Mythology Teachers' Guide

8/8/2019 Mythology Teachers' Guide

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Teachers Guide

Mythology:The Gods, Heroes, and Monsters of Ancient Greeceby Lady Hestia Evans edited by Dugald A. Steer illustrated by Nick Harris,

Nicki Palin, and David Wyatt decorative riezes by Helen WardAge 8 and up Grade 3 and up

ISBN: 978-0-7636-3403-2$19.99 ($25.00 CAN)


2/20Candlewick Press MythologyTeachers Guide

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mythologypurports to be an early nineteenth-century primer on Greek myths written by Lady Hestia Evans. This particular edition is inscribed to Lady Hestias riend John Oro, who was embarking on a tour o the sites o ancientGreece. Along his journey, Oro has added his own notes, comments, anddrawings in the margins including mention o his growing obsession withthe story o King Midas and a visit to Olympus to make a daring request o Zeus himsel . . . .

This guide to Mythologyis designed to support a creative curriculum andprovide opportunities to make links across subjects. The suggested activitieshelp students make connections with and build on their existing knowledge,

which may draw rom lm, computer games, and other popular media as wellas books and more traditional sources. We hope that the menu o possibilitiespresented here will serve as a creative springboard and inspiration or you in

your classroom.

For your ease o use, the guide is structured to ollow the book in achapter-by-chapter order. However, many o the activities allow teachersto draw on material rom several chapters. For instance, the storytellingper ormance activity outlined in the section An Introduction to Mythologycould also be used with stories rom other chapters. Likewise, many o theactivities ocused onThe Odysseywould apply equally well to the chapter on

the Trojan War.



Discussion Points

1. Do students know the word mythology? In what context have they heard it? Encouragethem to draw as widely as possible on theirown cultural re erences. Students may, orinstance, be amiliar with stories, books,

lms, comic strips, or the computer game Age of Mythology.Invite them to share themyths they know with a partner or in asmall group.

2. A ter discussing students prior knowledgeo the subject, ask them to propose ade nition ormythology.Encourage them

to use a range o dictionaries to check theirsuggestions. Write the dictionary de nitionon a large sheet o paper and display it inthe classroom.

3. Explain that di erent cultures give riseto their own mythologies and that thereare many similarities among them, suchas creation stories and hero tales. Notethat there are also clear di erences amongcultural mythologies. Ask students to pointout clues rom the cover o Mythologythatsuggest which culture it draws rom.

4. Talk about the image in the center o the cover. What does it suggest? Somepossibilities or discussion include heroes,monsters, action, and the orces o goodand evil.

5. Discuss the word ancient.Have studentsprovide a dictionary de nition. Makea timeline and place the ancient Greek Empire on it. (Note that there aredi erences o opinion but that historiansgenerally use the dates between 1000BCE and the death o Alexander the Great, in323 BCE . Make sure students understandthe use o the termsBCE and CE .)

Activities

O n D isplay

Involve the class in making a display or classmuseum. It might include such elements as:books about ancient Greece and Greek mythology postcards, photographs, and travel postersshowing Greek monumentstravel souvenirs such as postcards, photos,and other materials collected by students

who have visited Greece, who may wish toadd in ormative labels

maps and a globedictionaries or identi ying word origins

T ransfOrm y Our C lassrOOmConsider trans orming the entire classroominto a Greek temple. Run a rieze along thetop o the wall, perhaps depicting the twelvelabors o Heracles or the voyage o the Argo (see the page borders in Mythology). Invitestudents to help create Greek columns rom

paper and use them to designate display areas.

BEFORE READING



Discussion Points

1. Encourage students to consider the story that is being set up. What image do they have o Lady Hestia Evans? What imagedo they have o John Oro?

2. What do the students think has happenedto John Oro when he writes, I eel I canno longer hold this pen? Encourage themto predict how the story will un old.

3. Work with students to create characterpro les based on the in ormation presentedin this rst spread and the in erences they can make.

Activities

H Ow a-m use - ing !

Have students read Lady Hestia Evansspoem O Muses. Then have them researchthe Greek Muses and create a chart listingthe Muses and their areas o infuence. They might illustrate the chart with these or other

works o art, located via the Internet or othersources:

Birth of the Muses,by Jean-DominiqueIngres (Louvre) Minerva Visiting the Muses,by Jacques de

Stella (Louvre)The Reign of the Muses,by Lorenzo Costa(Louvre)

B on V oyage

Have students imagine that they arepreparing or a tour to Greece. Lead a role-play in which you take the part o tourleader and students respond as i they are

ellow travelers. Ask students to refect ontheir expectations or the voyage: Whatpreparations would they make? How wouldthey eel about leaving amily behind? Whatmeans would they use to get there?

D ear D iary Following the role-play above, invite studentsto write rom the point o view o theircharacter. For instance, they might write adiary entry in the voice o a traveler who isleaving or Greece the next day.

TITLE PAGE SPREAD



Activities

i T s g reek TO u s

The booklet titled The Basics of Ancient Greekmay serve as a basis or the ollowingactivities:

Ask students to decipher the names o thegods printed in the gold borders on thecover o Mythology.Have students write their own names inGreek characters. This could be done on acomputer using an appropriate ont.Invite students to research the modern

Greek alphabet. Challenge them to nd ways in which it di ers rom the ancientGreek alphabet.

O De On a g reCian u rnAsk students to nd pictures o Greek pottery throughout Mythologyand in other books, as

well as Internet sources. Have them researchthe images and decorations they nd on thepottery. Ask them to identi y recurring potshapes, including the ollowing examples:

amphora:a large, tall urn that o ten hastwo handles; used or storing wine, corn,oil, and honey hydria:a narrow-mouthed vessel with a lid

or carryingkhyton:a character-shaped vessel used or

wine drinkingkrater:a large, wide-mouthed vessel used

or mixing water and wine; o ten placed inthe center o a roomkylix:a two-handled fat drinking cupoinochoe:a tall, narrow-mouthed jug with apouring spout

Pottery may also inspire students ownartwork. For instance, suggest that they makea still-li e drawing o vases and urns based onGreek shapes.

SPREAD 2: AN INTRODUCTION TO MYTHOLOGY



SPREAD 2 , continued

i T s w OnDer - fu lExplain to the class that the statue o Zeusat Olympia was one o the Seven Wonders o

the Ancient World. Have students researchthis magni cent work in a homework assignment, using the ollowing prompts.Be ore they begin, show them how to citetheir sources and ask them to use more thanone source to check their in ormation.

Describe what is known about the statueo Zeus, including its sculptor, dimensions,and what materials it was made o .Present a complete list o the Seven

Wonders o the Ancient World, noting which are still in existence.

a C lass a CTUse the ollowing steps to prepare or astorytelling per ormance:

Provide small groups with copies o thestories mentioned in the Introduction.

These include tales o Zeuss battle withhis ather, Cronus; Dionysus and thepirates; Midas and his golden touch;Atlass punishment; and the twelve laborso Heracles.Ask each group to read the story aloud,then retell the story in a storytelling circle.Provide each group with a large sheeto paper on which they can storyboardtheir myth. (This will serve as a visualaid or the storytelling per ormance.)Ask students to draw six to eight key scenes, making sure to include the storysbeginning, its developing confict, and itsresolution. Invite them to add dialoguein speech bubbles, i they wish, or sounde ects (such as the sound o the seaor a battle). Explain that the drawing

should be collaborative, involving theparticipation o everyone in the group.Ask the groups to decide how they willper orm their stories. Invite them to useinstruments or sound collage in addition toacting out sections o dialogue.Have the groups per orm their stories ortheir own class, another class, or a schoolassembly.


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s Tarry , s Tarry n igHTDisplay a map o the night sky that includesboth the northern and southern hemispheres.

Work with the class to identi y whichconstellations are named a ter characters

rom Greek mythology. Divide the classinto small groups, and have each group

create a presentation on an assignedGreek-mythology-themed constellation.

The presentation should include an imageo the constellation and a story associated with that constellations namesake.

SPREAD 4: THE CREATION OF THE GODS


Discussion Point

Lead a discussion centered around thequestion Whom did the ancient Greeks

worship, and why? Note that Greek godso ten had some human characteristics andthat stories about gods helped the Greeks toexplain the world around them.

Activities

a nCienT p raCTiCesHave the class nd images o Greek templesin books or on the Internet. Ask students tostudy the images they nd and write whatthey can deduce about the religious practicesthat took place there. Some examples:

Parthenon, Athens

Temple o Hephaestus, Athens Temple complex, SelinusValley o the Temples, Agrigento

Invite students to research the similaritiesand di erences between the gods o ancientGreece and the theologies o other cultures.

T He e nDuring p Ower Of m yTHsPoint out to the class that many o the Greek myths have been depicted in art. For example,the birth o Aphrodite is the subject o a

amous painting by Botticelli, although thetitle o the painting re ers to the goddess by her Roman name, Venus. Following are some

works o art based on Greek mythology that you might invite students to study in detail:

Bacchus and Ariadne,by Titian(National Gallery, London)Cerberus,by William Blake(Tate Collection)

Echo and Narcissus,by Nicholas Poussin(Louvre)Pandora,by Dante Gabriel Rossetti(Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool)The Story of Cupid and Psyche,by Jacopodel Sellaio (Fitzwilliam Museum,Cambridge, England)Prometheus,by Paul Manship(Rocke eller Center, New York)

Lead a class discussion about why the Greek myths have been an enduring subject orartists through the ages.I there is an art museum nearby, considerplanning a class visit to explore classicalsubjects in works o art. You may be able toarrange a curator talk.



Activities

s HaDOw -p uppeT T HeaTer

Materials needed:construction paperlong stickstransparenciesoverhead projection markeroverhead projectormusical instruments

ound objectsHave students select a story on this spread to

be told through shadow-puppet theater. Thisactivity works on the principle that light willpass through the transparencies, which canbe drawn on and colored, but will not passthrough the construction paper. Pass alongthe ollowing instructions to students:

Use the transparencies to create abackground or the story and constructionpaper to cut out silhouettes o the storyscharacters.

Attach long sticks to the characters inorder to move them across the overheadprojector.Compose a narration to accompany thestory, using di erent voices or dialogueand sound e ects.Use musical instruments to createsound e ects.Look or ound objects to create shadowsin ront o the overhead projector.Practice and rehearse a shadow-puppetper ormance be ore presenting it toanother class or at an assembly.

a B OOk Of BeasTsUsing the Book of Serpentsas a guide, havestudents produce a similar book about various

mythical beasts. They can use in ormation rom this chapteras well as in ormation rom urther research.Suggest that each page include an illustration,a description, and a story rom mythology about the monster or beast.

T He r iDDle Of THe s pHinxPose the riddle o the Sphinx to the class andsee i anyone knows the answer.

Ask students to share similar riddlesthey may know.Lead a discussion o di erent typeso riddles.Ask students to write their own riddle,then exchange with a classmate to see i he or she can guess the answer.

SPREAD 5: MONSTERS AND MYTHICAL BEASTS



D esign a g ame Engage the class in creating a board gamebased on stories o Greek monsters and

beasts.Lead a class discussion o the rangeo board games available. Ask students

what they think makes a good boardgame and why.Divide the class into small groups.Have each group devise, design, andconstruct a board game with a set o rules.Have groups switch games and testthem out, then evaluate them againstagreed criteria.Alternatively, students might devise aset o trading cards based on characters

rom Greek mythology.

m eDusa : m OnsTer Or V iCTim ?Have students research Medusas story, thenlead a class discussion reviewing major points,

including why her hair was turned into a nesto snakes.Display an enlarged copy o the painting o Medusa by Arnold Bcklin. Ask students todescribe the expression on Bcklins Medusaand make a list o the descriptive words used.Create and display a collage o these words.

Then display a copy o Caravaggios paintingo Medusa and invite students to compare itto Bcklins painting.

You might also have students watch theDisney lmHerculesand discuss how itdepicts Medusa.




Discussion Points

f lOOD s TOriesExplain to students that food stories are told

in many cultures including the Christianstory o Noah, the Aztec story o Tata andNene, the Babylonian epic o Gilgamesh, andthe ancient Greek story o Deucalion. Notethat their characters and moti s may vary butthat most o these stories share some commonideas:

Humans are guilty o transgression.A god creates a food as a punishment.An individual is given instructions to builda cra t.

The food destroys the old race.A ter the food, a less sin ul race emergesto repopulate the earth.

Lead a class discussion o food stories rom various cultures, exploring their commonelements and their di erences. Ask studentsto consider why similar stories emerge indi erent parts o the world. Note that thereare competing theories: while some believethese stories emerged in cultures that were atsimilar points in their development, othersbelieve the stories originated in one placeand were transported around the world whenpeople migrated rom one region to another.

Activities

T He l OsT w OrlD u nDer THe s ea

Lead a class discussion o the ollowingquestions:I Atlantis existed, what would it be like?

What creatures would live there? What would the buildings be like?

Divide the class into small groups. Havestudents in each group draw collaboratively to create a map that shows their version o Atlantis. Students may use their maps as astimulus or writing and storytelling.Have students research lost civilizations, bothreal and imaginary. These might include ElDorado, Shangri-La, and Sumeria.

SPR EAD 6 : THE ORIGINS O F M AN KIN D


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SPREAD 8: POSEIDON AND THE SEA

SPREAD 7: ZEUS AND HERA, RULERS OF THE GODS

Activities

g reaT g ODs

Invite students to use a range o resources,including the Internet, to research Zeus,Odin (Norse mythology), and Horus(Egyptian mythology), exploring what thesegods have in common and ways in whichthey di er.

T He g uiDing O raCleA ter reading about the oak oracle at Dodona,challenge students to construct their own

system or asking questions and interpretingan oracle.

Activities

a n o dyssey a rT g allery A ter reading the story o The Odyssey, involve students in creating a classroomart gallery depicting di erent stages o Odysseuss journey. Alternatively, you mightuse this exercise in conjunction with the story o the Trojan War (The Iliad), discussed onspread 14.

o dyssey T aBleaux Another way o representing the story is totell it by using tableaux living paintingsin which people orm a representation o ascene without dialogue and using little or nomovement.

Ask students to name the key incidentsromThe Odyssey.List them on a fipchart

or whiteboard.Divide the class into small groups.Have each group choose one o the key

incidents in The Odysseyto re-createthrough a tableau.Remind students to be sure viewers canidenti y what they are depicting in theirtableau through participants positions,gestures, groupings, and acial expressions.

Tell students they can bring their tableauto li e or just thirty seconds be orere reezing the image.Have the groups per orm their tableaux or

another class or at a school assembly.Alternatively, students may work on anarrative linking the tableaux together andpresent them in sequence.



w HaT s in a n ame ? Tell students the story o the naming o Athens. According to tradition, the rst ruler

o the city held a contest between Poseidonand Athena to decide who would be bettersuited to be the citys patron and so winthe distinction o having the city named intheir honor. Poseidon struck the earth withhis trident, bringing orth a saltwater spring,representing the importance o sea- aring tothe city. Athena then struck her spear in theground and planted an olive tree, which couldbe cultivated or its wood, ruit, and oil; it

was also a symbol o peace. The goddess o wisdom, as we know, won the honor.

Announce that you are the new ruler o your schools town or city and that yourcitizens will be choosing a new patron and name or your kingdom.Divide the class into three groups,one representing Athenas case, onerepresenting Poseidons case, and a thirdrepresenting your town or citys citizens.Have Athenas and Poseidons groupsconsider the qualities and strengths o their assigned god and write up somepersuasive talking points as to why theirgod would make the better patron.Have the groups representing Athena andPoseidon present their cases, based ontheir talking points, then have the citizens

vote on their pre erence.Alternatively, you could open the contestto other gods as well, breaking the classinto more than three groups.

g reek w arsHipsHave students research the di erent types o sailing vessels used in ancient Greece. Someexamples include the bireme, the trireme, andthe quinquereme.




SPREAD 9: HADES AND THE UNDERWORLD

Activities

f euDing f amilies

Familiarize the class with the story o Persephone, noting that it is an allegory thatexplains the seasons.Invite students to produce a TV talk show called Feuding Families,in which the maincharacters are interviewed by a host.

Ask or volunteers to play these roles:Hades, the husband, who argues that hedoesnt see enough o his wi eDemeter, the mother, who is opposedto Persephone spending any time inthe underworld, as she was tricked intohaving to return therePersephone, who is caught in the middlebetween these euding gods

Some questions the host might ask Persephone: What do you think o thetrick played on you? Are you annoyed that

your mother kept you away rom the othergods? Do you believe that your mother did

what she thought was best?A question or Demeter: Would you liketo spend more time with your husband?Possible questions or Hades: Why did

you kidnap Persephone? Were you lonely in your underworld lair? Were you eeling

venge ul because you were given theunderworld as your kingdom?Encourage students to get into their rolesand to think deeply about their characters.

w inTer C ame a CrOss THe l anDDivide students into two groups; have onegroup research the myth o Persephone and

the other research the Babylonian myth o Ishtar and Tammuz. Then have the groupspresent their ndings to the class, ollowedby a discussion about the many ways in whichthe stories are similar.

You might then invite students to write theirown myths that account or the seasonal cycleo winter coming to the land, ollowed by therebirth o spring.

a n igHT aT THe O pera Explain to students that the story o Orpheus the most talented o all Greek musicians inspired the nineteenth-century composer Jacques O enbach to createan irreverent comic opera,Orpheus in the Underworld,which includes a amouscan-can nale.

Tell the class the story o Orpheusand Eurydice.

Have students listen to O enbachs nalemovement, In ernal Gallop. Ask them what tone the music creates at the end o the story. Ask i it is the tone they wouldhave expected a ter hearing the story o Orpheus and Eurydice.

Tell the class the story o O enbachsopera.Note that the old stories o myth andlegend are endlessly adaptable, with each

generation adding new interpretations.



Discussion Point

Lead a class discussion about Sparta. Ask, What do we know about the Spartans? How accurate is the depiction o them as a war-hungry, culturally barren society? Point out tostudents that Greek history has been lteredthrough an Athenian lens and that Athens

was the sworn enemy o Sparta.

Activities

w arfare in a nCienT g reeCe Have the class look at a map o ancientGreece and note the expanse o coastline.Ask them to explain why a naval orce wasimportant to the Greeks.

Invite volunteers to identi y the majorcities on the map and o er a theory as to

why these cities were o ten warring witheach other.Have the class research Greek armorand weaponry using a range o primary and secondary sources. Suggest that they look at images o Greek pottery withdecorations depicting battles and armor.Ask students what they can deduce aboutGreek war are rom the evidence they haveexamined.

e yewiTness n ews

Have students research the Battle o Marathon using a variety o sources. Direct

them to nd images o the weaponry andarmor used by the Greeks and the Persiansin this battle.

Ask students to volunteer or the roles o :an Athenian soldiera Persian survivoran onlooker

Invite students to ask each o thewitnesses questions about the Battleo Marathon. The witnesses mustanswer in character.I pre erred, the teacher may take onthese roles instead in order to supply

actual in ormation while answering thequestions.Have students write a news report o thebattle that includes eyewitness accounts

rom the witnesses. (I students haveplayed these roles, be sure to vet theiraccounts or accuracy be ore they are

committed to writing.)Alternatively, you might want to apply thisactivity to the Trojan War.

SPREAD 10: ARES, APHRODITE, AND HEPHAESTUS



Activities

a ll THe w OrlD s a s Tage

Explain to the class that Greek theateremerged rom religious estivals celebratingDionysus. Have students use the Internetand other sources to research ancient Greek theater, including the role o the chorus andthe use o masks.

Then invite the class to adapt one o theGreek myths as a piece o theater. Havestudents create masks or the main characters,and involve the class in writing a narrative

part or the chorus. A ter students have honedand practiced their play, have them per orm itor another class or at a school assembly.

SPREAD 11: APOLLO, HERMES, AND DIONYSUS



Discussion Points

T He l egaCy Of THe g reeks

Explain to the class that the Greeks wereconquered by the Romans and that theirmyths became assimilated into Romanmythology. Note that many Greek gods havea Roman counterpart. Ask students:

Which o the Roman gods names areamiliar as names o planets?

Besides their mythology, what are someo the ways the ancient Greeks had alasting impact? Some elds o infuence to

consider: architecture, democracy, stories,theater, philosophy, and mathematics.

Activities

O lympus m eeTs m aDisOn a Venue

Now that students have learned about godsand goddesses in ancient Greek mythology,invite them to invent a product associated

with a speci c Greek god. Some examplesmight be Hermes courier service, Apolloslight bulbs, Poseidons sh sticks, or Herasrejuvenating cream. Ask students to:

Write down the name and a description o the product they have invented.

Think up a slogan or the product.

Create a magazine advertisement ortheir product. Have them think about thetype o magazine their product shouldbe advertised in and design the ad so itappeals to readers o that magazine.

T He p arTHenOnDisplay enlarged images o the Parthenon.Ask students to describe what they see as thekey eatures o the building.

Ask or volunteers to identi y and de nethe key eatures o Greek architecture:column (noting the three main types:Doric, Ionic, Corinthian)capitalpediment (triangle supported by columns)

rieze (decoration around the walls)statuecaryatids (human gures as columns)foor plans (usually rectangular)

Ask students whether they have seen any modern buildings that look like ancientGreek buildings. I appropriate, considerorganizing a local street walk to view structures built in the classical style.

SPREAD 12: ATHENA, ARTEMIS, AND HESTIA



Discussion Points

g reek H erOes

Have the class research and compare theGreek heroes Perseus, Heracles, Jason, and Theseus. Some questions to consider:

Which gods aid these heroes? Which gods try to oil their e orts? What qualities, talents, and strengths dothe heroes possess?

What heroic acts do these heroes per orm?In what ways are these heroes charactersfawed?How do their stories end? Do any o themhave a happy ending?

Discuss with the class what can beascertained about the ancient Greek concepto heroism based on a reading o the Greek myths.

m ODern H erOesInvite students to think about who todaysheroes are. Some questions to consider:

What qualities do we associate with amodern-day hero or heroine?Should we use the wordheroto apply toboth male and emale heroes? Does the

word heroine imply di erent qualities?Do the Greek heroes have any similaritiesto modern comic-book heroes?

What does the phrase look or the heroinside yoursel mean?

Activities

w OrD O rigins

Explain to students that labyrinthis just oneexample o a Greek word that has ound aplace in English vocabulary. Ask students touse a dictionary to locate the ollowing wordsand phrases in order to discover their originsin the names o Greek gods, heroes, monsters,or places:

atlasmarathonthe Midas touch

narcissistic panic SisypheanSpartantantalize titanic

Make a chart o students ndings, with brie explanations.

m ake a l aByrinTH Invite students to draw their own labyrinths,then try to solve each others puzzles.

C lasH Of THe T iTansPresent one episode rom the voyage o Jasonand the Argonauts to the class.

Divide the class into small groups. Ask students to think about how they would

lm this episode.

Discuss various lm conventions, suchas shots, camera angles, and so on. Ask students to keep these methods in mind

while collaborating with their group todraw a storyboard o the episode.Invite each group to present its storyboardto the class.

SPREAD 13: HERACLES AND THE GREEK HEROES


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SPREAD 14: THE WAR AGAINST TROY

Activities

i n m emOriam

Have the class refect on the heroes who werekilled in the Trojan War. Ask students to:Assemble a collection o obituaries o

amous people.Consider the importance o obituaries ashistorical evidence. Note that obituariesthat include the details o who, what,

where, when, and how are particularly use ul to historians.Notice that di erent opinions may be

expressed in obituaries written by di erentpeople about the same person.

Write an obituary or one o the heroeskilled in the Trojan War:AchillesHectorPatroclus

FINAL SPREAD

Discussion Points

Based on the Letter rom Greece andthe last ew notes rom John Oro, whatcan students deduce happened to him?Revisit the story o King Midas, whichso enthralled Oro. Discuss the storysuse o metaphor to convey its theme.

What warning does this story convey?Is this warning still relevant today?

This guide is based on teachers notes created by Nikki Gamble, a lecturer, writer, and teacher in the U.K.Illustrations copyright 2007 by Nick Harris, Nicki Palin, David Wyatt, and Helen Ward.

FURTHER READING

Other Candlewick books that might beo interest include:

Dateline: Troyby Paul FleischmanHC: 978-0-7636-3083-6PB: 978-0-7636-3084-3

History News: The Greek NewsPB: 978-0-7636-0340-3

History News: The Roman NewsPB: 978-0-7636-0341-0

Monsterologyby Dr. Ernest DrakeHC: 978-0-7636-3940-2

And coming in spring 2009:

The Mythology Handbookby Lady Hestia EvansHC: 978-0-7636-4291-4 (March)Roman Diaryby Richard Platt, illustrated by David ParkinsHC: 978-0-7636-3480-3 (May)

Mythology Teachers' Guide

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