1st Edition

Mythology for Teens Classic Myths in Today's World (Grades 7-12)

By Zachary Hamby Copyright 2009
    190 Pages
    by Prufrock Press

    Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths in Today's World takes classical mythology to a new level by relating ancient stories to the culture, history, art, and literature of today. By looking at topics instrumental to both mythology and modern culture, teens are encouraged to question topics such as the repercussions of war, vanity and greed, the workings of fate, the nature of love, the roles of women in society, revenge and forgiveness, the meaning of life, and national identity.

    The majority of high school humanities and Advanced Placement courses teach classical mythology by simply retelling myths. By using teen-friendly reader's theater scripts to tell the legends, in combination with activities, discussion questions, and exercises that help students apply what they've learned to real life, Mythology for Teens takes the classic myths taught in school and turns them into an engaging, interesting, and fresh way of looking at old material.

    Grades 7-12

    Preface Acknowledgments Teacher’s Guide Introduction Why Study Mythology? Chapter 1 The Hero Chapter 2 Battle of the Sexes: Women in Mythology Chapter 3 A Twist of Fate Chapter 4 Beauty: The Eye of the Beholder Chapter 5 War: The Iliad and the Trojan War Chapter 6 National Identity: The Aeneid Conclusion The Trojan War Find-It Answer Key Pronunciation Index References About the Author Common Core State Standards Alignment

    Biography

    For the past several years, Zachary Hamby has been teaching mythology to high school students through the use of reader's theater plays. When he first began teaching his mythology course, he was discouraged by student reaction. Zachary felt the subject matter could be made much more interesting. After developing a series of plays covering the same material, Zachary has found that even secondary students enjoy reading aloud, role-playing, and learning together. He is also a consultant for the National Writing Project and has presented his reader's theater approach at multiple academic conferences. He currently lives and teaches in the Ozarks.

    Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths in Today's World by Zachary Hamby takes dusty, classic myths and turns them into engaging reading for students at the middle school or high school level . . . Each chapter has discussion questions to go along with the reading, writing prompts, drawing prompts and even suggested movies to watch. In addition to the plays for reader's theater, there is a wealth of knowledge about the myths arranged in boxes and short readings . . . Try Mythology for Teens to create engaging and applicable mythology lessons for students. Hamby "gets" teenagers and how they comprehend literature. The book is a worthwhile investment that will not collect dust on the shelves.,Kellie Hayden,Bright Hub, 12/28/09