Lesson Overview:

How can myths help to explain nature and science? Students will explore these themes in this lesson. The students will read and explore several myths, identifying the elements of this literary form. They will then act out a myth in groups. As individuals, they will write a scientific, research-based report and a fantastic story about a physical phenomenon of their choosing, making note of the differences between these two approaches to explaining the world around them.

Length of Lesson:

Four 45-minute periods

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• read for a variety of purposes (for literary experience and to be informed).
• write for a variety of purposes (to express personal ideas and to inform).
• activate prior knowledge and relate it to a reading selection.
• identify special vocabulary and concepts.
• identify a main idea and supporting details.
• read and interpret myths.
• identify structures of literature.
• respond to literature through writing and discussion.
• read for a variety of orientations and purposes, including: reading for literary experience and reading to be informed.
• write for various audiences and address the following purposes: to inform and to express personal ideas.

Supplies:

• "Persephone" and "Zeus" from Explorations in Literature
• "The Origin of the Seasons" from Multicultural Myths and Legends
• "King Midas" from The Book of Virtues

Instructional Plan:

Have students think back to their early childhood and try to remember questions they may have asked adults about the world around them. For example, "What are the stars?" or "What does the sun do at night?" Spend some time discussing the students' personal experiences or their experiences with young children asking such questions.

Explain that, long ago, people also asked these types of questions about the world around them. They developed stories to answer these questions. These ancient stories are called myths and usually involve gods and goddesses. People created myths thousands of years ago to tell how the world and things in it came to be, and to explain how people act or why things exist. Generally, these stories can be classified into two main categories: creation myths and explanatory myths.

Tell students to imagine a time when no one understood why every year the growing season ended and the earth became cold and barren for several months. With no scientific information to explain this phenomenon, how do students think ancient peoples reacted? Might they have seen the winter months as punishment from the gods? Could they have been fearful that perhaps one year the spring and summer would never return? Explain that the myth of "Persephone" provides an explanation of why the seasons change. Read the story to find out what this explanation is.

After reading, have students respond to the following questions, either through discussion or writing:

1. Literal: Why does Hades kidnap Persephone? How does Demeter react to her daughter's disappearance? Why does Zeus send gods and goddesses to plead with Demeter? How does Demeter learn where her daughter is? Why must Persephone return to the underworld each year?
2. Analyzing: Describe Persephone's reaction to her new home. Give three or four examples of the gods and goddesses showing "human" emotions. What yearly occurrence does this myth explain?
3. Extending: Name at least one other aspect of nature that might be explained by the strong emotions of a god or goddess.

Distribute the Vocabulary Handout. Have students review the elements found in the myth. Elicit from them that myths—like other stories—contain the following elements: characters, setting, conflict, plot, and resolution. In addition, myths usually explained some aspect of nature or accounted for some human action. Frequently, myths included a metamorphosis, a change in shape or form. It is one of the elements that make the myth such imaginative reading. This power is frequently found in Greek myths. Arachne was transformed, and spiders were created. Throughout Greek mythology, there is a theme of magical changes of shape.

Read "King Midas" and tell why the metamorphosis that takes place in Midas's body is especially appropriate for his character. Have students go to the library and research collections of myths from around the world. Students should read the myths and identify the elements in them. Also, classify them as either creation myths or explanatory myths. Students should share their findings with the class.

Invite the class to recall and brainstorm some of the "why" questions they asked when they were little children, such as: "Why is the sky blue?" "What makes clouds?" or "What makes goosebumps?" Write students' questions on the chalkboard. Ask partners to choose one of the questions and answer it in two ways: as a teller of myths and as a scientist. Tell them to use their imaginations to write the fantastic explanation. To answer as a scientist, they will have to do research to find the facts that explain the phenomenon, and then write a brief, factual report.

Divide the class into cooperative groups and have each group choose a myth to dramatize for the class. Together, the group can reread the story to determine which scenes they will act out. In addition to deciding who will play the various roles, the group should choose a member to be the narrator and work together on what the narrator might say to begin the story and link the scenes. The group can also appoint students to other roles, such as director, prop or set designer, sound engineer (to provide sound effects and music), and announcer (to introduce the play and the participants).

Assessment:

Students will be evaluated on their written responses and research on myths.

Extensions:

Have students explore some of the interactive creation myths on The Big Myth. Students should consider how the elements of characters, setting, conflict, plot, etc. are brought to life in each story that they watch.

Sources:

Print:

• Bennett, William J. The Book of Virtues. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1993.
• McCarthy, Tara. Multicultural Myths and Legends. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 1999.
• Millet, Nancy, and Raymond Rodrigues. Explorations in Literature. Glenview, IL: Scott Forseman and Company, 1989.

Authors:

• Kathy Cook, Teacher
  Thomas Pullen Arts Magnet School
  Landover, MD