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How Do I Create Mythology Lesson Plans?
If you want to create mythology lesson plans, you should typically begin by considering what you want to accomplish with each lesson and use that as your guiding concept throughout the lesson. A lesson plan that introduces the idea of mythology can include different types of myths and mythologies and an explanation of how different cultures have created various myths. You can also make mythology lesson plans specifically for certain cultures or specific stories, especially longer works like The Odyssey. There may be opportunities for you to incorporate vocabulary or other lessons into your mythology lessons.
One of the first things you should do when creating mythology lesson plans is consider any requirements or standards you may need to meet for your lessons. If you are teaching a larger unit on mythology, then you should consider creating an overview for the entire unit so your various lessons all work together to create a cohesive unit. You should typically begin your mythology lesson plans with an introductory lesson that helps your students understand what myths are and some common ideas they are likely to encounter in different myths. This can also be a great time to introduce names and terms in mythology that continue to be used today in company brand names, music, and other areas.
You might also consider creating mythology lesson plans directed toward a particular myth or culture. If you plan on covering a complicated or lengthy myth, such as the Trojan War or Homer’s The Odyssey, then you might require one or more lesson plans just for that one story. You should also consider mythology lesson plans that cover a wide range of mythological systems. One plan might focus on Greek and Roman mythology, while another can cover Egyptian myths, another on the legends of Norse mythology, and another on Native American myths and stories.
As you are creating your mythology lesson plans, you should also keep in mind any opportunities you may have to reference other lessons or activities you have done with your class. You can teach a lesson on the Greek myth of Perseus, which includes Medusa and other mythical figures. Later in the semester, you might then be able to more easily teach about allusions in poetry by including a poem that makes reference to Medusa or Greek gods. When creating introductory mythology lesson plans, you should keep in mind any new or unusual vocabulary in the lesson, such as “hubris” or “polytheism,” and ensure your students understand these words and ideas as you are teaching the myths themselves.
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![The Greek myth of Perseus features Medusa.]()
By: Konovalov PavelThe Greek myth of Perseus features Medusa. -
![A mythology lesson plan might include an extended session on Homer's "The Odyssey".]()
By: JuulijsA mythology lesson plan might include an extended session on Homer's "The Odyssey".
Discussion Comments
Personally, in making a mythology unit I feel like it should be adapted to the class and the teacher needs to use their best judgment to see if the students are capable or even willing to go through with the discussions with the themes.
If the students do not seem to be able to grasp these parts of the unit I feel like it is probably better to get the students to read more of the myth stories as opposed to focus so much on the themes as with more reading they will eventually notice the similarities and themes themselves.
I am sure that there are example lesson plans available on the internet that are easily adaptable to different classroom situations and if anyone knows of any sites that may provide these it would be very beneficial.
@stl156 - That is a good idea and one thing I would suggest in supplementing the unit on mythology is to focus on more than just Greek mythology and look at the various types contrasting the different styles, characters, and differences in the themes of the stories.
I remember this is what my teacher in high school did and I was very interested in Norse mythology as opposed to Greek mythology simply because I had never been taught about Norse mythology before and I found the differences to be really neat to look at.
Personally I think there needs to be a lot of emphasis placed on the characters themselves and this is what interests the kids much more than the themes or similarities and differences in stories.
If one is looking to write a lesson focusing on less reading stories as opposed to discussion on mythology itself I would choose to go this route.
@JimmyT - I will say that I know someone that once got in trouble during a mythology unit due to the content of one of the stories and I found it to be incredibly ridiculous. However, unfortunately these are things to consider during making a mythology unit and I would focus more on the classic stories such as Homer's Odyssey or Jason and the Argonauts.
Personally I feel like parents are too sensitive when it comes to these types of stories and people really need to get a grip and understand that these stories are the classics that most modern stories are based off of.
I would have to say that as bad as it may sound to limit the number of stories and focus more on the themes of the stories as opposed to the number of stories read.
Doing this will limit the chances for parents to complain about the content as well as keep the students engaged in the lesson and understand what to look for in stories besides just the content of the story.
First of all one has to make sure that as a teacher they abide by the state standards as well as the policies set by the school concerning such a unit.
This in itself can be a very hard thing to do as the standards and school policies sometimes tend to inhibit the progress and teaching of the lessons appropriately.
Another thing that could cause a lot of trouble is the content of the stories themselves as the stories may possibly need to be censored a little bit or even ignored entirely for another story so not to get into hot water with the students parents about the content of the unit that is beign taught to their child.
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