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Look in the Mythic Mirror

10-Week Middle School Curriculum Unit

This is a 10-week curriculum unit for grades 6-8, integrating concepts, materials and content from language arts, music and visual arts. This unit and its lesson plans were developed using the national standards in English/Language Arts, Music and Visual Arts stated below. In many states, the national standards have served as a basis for state-adopted standards in these subject areas, and provide a relevant perspective for all teachers using this unit in their classrooms.

After the presentation of preparatory materials, students and teachers can approach the lessons from any viewpoint – art, then music, then content or idea; content, then music, then art; music then art, then content, etc. Students are expected to search the Internet to find art and music materials for their presentations, as well as to use the Internet as a communications tool in the sharing of information with other classes.

The framework provided for this unit is based on the following overarching statement: "The arts are a cohesive force reflecting and shaping culture." This unit can be adapted by a group of teachers (or a teacher) for almost any content subject, using this overarching statement, as well as the additional examples of activities and discussions we have provided.

We chose to provide a set of specific instructional plans relative to the study of myths (often a content area in middle school grades across the country). All the sample lessons and examples are based on a study of myths and artworks inspired by those myths. Musical examples are chosen by mythic reference as designated by the composer or like film or stage scores, reflecting the mood and attitude of the lesson content.

• computer equipment able to receive Internet-delivered materials, including graphics, video and audio
• projection system (ideal)
• overhead projector and overhead sheets
• prints and/or slides of artwork
• slide projector
• teaching packets from the National Gallery of Art - NGA
• books
• software: Drawing or Paint program available to all classes and/or scanner with appropriate software
• access to interactive bulletin board or email account for communications with two other classes
• CDs or tapes and player for either
• Other: Internet access, access to local art museums

• Mythology texts or excerpts/at least one per student
• Variety of books on myths, folktales and fairy tales
• Prints of related artwork-available from the National Gallery of Art (NGA) Teaching Packets and via the Internet
• Slides of related art work included in NGA teaching packets/one per class
• Poems related to myths
• Characters from mythology-descriptions and derivations/one per student
• List of URLs of Web sites students may use in research
• Mythology Classroom Resources compiled by the NGA/one per class

The instructional objectives for this unit have been broken down into four essential questions, all of which are to be posted in the classroom. These questions (and the standards) serve as the basis for the assessment that takes place throughout and at the end of the unit.

Subordinate objectives and assessments relative to each unit lesson are included within the text of each lesson. In addition, the Instructional Plan provided within the text of each lesson includes both instructions for the teacher and activities to be completed by students. These are set off within the text as "Activities - Students."

The following essential questions have served as advance organizers for this unit, and serve as the controlling device for the development and flow of the unit, lesson by lesson. They are woven throughout, the unit, and will be able to be answered by all students at the end of the unit:

1. What is a myth?
2. How do myths help us understand ourselves and others?
3. How are myths reflected in culture?
4. How do the Arts mirror and sustain the lessons of myths?

Arts:
Source: The National Standards for Arts Education, Consortium of National Arts Education Associations

• Music Content Standard #8: Understands relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
• Music Achievement Standard #8: Compares in two or more arts how the characteristic materials of each art can be used to transform similar events, scenes, emotions, or ideas into works of art.
• Visual Arts Content Standard #6: Makes connections between visual arts and other disciplines.
• Visual Arts Achievement Standard #6: Compares the characteristics of works in two or more art forms that share similar subject matter, historical periods, or cultural context.

Language Arts:
Source: IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts

• Standard #3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.
• Standard #5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
• Standard #8: Students use a variety of technological and informational resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• Standard #9: Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
• Standard #12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.

STATE STANDARDS:

Virginia's Language Arts Standards:

• Writing Standard #6.8.2: Uses writing as a tool for learning in all subjects.
• Reading Standard #7.5.3: Reads a variety of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry and is able to describe connections between historical and cultural influences and literary selections.
• Reading Standard #8.3.2: Applies knowledge of the characteristics and elements of various literary forms, including short stories, essays, speeches, lyric and narrative poems, plays, and novels. Describes inferred main ideas or themes.
• Reading Standard #8.3.5: Applies knowledge of the characteristics and elements of various literary forms, including short stories, essays, speeches, lyric and narrative poems, plays, and novels. Compares and contrasts the use of the poetic elements of word choice, dialogue, rhyme, rhythm, and voice.

1. The writers of this curriculum unit strongly suggest that teachers sit down and negotiate how they will work within this framework to make it relevant to their classrooms, their students, and their schools. Professional development is thus a key part in the integration of this framework.
2. Teachers can best prepare for the content used in this unit by integrating the resources of the National Gallery of Art (see resources).
3. Access to and/or collaboration with an art and music teacher would be beneficial, if not crucial, to the success of this unit.
4. Teachers may wish to review mythology using the Internet links provided within this unit (see resources).
5. Teachers should identify partner classrooms early in the unit, if not before it begins. The three teachers who will be involved in guiding their classes through online collaboration should have a thorough knowledge of email. Early communications with an organization such as ARTSEDGE at the Kennedy Center may facilitate the online communications process between classes, as this organization may serve as online facilitator for the classes' project.

In general, numerous strategies must be used to ensure that all students meet the objectives of this unit. These should be tailored both to the class and the individual student. The following tactics are ones that are useful, if not essential to the class.

1. The tasks (especially for writing projects) need to be broken down into manageable chunks.
2. The expectations of the teacher must be made clear. (The Essential Questions will aid in this strategy.) Teachers from collaborating classes must coordinate expectations for the unit.
3. A scoring guide should be attached to the assignments, and in some cases, generated by the students themselves. (See text of individual lessons for reference to scoring guides)
4. The scoring guides must be clear to the students.
5. Peer teaching should take place. Students should be given opportunities to share their work with peers and get meaningful feedback.
6. Students need ample modeling of skills and assignments.
7. The atmosphere should be supportive yet critical.
8. Students should not be afraid to express their opinions or make a "mistake."
9. Students should be familiar with and understand the lesson objectives.
10. Each student should be given free choice in regards to the interpretation of the art form, though the choices must be justified.
11. Each student should be listened to and his/her interpretation, as long as it is well justified, should be respected.

More specifically, prior knowledge of mythology, music, artwork, or poetry is not essential to this unit. However, a background in any of the above would be helpful.

Since students will be writing in journals throughout the unit, and since not all students may have had this experience, it will be helpful if the teacher provides an overview about journal-writing. What is expected? When will they be collected? What type of notebook should be used? Each teacher will want to set his/her own parameters for the journals, so that even the teacher maintains them as an important aspect of the reflections students provide throughout the lessons.

This unit utilizes authentic assessment methods, including: students' individual journals, writings, and art assignments; cooperative groups' collaborative research, writing, and presentation; and collaborative online teams' research, presentation development, and online publication. For more detail, see the text of each lesson.

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