Students will gain an understanding of Greek mythology by starting with the Ancient Greek creation story (see below).   When students have a basic understanding of mythology, it will broaden their understanding when studying great literature works where allusions to Greek myths are everywhere in modern and classic works. Interactive class discussions will focus on the lessons they teach and virtues admired that are as relevant today as they were over 2000 years ago.  

Mythology can be confusing due to a complicated family tree, therefore, we’ll start with a brief introduction as to what a myth “is” and learn that every culture has a creation myth.**  (Knowing them does not mean that they are true, but to discover that myths are an integral part of our literary heritage and we should know them in order to converse intelligently.)

**This class is secular in nature and religion will not be discussed.  Questions regarding religion will be referred to parents.

There will be a variety of modes of instruction used including slides, video clips, discussions, lectures, and handouts.  We will review the previous day’s lesson by going over the "homework" activity or graphic organizer which is included for each myth, before continuing with the new lesson.

BACKGROUND
What is a myth?
Myths are stories people would tell to make sense of their world and were passed down over generations. Greek myths were a huge part of the religion in Ancient Greece and offer a glimpse into what was important in the lives of the ancient people who told them. 

Most often, myths were created to teach people about something important and meaningful in daily life, such as morals and life lessons (i.e. love your family, respect your elders)  how to explain things they could not always understand (i.e. the seasons, illness and death) and natural phenomena (i.e. fire, earthquakes, and floods.) They often feature battles and terrible monsters and teach the importance of bravery, intelligence, and the consequences of right and wrong choices. Greek myths showed that gods and mortal men could both be punished or rewarded for their actions. 

Because the Greeks believed that the gods and goddesses had control over every part of people's lives, there was a different god for almost everything. They imagined that the gods lived together up on the top of Mount Olympus,  but just like people, gods argue, fall in love, get jealous of each other and make mistakes.  This course will only highlight a few of the more commonly known myths and what they taught.

Why Study Mythology?
Even though the Ancient Greeks lived more than 2000 years ago, Greek Mythology continues to have an influence in the modern world.  There is a reference to Greek Mythology in the arts, literature, science,  and in the names and books, movies, games, constellations, company names, and astrological signs to name a few.  
 

Brief Overview of the Ancient Greek Creation Story
The Greeks believed that in the beginning, the world was in a state of nothingness which they called Chaos, and from that void, Gaia, or Mother Earth, was born.  From her came Uranus, the night sky, along with Eros, love, and Tartarus, the underworld.  Gaia and Uranus are primordial deities as well as others from this group, which are too big to personify or make human.  Primordial deities make up the basic elements of the universe, like Pontus, (the primordial god of the oceans) and Ourea (the primordial god of the mountains).

Even though the primordial deities Gaia gave birth to Uranus, Gaia and Uranus married (it's complicated) and had three sets of children: three Cyclopes, three Hundred-Handed Giants, and the twelve Titans.  

Why are there so many versions of Greek myths?
Myths are stories that have been passed down from generation to generation from different parts of the Mediterranean world from different points in time for several centuries.  For this reason, because cultures and beliefs change over the course of time, their stories are adapted as well.  This class will focus on the Greek myths, however, even these stories lend themselves to the artistic freedom of the storyteller to make them more relevant and meaningful to the listener.  Therefore, students may be familiar with one version with elements that stay the same, however, the version in this course may have some variations.  It would be helpful for students to understand this prior to class and be aware that the overall outline and theme remains the same.  (For example, consider the variations of the telling of the story of the 3 Little Pigs… there are many different book versions, however, they share the same characters of the big, bad wolf and the varying work ethics of each pig, despite that sometimes the wolf is killed or simply runs away.)

Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction
Bachelor of Arts, Education

Certified Standard Secondary Education (6 -12th)
Highly Qualified English, ESL Endorsed
*** Mythology was a highly requested English elective course which I taught in public schools. ***

Certified Standard Career and Technical Education and Training - Education Professions

Certified Standard Elementary Education (1 - 8th)

Approved Areas: English as a Second Language K - 12, Middle Grades 5 - 9

Teacher created - will attach for students to print.