I have to admit, I was pretty excited when we started the myth unit. I have been fascinated with mythology my entire life. I loved learning about myths in school and on my own, usually from the Greek or Roman tradition. I still have a few collections of famous Greek myths concerning heroes, gods and goddesses and mortals alike. Although I love classic Greek myths, I was happy to be learning new stories from other, non-Western cultures. I really liked all of the group presentations; by making the class teach a chapter, it was a new way to learn the material instead of just reading the book all the way through. I thought it was great how the authors categorized myths into some basic categories: creation, trickster, the female divine, the male divine, and sacred places. I felt like the categories helped me see the many similarities amongst myths, yet they all deviate in their own unique way.
Learning about myth first obviously prepared us to write our own myth. But now that I had all of these ideas swimming around in my head, I felt like it was hard to get started. I felt pressured to come up with something original, although many myths share similar elements. I was stuck for a while, but when I took the time to actually start writing my myth, the ideas and words just flowed. I still feel like it is awfully derivative, but then again, I can always say I am just paying my respects to the traditions that came before. =]
I remember learning about some myths at home (my dad has always been big on the Greek hero stories), but we also studied some in school. I think myths hold up over the years because they always end up dealing with universal issues or questions. I would definitely use a myth or two as a lesson in the classroom. I really like the idea of having the students write their own myth; after all, getting the students interested in the lesson is the biggest challenge, and what better than to get their creative juices flowing? I would also consider Robin’s great project and have the students create a group myth using the animals-on-a-stick.
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I, too, enjoyed how the myths were divided into the different categories of creation, trickster, the female divine, the male divine, and sacred places. It helped to round up any misconceptions about the different stories before they could even arise. Providing the background information for each type of myth and then giving examples of them was a very good technique for learning. I agree, Alex, that the group projects were a nice way to engage everybody in the class and did not provide too much burden and thus unwillingness to learn on anybody in the class.
ReplyDeleteThe part about my original myth being derivative is something that I worry about too. I like how you put that it is just paying respects to the past - lots of laughs!
As for classroom implementation, I also liked Robin's animals on a stick a lot. Hooray for my turtle! It provided a fun alternative to the traditional.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteUnlike you, I have never been too interested in mythology. It is definitely interesting to me, but I had never spent that much time on mythology in a classroom before. I also like that we were assigned to teach one chapter rather than reading every chapter. When I have to explain something to someone else, the information seems to stick with me better. I also felt so pressured to come up with an original myth, but there are so many it was hard to do. I feel like mine is pretty generic and predictable. Oh well! I think I might also use the exercise of having the students create their own myths. It might be fun for high school students! I also liked Robin's idea with the animals on a stick!
I also found it difficult to start writing my myth. This is a different genre than we are used to writing, I think. I agree that the authors’ different categories helped make the information easier to process and categorize. I also think this helped when writing the myths. I was able to choose from one of these categories to find a starting place for my own myth. I also like the idea of having students write their own myth. I definitely think that there would need to be a lot of background support given for this type of writing project though. Most of the students in my class now would need a lot of structure, such as a way to outline their brainstorming. I also liked the animals on sticks ideas. That would also be effective for the study of any other types of literature, especially stories where character is emphasized.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex,
ReplyDeleteha the myths on a stick was such a great idea! I agree that it would be fun to use that project in the future.
Studying myth was extremely interesting for me because I felt like I learned a lot. I honestly had no idea about the various types of myths and the culture attached to them. I think students would also benefit from a lesson in myth.
I can't wait to read what you wrote. I'm sure it will be fun to read!