Fabulous Fun with the Greek
Myths
Take a class voyage into the world of the Greek mythology's
rich and powerful stories
By
Wendy K. Cruikshank
Reading the Myths
Start your myth unit out right by gathering together a rich
collection of mythology resources from the library and the
Internet. Begin by reading aloud two or three myths such
as "Theseus and the Minotaur" and "Pegasus and Bellerephon."
In both stories a hero must wage a battle against a powerful
fantastic creature. Learn these first myths together as
a class by reading and comparing several versions of the
same story. Then ask your students to work in pairs or small
groups. Each pair or group may be assigned particular myths,
or allowed to explore the available books and choose the
myths they would like to read. Encourage students to read
two or three different versions of the same myths before
completing an activity. Understanding the myths very well
will make their learning experience that much richer. As
the students continue reading myths, introduce a new activity
every few days, and enjoy it together as a class.
Myth-Fact Trading Cards
Making Greek myth trading cards is a great classroom activity,
as the children will have come to know the characters from
their appearance in a number of myths. Ask students to create
four card patterns for God, Goddess, Mortal, and Creature.
On one side the student draws and labels a picture of a
character, and on the other side he or she writes down important
facts about the character. Creating the trading cards helps
to reinforce a number of language skills such as notetaking,
outlining, finding the main idea, and checking for details.
Share the cards by playing guessing games. Have students
take turns reading the facts from their cards. How fast
can the class guess who the character is?
Legendary Words
The influence of Greek mythology is widespread in our
language and culture. Help your students gain an understanding
of this influence with a Scavenger Hunt. Give them a list
of words and phrases that originated in mythology. Divide
students into small groups, and challenge them to find the
connection between the word and the originating myth. Here
are some examples:
| Herculean |
the Midas touch |
| Atlas |
panic |
| Achilles heel |
volcano |
| Titanic |
siren |
| narcissistic |
hypnotic |
Modern Portraits of the Gods
These bright modern portraits are easy to do and produce
impressive results. Begin by showing your students the striking
colors and bold lines in the art of Picasso, Chagall, or
Miro. Ask students to choose a mythological character they
wish to portray, such as the Minotaur, the one-eyed Cyclops,
or the frightening Medusa, and draw a frontal portrait of
its face in pencil. Next, ask students to erase one half
of the face and to draw a profile view so that it appears
to overlap the frontal view. The students then color the
frontal view one color and the profile another, using pastels
or wax crayons.
Interviews
Interview the heroes and villains of the Greek myths!
Start your own class Myth-world radio or TV talk show, and
let your students' dramatic skills soar. For this activity,
some students are "interviewers" while others are "guests."
The interviewer prepares a list of questions he or she wishes
to ask the guest. The guest studies the myth and tries to
anticipate the questions he or she will be asked. Ask Zeus
why he gets so angry, or Icarus why he flew too close to
the sun. For fun, kids will often make up call letters and
ads for their station. Talk to your class about posing who,
what, where, when, and why questions. This activity reinforces
interviewing techniques as well as drama, reading for details,
forming good questions, making inferences, and creativity.
When students are ready to present their show, sit back
and enjoy. The interviews are sure to be both entertaining
and educational!
The "Real" Story
Rethinking a familiar myth from a different point of
view is a great way to develop critical thinking, sequencing
skills, and creativity. Students can rewrite myths from
the perspective of the villain or a minor character. Perhaps
the Minotaur could explain why he's "really" in the labyrinth,
or Hades could explain why he kidnapped Persephone. When
students know the myth well, they are able to put a new
twist on the events and do a great job!
Comic-Book Adventures
Your class is sure to get excited about writing and
illustrating comic-strip versions of their favorite myths.
Creating comics gives students good practice at identifying
important details and summarizing. By studying the myth
closely, they should be able to figure out what is essential
to the plot and what can be left out. When the class is
finished, publish their comic books in a series with matching
covers, and keep them in your class library. Students will
have a great time reading each other's comic book creations!
Myth Starter List
- Pegasus
and Bellerephon
- Odysseus
and Polyphemus
- Theseus
and the Minotaur
- Icarus
and Daedelus
- King
Midas
- The
Twelve Labors of Heracles
- Jason
and the Argonauts
- Demeter
and Persephone
Wendy Cruikshank is a resource teacher
at Jerry Potts Elementary in Calgary, Alberta. This article
was originally published in the January/February 2001 issue
of Instructor.
