Mythology Unit
The link for MYTHOLOGY above will take you to a great page that contains a lot of really great information on the gods, their roles, and their powers. Below you will find a series of family trees to give you a better (and visual) understanding of how the world began for the Greeks.
ESsential Questions
- How is an epic hero both larger than life AND human?
- What are the defining characteristics of an epic hero?
VocabularyFor each word, you are expected to create a notecard in the following format: (FRONT) word & part of speech (BACK) definition.
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You need to have ALL of your notecards done PRIOR to the beginning of the Oedipus text. |
Activities
- Vocabulary: Students will study challenging vocabulary chosen from the works studied and/or College Board’s SAT book (9-10.L.4)
- Lecture Hook: Myth vs. Urban Legend vs. Fable vs. Fairy Tale
- Independent Work: Practice Myth vs. Urban Legend vs. Fable vs. Fairy Tale
- Graphic Organizers: Using the texts around the room, handouts provided, and the internet, fill in the Gods & Goddesses Organizer and the Heroes Organizer.
- Group Work: With a partner, create flashcards so you can get to know the major players. Must include Greek & Roman name, symbols, family members. Quiz each other on each of gods/goddesses/heroes from the graphic organizers.
- Epic Hero Cycle: Review the epic hero cycle chart and complete with specific examples from Odysseus’ journey. (9-10.RL.3)
- Watch “Clash of the Gods: Zeus” to provide background on the Olympians
- Activity: Create a God
- Reading: Myth Packet (Creative Myth, Trojan War, Daedalus and Icarus, Hercules, Pandora, Jason and the Argonauts, Cupid & Psyche, Perseus, Demeter and Persephone, Prometheus, Theseus & the Minotaur (Clash of the Titans)
- Read The Odyssey
- Play / Acting Version
- Interpreting a scene into a visual representation: write a cartoon that tells the events of an assigned scene. In addition to the characters’ lines, be sure to indicate when sound effects should be made. (9-10.W.3; SL.4) Seminar: Determine the role that “luck” plays in The Odyssey. To what extent does Odysseus shape his own fate? (9-10.SL.1; RL.1)
- Read Ulysses by James Joyce
- Seminar: Compare and contrast how related themes may be treated in different genres. Read the poem “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Discuss how this piece is or is not faithful to Homer’s character of Odysseus (9-10.SL.1; RL.7 & 9)
- Formal Debate: You’ll be assigned a side to represent. Using text evidence, is Odysseus a good man and husband?
Writing Assignments
- Essay: [Epic Poetry (Narrative)] Write a book from an epic poem from the perspective of one of the members of Odysseus’s crew. You must also submit an original visual of your crewmember along with your narrative. (9-10.W.3)
- Write a fable based on a moral from Aesop's original tellings. Your fable should be completely original, but teach your moral to anyone who reads it
- Debate: Was Odysseus a good man or not? Use at least three examples from The Odyssey to support your character’s point of view.
Enrichment Activities
- Listen to a modern version of The Odyssey http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4663345 and then write your own podcast and publish it on the web (9-10.SL.2; W.3 & 6)
- View images of mythological creatures – then create and draw your own! Give it a backstory – how was it created? What is it’s personality?(9-10.RL.7)
- Compare/Contrast Odysseus with a famous superhero. (9-10.W.3-10).
Assessments
- Create a God
- Reading Quizzes
- Seminar Discussions
- Vocabulary Quiz
- Graphic Organizers
- Debate
Resources
- The Odyssey by Homer
- “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- Clash of the Gods
- Online Resources:
- NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4663345
- Comic Book Generator http://www.gocomics.com/
CCSS
- 9-10.RL.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- 9-10.RL.7: Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.
- 9-10.RL.9: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work.
- 9-10.RL.10: By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend lit, including stories, dramas, poems, in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at he high end of the range.
- 9-10.L.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
- 9-10.L.5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- 9-10.W.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
- 9-10.W.6: Use technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
- 9-10.SL.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (1::1, groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- 9-10.SL.2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
- 9-10.SL.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
- 9-10.SL.5: Make strategic use of digital media in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
The Beginning
Legendary Monsters |
The Complete List of Gods |
Heroes |
**All images are borrowed from http://www.talesbeyondbelief.com