About The Mythology Package:

(grades 6-8 - Introduction, 5 complete stories with quizzes, Test, Project Idea, Free movie link)

Overview: Students everywhere - especially middle school students -- have rediscovered the magic and wonder of Greek and Roman mythology. In addition, teachers and parents have realized anew that a familiarity with Greek and Roman myths helps students on standardized tests because they understand allusions and metaphors that so often rely on mythological references. A knowledge of mythology also helps students write richer and more interesting compositions. Finally, these stories are just a lot of fun, and Greek/roman myths are wildly popular with most students.

However, it is important to give students a basic background first, and it is also important to know the most important and widely quoted myths first.

This unit does exactly that.

Included:

• An introduction to Greek and Roman mythology. Complete with illustrations and a map of the Roman empire, this resource explains why we still study Greek and Roman myths and how this rich knowledge can help students;

• A list of the 14 major gods and goddesses, with Greek and Roman names and powers;

• The complete story of Demeter and Persephone (Origin of the Seasons), with a quiz and key.

• The complete story of Arachne, with a quiz and key

• The complete story of Perseus and Medusa, with a quiz and key;

• The complete story of Icarus and Daedalus, with a quiz and key;

• The complete story of The Horse and the Olive Tree (the naming of Athens), with a quiz and key;

• A comprehensive TEST with 34 questions (matching, multiple-choice, and short answer) over these stories and the major gods and goddesses, complete with key;

• An introduction to the iconic cult-favorite movie Jason and the Argonauts, introducing all the major characters

• A link to a free showing of the two-hour movie Jason and the Argonauts;

• A quiz over Jason and the Argonauts, complete with answer key.

• Directions for a Mythology Research/Essay project, with two sample essays.

ADD

Baucis & Phil

Cupid & psyche

Age Level and Length: We recommend this unit for grades 6 and up.  The length and vocabulary level of the stories varies, but most of them are short-story length and can be read in less than 25 minutes.  The short quizzes after each story take 10 minutes or less; the major test on the unit takes 30 minutes or less.  The movie Jason and the Argonauts runs about an hour and 40 minutes (we do recommend reading the introduction to this movie before watching it.)  Usually this whole unit takes at least a couple of weeks, or about 10 lessons. 

Maturity and Political Issues:  Greek myths do contain violent episodes – for example in “Perseus and Medusa”, Perseus cuts off the monster Medusa’s head. There are also instances of gods falling in love with mortal women – for example, in “The Origin of the Seasons”, Hades falls in love with Persephone, takes her by force to his kingdom, and makes her his bride.  There is never any graphic description of sexual activity, but the assumption is definitely there.  In our experience, this is not an issue with middle school kids; they understand that much of the behavior in these long-ago myths would definitely not be acceptable today.

Additional Considerations:  It is important for students to have a basic knowledge of classical (Greek/Roman) mythology before getting to high school if they are on a college-readiness path.  We strongly recommend reading the introduction and the list of gods and goddesses first.  There are many more Greek myths, but we have chosen some of the most common and well-known ones.