Myths and Fables
In reflection of my own experience with Myths and Fables- the words have always been in my mind the bottom end of fiction. I think it’s the label. Myth and Fables have always seemed to me stories set aside very far from reality. But wherever I got that definition, in reading Beach, I realized I was mistaken. Myths and Fables are rich in relation to life- especially in understanding historical context. Myths and Fables really do set up basic elements of stories, they give us the archetypal characters and themes. More importantly, they are often short and very direct making them an easy classroom reading activity to teach. I think just doing this simple reading has made me appreciate what I once thought was silly.
P.S. My Disney Cartoon Archetype is Prince Charming.
My Teaching Idea: Using Tomie dePaola's Retelling of "The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush"
Grade: 10th
Read the book together.
Discuss the common mythic storyline in which a mission is assigned by a greater being to test a character.
Many of these missions explain something in the world. The images in the book enrich us in the culture of the native americans.
Many myths and fables are public domain that can be downloaded for free. Group students together and have each group read a different fable. Students can then create a dramatic retelling of the story (i.e. readers theater or performance), a children's book, a movie script, or comic book/graphic novel. This project would take a few days, but would allow students to explore their talents - and each day you could read a new fable with the students and talk about an Archetype.
Interesting. I suppose because I am somewhat of a fan of Joseph Campbell's work on the Hero's Journey, I have enjoyed myth and fable as a way to look at common threads that show up in our human experience. As a child I grew up with the Finnish Kalevala and realized later on that these tales are deeply embedded within our consciousness. I hace often wondered if archetypes are part of our brain imprinting from the spirit world as all cultures seem to share these ideas?
ReplyDeletePrince Charming. Sweet. :)
Good lesson idea. In 11th grade Utah students study the Edith Hamilton edition of "Mythology." There are still so many cultural allusions to these stories that I think that they deserve our attention. :)