UNIT SEVEN-Greek Mythology

Description of unit: This unit will be similar in scope to the TFA SAT Unit 6Short Fiction. Instead of short fiction, the texts read will be exclusively myths (Greek myths). This unit will correspond with the Ancient Greece unit in Social Studies. The unit will consist of: 1) Readers Workshop: Guided reading of myths centered on the following learning goals (based on the SAT alignment guide) -Distinguishing between genres (what is a myth?) -Point of view -Dialogue -Characterization -Setting -Theme -Plot -Imagery -Symbolism -Mood -Foreshadowing -Flashback Calendar of objectives: WEEK ONE: Goals of the week: Introduce the genre with short written pieces on character and setting. Texts: Pandoras Box Mon. -SWBAT define myth as literary genre -SWBAT identify features of common characters in Greek myths (gods, heroes, monsters) -SWBAT make inferences about character based on action and description -SWBAT create visual images of characters, based on their descriptions. Tues. -SWBAT define the terms plot, conflict, and resolution. -SWBAT identify conflict in a myth -SWBAT role play conflict and resolution, by re-writing endings to myths. Weds. -SWBAT define dialogue -SWBAT distinguish between what a character is thinking and saying -SWBAT write a short dialogue between two characters, based on a myth Thurs. -SWBAT define the term setting -SWBAT visualize the setting in a myth

-Content knowledge-SWBAT describe the setting of Mount Olympus and the Underworld based on the descriptions in myths. -SWBAT define the term imagery -SWBAT recognize passages of imagery in a myth -SWBAT write their own short descriptions of familiar settings using imagery Fri. -SWBAT define symbolism -SWBAT apply knowledge of symbolism to the myth Pandoras Box -SWBAT use knowledge of the myth Pandoras Box to create short written pieces about the greatest evils present in the world. WEEK TWO: Texts: Narcissus and Echo, Perseus and Medusa, Demeter and Persephone, Hercules (film viewing?) Mon. SWBAT recognize a moral or lesson in a myth (after reading Narcissus and Echo) SWBAT define narcissistic SWBAT apply knowledge of a narcissistic personality to their prior knowledge. Tues. SWBAT define Point of View. SWBAT re-write the story of Narcissus and Echo from either the Point of View of Narcissus or Echo Weds. SWBAT define the terms hero and monster SWBAT identify character traits of Perseus and the Medusa (what do other people in the myth think about them? How do we as readers feel about them?) SWBAT use Point of View to re-write the story of Perseus and the Medusa from the Point of View of the Medusa. Thurs. SWBAT define mood SWBAT identify mood shifts in the myth of Demeter and Persephone SWBAT make connections between mood, plot, and setting in above myth Fri. SWBAT define foreshadowing SWBAT use foreshadowing to determine what will happen next in a myth SWBAT define flashback SWBAT recognize scenes of flashback in a myth WEEK THREE: Mon. SWBAT synthesize knowledge of character, setting, plot, and literary device in a guided reading of a myth. SWBAT re-state project expectations for written myths, based on a rubric and look at an exemplar SWBAT collect ideas for myth writing and submit to teacher Tues.

SWBAT begin drafting myths Weds. FIELD TRIP (Bronx Zooorganize) Thurs. SWBAT continue drafting myths Fri. SWBAT revise myths so that their myths include at least one section of dialogue and one flashback. WEEK FOUR: Mon. SWBAT review editing strategies and symbols. SWBAT peer edit myths. Tues. SWBAT work on final drafts of myths (copied in pen) Weds. SWBAT finish writing final drafts of myths SWBAT publish myths by creating a cover illustration Thurs. SWBAT review for the myth unit assessment Fri. SWBAT complete unit assessment SWBAT share myths with a publishing party **Content: Because this unit integrates SS content knowledge, students will also be quizzed regularly on their ability to match the names of heroes and gods covered during the week with storylines, and the ability to match names of gods with physical and personality characteristics. 2) Writers Workshop: Students will publish their own myths, which will be graded on the 6 +1 Rubric. Students will also be given a project rubric with expectations. -Physical description of character (gods, goddesses, and other mythological figures) -Dialogue, through revision -Use of the literary device flashback or foreshadowing, through revision -Use of imagery to show setting or character, through revision -Explanation of natural phenomenon through plot 3) Independent Reading (with conferencing) 4) Readers Theater and Drama Activities: For class 6D, which contains many ELL students, Ms. Quinn will organize drama and dialogue activities, centered on the myth genre. For this class, producing short dramatic pieces will replace the published writing piece or supplement a shorter writing piece. Unit texts/relevant content:

Words/Concepts to define: MythInvestment piece: Love, violence, explanations of how things came to be Hero Polytheism God/goddess Monster (could be a good segue if the class gets to read Monster by Walter Dean Myers) Mortal/Immortal Greek gods and goddesses for character study: Aphrodite, Apollo, Area, Artemis (Diana), Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Poseidon, Zeus, Hades **For each myth/character, show examples of Greek art (statues and vases) depicting the story. This could be a good Do Now, especially for 6D, showing kids a picture and asking them to describe the action. Myth titles (and some tectsalso will draw from the DAulaires Book of Greek Myths) Perseus and Medusa
Once there was a good king, who had a jealous brother. His brother killed the king, so that he could have all of the power. But, in order to do that, he had to get rid of the kings wife, Danae, and his son, Perseus. He was scared to kill them, so he put them in a wooden chest and he dropped the wooden chest in the ocean. After a long time they drifted ashore in a new kingdom. Perseus and his mother Danae stayed there while Perseus grew up. Perseus liked his new home and had a happy childhood. After a while, the king of the new place wanted to marry Danae, but she didn't want to marry him because she needed to take care of her son. This did not make the king very happy. He decided that he wanted to get rid of Perseus for so he could make Danae marry him. Because of this, he sent the young hero Perseus on a quest, to kill a terrible monster named Medusa and bring back her head. Medusa was a type of moster called a Gorgon, and she was so ugly, that if you looked at her, you would turn to stone! Her eyes were huge and bulging, and her hair was made of hissing snakes! At first Perseus didn't know where to find Medusa, so he went and asked the three Fates, old magical witches who could see the future and determined how long people on Earth were going to live. The Fates only had one eye and one tooth between them and they took turns every day, passing the eye and the tooth back and forth to see. When Perseus came to them, at first they didn't want to tell him where Medusa was. But Perseus waited until they were passing the eye from one to another, and so none of them could see. Then he quickly grabbed the eye! The Fates had to tell Perseus where Medusa was in order to get their eye back. Then Perseus met the messenger god Hermes, who gave him winged sandals to wear so he could fly to where Medusa was, and fight from the air. And he met the goddess Athena, who gave him a sword and a shield. Athena told Perseus not to look at

Medusa or her ugliness would turn him to stone. Instead he should use the shield as a mirror and look in that to cut off Medusa's head. So Perseus took the winged sandals and the sword and the shield and he flew to where Medusa's cave was. She lived there with her two frightening sisters. When Perseus got there all three sisters were asleep, and surrounded by eerie stone statues. Perseus snuck around and looked at the faces of the statues. He realized that they werent artthey were the bodies of Medusas victims, frozen in stone! Their faces were frozen in expressions of fear. All of a sudden, Perseus heard a shriek. Medusa was awake! Perseus remembered not to look at them and he looked in the shiny shield and cut off their heads all three of them! Then Perseus took Medusas head and put it in a bag and flew away.

When he returned home, Perseus became one of the greatest heroes of his time. Achilles
Once upon a time, a beautiful sea fairy named Thetis had a child with a motal man named Peleus. Thetis named her child Achilles. Thetis loved her son, but she was worried about him. Because Achilles father was a human and not a magical creature or a god, he was only half-immortal. This meant that he could get hurt and die. Thesis could not stand the thought of her son getting hurt, so she looked for ways to protect him. Thetis heard that the water of the River Styx, the river of the Underworld, had the power to cause people to live forever. So, Thetis decided to dip Achilles into the water. There was a slight problem, however. In order to bathe Achilles completely in the water, Thetis would have to let go of him and he would drown. So, she held him by the back of his heel to dip him into the water. The river was able to protect him everywhere on his body, except for that weak spot. When Thetis could not make Achilles fully immortal, she was afraid for him and left the boy with his father, Peleus. Achilles father then brought his young son to study with a teacher named Chiron, who was a creature called a Centaur (meaning half man, half horse). Chiron taught Achilles a lot, but even he could not protect the child from his weak heel. Achilles eventually grew up to become a great and strong warrior. He fought bravely in a war known as the Trojan War. He defeated many enemies and fought heroically. However, his weakness was found out. The god Apollo, with the help of a man named Paris, found Achilles in battle, took a poison arrow, and shot him directly in his heel. Because it was his only weak spot, Achilles died. This is why people talk about your Achilles Heel as being your weakness. No matter how powerful of a person you are, you likely have an Achilles Heel.

Theseus and the Minotaur

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a king named Minos. King Minos lived on a lovely island called Crete. King Minos had a powerful navy of ships, a beautiful daughter, and a really big palace. Still, now and then, King Minos grew bored. Whenever King Minos was bored, he took his navy and attacked Athens, a city on the

other side of the sea. The people of Athens soon grew tired of the bully, King Minos. All the people of Athens agreed that something had to be done. Athens tried to make friends with King Minos, but nothing seemed to work. In desperation, the king of Athens offered King Minos a deal. If Minos would leave Athens alone, Athens would send seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls to Crete every nine years to be eaten by the Minotaur (min-OH-tar). Who was the Minotaur? The Minotaur was a horrible monster that lived in the center of a huge maze called a labyrinth (lab-ee-rinth) on the island of Crete. King Minos loved that old monster. He did like to give his monster a treat to eat now and then. King Minos knew his people would prefer he fed his monster Athenian children as a treat rather than the children of Crete. King Minos took the deal. Nine years passed swiftly. It was just about time for Athens to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete to be eaten by the Minotaur. A dark cloud blew over Athens and everyone wept in sadness. The Prince of Athens was a young man named Theseus. He felt very troubled. He knew that a deal was a deal. Still, he was sure it was wrong to send small children to be eaten by a monster just to avoid a battle with King Minos. Prince Theseus told his father (the king) that he was going to Crete. He was going to kill the Minotaur and end this terror. "The Minotaur is a terrible monster! What makes you think you can kill it?" cried his father. "I'll find a way," Theseus replied gently. "The gods will help me." His father begged him not to go. He was afraid his son would be eaten. But the prince was determined. Theseus took his place as the seventh Athenian boy. Along with six other Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls, Prince Theseus sailed towards Crete. When the prince and the children arrived, King Minos and his beautiful daughter, the Princess Ariadne, came out to greet them. The king told them that they would not be eaten until the next day and to feel free to enjoy themselves in the palace in the meantime. The Princess Ariadne did not say anything. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Late that night, she wrote Prince Theseus a note and slipped it under his bedroom door. Dear Theseus (Ariadne wrote) I am a beautiful princess as you probably noticed the minute you saw me. I am also a very bored princess. Without my help, the Minotaur will surely gobble you up. I know a trick or two that will save your life. If I help you kill the monster, you must promise to take me away from this tiny island so that others can admire my beauty. If interested in this deal, meet me by the gate to the Minotaurs maze in one hour. Yours very truly, Princess Ariadne Prince Theseus slipped out of the palace and waited patiently by the gate. Princess Ariadne finally showed up. In her hands, she carried a sword and a ball of string.

Ariadne gave the sword and the ball of string to Prince Theseus. "Hide these inside the entrance to the maze. Tomorrow, when you and children from Athens enter the Labyrinth, wait until the gate is closed, then tie the string to the door. Unroll it as you move through the maze. That way, you can find your way back again. The sword, well, you know what to do with the sword," she laughed. Theseus thanked the princess for her kindness. "Don't forget, now," she cautioned Theseus. "You must take me with you so that all the people can marvel at my beauty. A deal is a deal." The next morning, all the Athenian children, including Prince Theseus, were shoved into the maze. The door was locked firmly behind them. Following Ariadne's directions, Theseus tied one end of the string to the door. He told the children to stay by the door. Their job was to make sure the string stayed tied so that Theseus could find his way back to save them. Theseus entered the maze alone. It took him a while, but he finally found his way to the center. Theseus found the Minotaur there. He was hideous, slobbering, and very huge, but Theseus was not afraid. Using the sword Ariadne had given him, Theseus killed the monstrous beast. He followed the string back and knocked on the door. Princess Ariadne was waiting. She opened the door. Without anyone noticing, Prince Theseus and the children of Athens ran to their ship and sailed quietly away. Princess Ariadne sailed away with them. On the way home, they stopped for supplies on the tiny island of Naxos. Princess Ariadne insisted on coming ashore. There was nothing much to do on the island, and soon, she fell asleep. Many people gathered to watch the sleeping princess. She was a lovely sight indeed. Theseus sailed away with the children of Athens and left her there, sleeping. After all, a deal is a deal.

Demeter and Persephone Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture, meaning that she was responsible for growing the plants on the Earth. Demeter has a beautiful daughter named Persephone, who loved to play in her mothers garden. Little did she know, but Hades, the god of the underworld, was in love with Persephone. One day, Hades came to Earth and kidnapped Persephone, taking her down to the Underworld with him. Persephone screamed and kicked, but it did no good. Demeter heard her screams and saw that Persephone had been taken. She was so sad, that she stopped growing plants on the earth. The leaves fell off of the trees and everything died. Zeus, the King of the Gods, looked down from Mount Olympus and saw that all of the plants were dying. This cannot do, he said. He send Hermes, the messenger god, down to the underworld to get Persephone back. In the meantime, Hades and Persephone were in the Underworld, in Hades dark

kingdom. Let me go! screamed Persephone. I will, said Hades, in time. But first, you must sit with me and eat the fruit of the underworld. Hades opened his hand and in it were twelve, clear, red pomegranate seeds. If I eat these seeds, will you release me to my mother? asked Persephone. Of course, said Hades. Persephone ate six of the seeds before Hermes arrived in a flash of wings. Its a trick, Persephone! he screamed, dont eat those seeds! If you eat something in the Underworld you have to stay there forever! You fool! shouted Hades, but it was too late. Persephone had already eaten six of the seeds. This meant that for the rest of her life, she would be forced to spend six months out of the year living with Hades in the dark Underworld. Hades eventually compromised and returned Persephone to her mother, Demeter. Demeter was so happy to see her that she waved her hand and allowed all of the flowers and trees on Earth to grow. In six months, however, Hades came back from the Underworld and stole Persephone again. Demeter was so sad that she allowed the plants to die and the Earth to become cold. According to the Greeks, this is the reason why we have seasons. When Persephone and Demeter are together for six months and the world is alive, it is spring and summer. When they are separated, it becomes fall and winter, and everything dies. Eros and Psyche The Mighty Hercules Atalanta King Midas Creation of Man by Prometheus Narcissus and Echo Echo was a very chatty fairy who lived in the woods. She could chatter on for hours and hours about almost any subject. Zeus, the king of the gods, decided to use this to his advantage. See, Zeus was married to Hera, his queen. But sometimes, Zeus liked to talk to other beautiful women who lived on Earth. Sometimes, when he wanted to sneak away to flirt, Zeus would tell Echo to talk to Hera, so that she would distract her with her chatting.

When Hera found out about Zeus plans, she was very angry. She punished Echo by making it so that she could no longer start a conversation. Echo was not allowed to say anything at all, unless someone else spoke first. Then, she was only allowed to repeat the exact words that the other person said. One day, Echo was walking in the countryside when she saw a very handsome man across the field. Little did she know, but the man was named Narcissus. Narcissus was a bit of a player. He had rejected many of the women who had tried to romance him in the past. Of course, Echo saw Narcissus and only thought, wow, he looks hot! If only I could speak to him! Narcissus heard Echos footsteps and stopped suddenly. Is anyone here? he called. Here! Echo repeated back. Narciccus yelled out, Lets come together, then! Echo replied, lets come together! and ran out of the trees towards Narcissus with open arms. Narcissus took one look at Echo and pushed her away. Im sorry, no! he said harshly, I am much too attractive to ever be with someone like you! Id rather die! Echos eyes filled up with tears. In that moment, she decided to cast a spell on Narcissus, so that one day, he may find someone to love who was worthy of his good looks. She then ran away, into the mountains. Unable to eat or sleep, she died. However, Echo still haunts open spaces, so that when you call to her, you often hear her voice answering you. Meanwhile, Narcissus continued wandering through the woods. I wonder who that crazy nymph was, who kept repeating me, he thought. Oh well, it doesnt matter. Im still beautiful. Narcissus walked until he came across a clearing in the forest. In the clearing was a large reflecting pool. Narcissus bent down to drink. In that second, he fell in love. In the pool, staring back at him, was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life! It was his own reflection! Narcissus reached down to touch the image, but saw it disappear into the ripples of the water. Every time he reached for the image, it would disappear. However, Narcissus, caught up in the beauty, could not pull himself away. He stayed there for days and nights, trying to catch the reflection. Eventually, he starved and died. Now, sometimes when people are too wrapped up in themselves to appreciate others, we say that they have a narcissistic personality. Pandoras Box

Sisyphus