Greek Mythology Camp: Learn the Ancient Greek Alphabet Through Mythology

Ancient Greek is a fascinating, rich and hugely influential language - knowledge of it can help with understanding countless wider subjects, from literature and philosophy, to history or art, and - most importantly for us - the wonderful world of ancient mythology!

In this class, I will introduce learners to the essential building blocks of the language - the letters. We will practise reading, writing, and pronouncing each letter in the upper- and lower-case alphabets. No prior experience necessary!

We will then use this knowledge to explore writing keywords - such as names or places - from mythology in the original language, helping learners engage with much-loved stories on this deeper level. I welcome input from learners regarding their favourite stories and characters, and will try and integrate these into my teaching. 

Schedule outline:

Day 1: Lower-case alphabet

Day 2: Upper-case alphabet

Day 3: Writing words from mythology


Detailed schedule:

Days 1 + 2: Before class, students will be given a handout to review briefly and provide some initial familiarity with the letters in advance of each lesson. In the first half of the class we will then go through an engaging and interactive presentation to practise this material thoroughly. After this, we will utilise mythology-themed letter games and puzzles to reinforce the content. I will provide a consolidation handout after class for students' future reference. 

Day 3: Bringing together what we have learnt in the previous two days, this class will begin with a brief recap of both alphabets before moving on to introduce students to writing complete words in Ancient Greek script. To develop a range of skills, we will both learn some basic original Greek words, and utilise transliteration to practise writing English words in Greek letters. All of this will be centred around mythology - for example learning gods' and goddesses' Greek names, labelling maps of Greek city states, or completing word fills of classic stories. This day will hone learners' lettering skills, and help them connect more closely with favourite mythology stories - by being a starting point for learning to read and write these in the original language. A handout will again be provided in advance, and a consolidation sheet after class, giving students a valuable aid for future Greek study.

My classes are informative and educational, but also - importantly - supportive and engaging. There will be lots of verbal interaction between myself and the learners, with Q+As and learners' ideas always welcome. Students are also encouraged to listen to and learn from each other, building a sense of class community.

Learning Ancient Greek has given me such joy - and been so useful for my wider education. I am passionate about increasing access to this subject, and would love to help your learner enjoy this wonderful language!

If you don’t see a time that works for you - please do get in touch and I will happily try and accommodate section requests.