Grendel. They should have a working knowledge of the role of monsters in various cultures and how they are represented in the arts.

Student Prerequisites 

Students should be familiar with the role of monsters in society and various cultures. Students should have basic research skills.

Accessibility Notes

Modify the inquiry handout and resources as needed. Provide assistive technologies during research. Allow extra time to complete artwork.

Engage

1. Play excerpts from the following compositions for students:

- Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by J.S. Bach

- Night on a Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky

- Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg

Ask students: What do you think is the inspiration for this type of music? What examples of music are you familiar with that seem to be inspired by a fear of monsters or are an attempt to instill a sense of monsters approaching?

2. Have a class discussion about monsters from movies, performances, or TV shows. Ask students: Why do you think monsters exist? Can you give examples of monsters from your childhood? Can you give examples of the way we see monsters in our society? What are the positive aspects of monsters? What need did monsters fill in society in the past? What need might they fill now?
   
   

3. Have a listening session with students. Play and discuss the “Hall of Fame” tunes from the article, Your Brain on Music: Chills & Thrills, or excerpts from the following films and TV series:

- The Shining Main Title by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind

- Jaws Main Title by John Williams

- Stranger Things Main Title Sequence by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein

- Halloween Main Title by John Carpenter

Build

1. Distribute the article, Your Brain on Music: Chills & Thrills. Tell students that the composers of spooky tunes know just what they are doing when they create music. Have students read, listen, and discuss the article. Ask students: How does a composer’s craft contribute to the experience of a listener? What elements of music do composers use to stimulate an emotional response from a listener? How do our brains recognize “scary” music?

2. Have students share stories that contain “monster-like” characters. Record and discuss their responses on the board. Tell students one of the earliest written pieces in literature, Beowulf, was a monster story.

3. Tell students they are going to conduct research about monsters. Share the resource, Capture Sheet: Monsters, with students. Ask students to find information on specific monsters (e.g.: Frankenstein, Golem, Dracula) and the historical context of monsters within different cultures. 

4. Have students share their research about monsters with the class. Ask students to elaborate on something new they learned about monsters. Encourage them to share images or timelines for additional context. 

Apply

1. Introduce the poem, Beowulf, to students. Allow time for students to read. Select a part of the story aloud, pausing to ask questions. What is the role of women in Beowulf? Is Beowulf an ideal hero and king? What are his character flaws? From whose point of view is the story told? How does this affect the reader?

2. Introduce the story, Grendel by John Champlin Gardner. Allow time for students to read. Ask students: Why do you think Gardner chose to use Grendel as a narrator? How does the fact that Grendel is a monster affect the way the story is told? How does Grendel feel about language?

3. Explain to the class that, even today, there are many cultures that believe in the existence of monsters, demons, and other such creatures. Point out that, while most of us consider the notion of their existence unlikely, belief in monsters is not necessarily an unreasonable belief, and that it is, at very least, supported culturally, albeit not scientifically.

4. Tell students they will be creating original monsters. Distribute the Monster Creation resource to students to pre-plan their monster. Explain that students will create and present their monster with a multimedia presentation. The monster should have a background, name, and history or developmental tale that explains its existence. There must be a visual representation of the monster. Have students also select music that represents their monster. Offer students the creative choice to draw, paint, or digitally design a monster. Allow time for students to do research, write their monster story, create a presentation, and select music. 
   
   
5. Have students present their work to the class. Encourage discussion among the class about the monster, its story, and music selection.
   

Reflect 

1. Explain to students that they are going to write an original story featuring the monster they have created. Review the story expectations with students with the Rubric: Monsters. Have students do peer editing or peer reviews once the stories are done.

2. ​​Assess students’ work with the Rubric: Monsters. Provide feedback to students in the “Comments” section.