Teaching mythology is SO much fun, but it can come with a few challenges, and it's possible you've avoided adding a mythology unit to your lesson plans as a result. If you want to teach a mythology unit but you're struggling with any of the following, you've come to the right place.
Three common challenges teachers face when teaching mythology are:
1. Parent concerns.
2. Trying to teach the myths while avoiding potentially controversial plot issues. 3. Struggling to find age-appropriate activities and visuals for secondary students.
Let's tackle the toughest topic first.
Parent Concerns
Every once in a while, a parent expresses concern about mythology. When this happens, it's important to ask parents questions and understand why they may be concerned about your mythology unit. However, the concerns usually center around one of the following: religion or maturity level.
Both are valid.
The good news is, if you're teaching a mythology unit, you've already carefully chosen age-appropriate material for your lessons, and you can share that fact with concerned parents in person or in an email, as well as your sources, to put their minds at ease.
Sometimes parents just need reassurance that you have their child's best interest at heart and to hear that you have prepared a super fun, age-appropriate unit that isn't in any way religiously motivated. (Some parents may feel that by teaching mythology, you're teaching their children a religion and origin story that contradicts their family's faith.) If you are transparent and share your intentions and well-selected material freely, everything will be ok.
There are two options for handling concerns centered around maturity, religion, or both, and they involve having the right go-to resource on hand.
The first option is to send out a letter sharing information about your mythology unit before starting the unit.
The second option is to have a letter handy if concern is expressed and to adapt the information in it into a response if a concern arises. If you want to craft a letter but are unsure where to begin, feel free to use the one I've written below!
Dear Parents,
We'll be starting our mythology unit soon, and I thought it would be helpful to share a little bit about the unit with you before we begin.
Teachers are often asked why we continue to teach Greek/Roman Mythology in school. The reason is simple - we love teaching mythology because it is high-interest material with great potential for unleashing creativity and sparking meaningful conversation.
The Greek and Roman myths are the result of the ancient Greeks and Romans trying to explain the natural world around them in the absence of scientific explanation. The Greeks and Romans also used myths to teach valuable lessons to their children. While true belief in the Ancient Greek and Roman myths no longer exists, the lessons that are found in the myths are still valuable to us today. For example, the story of Athena and Arachne was used to teach children not to be boastful and prideful. We also see references to ancient myths frequently without always realizing it, and teaching the myths helps students recognize these references in their daily lives.
Here are a few examples:
The Nike clothing brand - Nike was the Greek goddess of victory.
The Internet radio company Pandora - In Greek mythology, Pandora received the gift of music from the gods, including many others.
The U.S. military has included figures from mythology on some uniform patches over the years, and the Air Force named an aircraft after Pegasus.
I'll explain to our class our reasons for studying the ancient myths on the first day of our mythology unit, just as I have shared them with you. I'm looking forward to introducing your students to the super fun world of mythology! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Now that you've got your letter handy, let's talk about those pesky, potentially controversial plot issues.
Plot Issues
Was Zeus a womanizer?
Absolutely.
Was he married to his sister?
Yeah.
Did he cheat?
Yup. A lot!
So how do you teach myths in sixth grade, for example, without causing an absolute uproar the second Zeus comes into play?
You get out ahead of that stuff beforehand in a lighthearted way. Explain to your students right off the bat that mythology is part religion, part explanation for the world in the absence of scientific explanation, and part moral lessons for children. Start with that solid foundation.
Throw a family tree of the gods and goddesses up on the board on day one. Whether you draw it or find a simple graphic, it doesn't matter. Just give them a visual, point out the issue, and make a joke out of it, like this. "I know what you're thinking right about now. Zeus and Hera are brother and sister in this family tree but ... also married? Yeah! But you've got to take it all with a grain of salt, right? They aren't real people and the myths also say that Cronus swallowed his children. Now, can a human actually swallow other human beings whole?! No way! It's safe to say that we can put this all in the category of not true, but we can get lessons out of the myths these characters are included in. So, let's look at the story of Cronus ..."
If you're reading an age-appropriate myth that involves Zeus's child with a woman who isn't Hera, you just say something like, "Now Zeus, he liked the ladies and wasn't very loyal. It's true, I won't deny it! Remember, the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses had flaws just like humans do, and they used Zeus's disloyalty to help teach valuable lessons."
When you run into a plot issue like those involving Zeus's questionable actions, simply get ahead of the issue and remind students that the myths have a purpose and are often meant to teach valuable lessons. After all, Zeus, and those around him, often paid for his infidelity. Now on to finding the right material.
Finding Age-Appropriate Material
If you are teaching middle school, in particular, finding age-appropriate stories is fairly easy, but finding age-appropriate mythology activities and visuals can be a challenge. What I mean by "age-appropriate" in this case is finding activities and visuals that appeal to secondary students. There are lots of mythology resources out there that come with activities and visuals that are meant for small children and include little kid clip art that secondary students want absolutely nothing to do with. When it comes to projects, activities, and posters, secondary teachers often struggle to find materials for secondary students.
That's why I've created these mythology resources that will appeal to the secondary students in your classroom! Click the photos below to check them out!
You can check out my full collection of mythology resources by clicking here!
I hope that these resources help you as you plan and teach mythology in your classroom, and I hope you have the absolute best time!
Until next time! Lauren
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