Download Freshman English Mythology Unit

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Freshman English - Mythology Unit Assignments
We will be using several resources within this unit of study. In class, I will provide you
with various texts or selected chapters. In addition to the sources I provide, you should
feel free to use the following internet sources:
WebsitesAncient Greeks (http://www.hol.gr/greece/ancgods.htm)
Bulfinch’s Mythology (www.sacredtexts.com)
Greek Mythology.com
Many other quality sources are also available on-line. Do a word search for Greek
Mythology to review other reputable sites.
1.
On the separate handout, I have listed 40 different mythological characters for
you to identify. The handout speaks to the specific format for this exercise.
2.
After reviewing in-class notes, you will create a chart for several gods and
goddesses. I will provide you with the handout for completing this exercise. You
will be using the following elements to complete this chart. The chart will have
you identify the official Greek and Roman names of the characters, their sphere(s)
of influence, and the symbol(s) often attached to the respective god or goddess.
Below is the listing of the ones you will need to use for completing this chart.
Aeolus
Aphrodite
Apollo
Ares
Artemis
3.
Athena
Demeter
Dionysus
Eos
Eros
Hades
Hecate
Hephaestus
Hera
Hermes
Hestia
Janus
Pan
Poseidon
Zeus
For each of the following words, explain its origin from the classical mythology,
give its present day meaning and use it correctly in a sentence.
Example: Narcissistic
This comes from the name Narcissus. He was a handsome young Greek who fell
in love with his own reflection and spent all of his time gazing at it in a pool.
Today, the word means to be “self-centered” or “vain.”
Ex. Sentence: The clerk at Macy’s was very narcissistic, caring more about how
he appeared than selling the line of shoes on the rack.
cereal
fatalist
mercurial
martial
music
jovial
phosphorus
panic
vulcanize
calliope
museum
plutonian
herculean
titanic
tantalize
protean
4.
Explain these mythological phrases we use today and tell the myth that lies
behind the meaning:
“to fight (or work) like a Trojan”
“the face that launched a thousand ships”
“the Midas touch”
“to win laurels”
“the olive branch of peace”
5.
For each of the following items or natural phenomena, tell the story of the myth
that gives the explanation for the phenomena:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Greater and lesser bear
Thunder and lightning
Volcanoes
A rainbow
6.
7.
8.
9.
Red roses
Spiders
The changing of the seasons
Echoes
6.
Map of The Underworld of Greek MythologyI will provide you with a handout that requires specific items to be included on a
visual you create of the underworld. On the handout, you will also have a brief
description of the underworld to use as a resource for your map.
7.
Using a specific set of guidelines and a rubric, you will have the opportunity to
create a modern myth. This is a very creative exercise.
8.
In addition to the creation myth that we have already read in class, you will read
several other myths that fit the following categories: fertility myths, hero myths,
and quest myths. These will include the following:
Demeter and Persephone; Theseus and the Minotaur; The Labors of
Hercules.
9.
Extended analysis: Choose one of the following projects:
a.) Using crayon, paint, markers, etc. create a poster which shows a scene from a
favorite myth or features a favorite mythological character. Include a title and
brief synopsis of what is being portrayed.
Or
b.) Read a myth from another country. Write a comparison in which you tell how
it is similar to a Greek myth you have read.
For each of the above choices, I will provide you with more specifics and a rubric.
Unit Exam: At the end of our unit of study, there will be a comprehensive exam over the
material covered in class, located in specific sections on this assignment sheet.
This should be an exciting, enriching, and rewarding unit. As always, give each exercise
your best effort. Excellence in effort and pride in your work are keys to success!