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Unit of Study - Building Blocks of Western Literature Essential Questions What aspects of Greek myths are universal or timeless? How does knowledge of the Greek myths and their characters help our understanding of literature, art, and popular culture? In what ways have the myths influenced modern Western civilization/culture? Unit Outcomes (what you need to be able to do, show, understand): You will read a selection of myths and other material You will learn the names of a the principal Greek gods and their Roman counterparts By reading and understanding creation stories, you will examine the need for our ancestors to bring order to the chaos of their world You will revisit “The Hero’s Journey” and apply it to classical literature You will understand and apply the terms: legend; myth; fable; epic; parable; allegory, as well as many other literary terms You will study allusion (biblical and mythical) You will research a mythological character to present to the class You will develop an awareness of the contemporary relevance of the material you study You will write reflectively and analytically Activities will include: Reading a variety of stories from different sources Read Odyssey, Books: 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 21, 22, 23 Reading independently, in small groups, or as a class Analyzing literature and non-fiction to understand its allegorical, or symbolic meaning Writing reflective responses to literature Practicing the steps towards writing analytically Researching, using library and technological skills Presenting a mythological character/creature to the class Assessments will include (but are not limited to): - various written homework assignments - journal responses - Socratic Seminar and/or other graded oral discussions - quizzes, tests, and reading checks - pieces of writing that have gone through the Writing Process - class participation Why Study Greek Mythology? The height of the Ancient Greek civilization ended over 2000 years ago. So why are you studying it in school now? Well, some reasons include: - it is the building blocks of so much of English/Western Literature. Without a solid knowledge of Classical (Ancient Greek and Roman) myths/literature, you completely miss out on SO MANY references and allusions - it is fun and interesting---and you can’t always say that about everything you study in school! - it is practically impossible to speak/read the English language without using words that are Classical (Greek and/or Latin) in origin; knowing where the words come from helps you to use them more precisely - All kinds of movies and TV shows are built upon these same building blocks. In order to be an educated and aware viewer, you need a solid foundation in Greek Mythology - the stories are full of violence, sex, betrayal, murder, retribution, love, desire, deception, passion, revenge---who wouldn’t want to read this stuff!