1999 Curriculum

"Myths and Their Transformations"

Seminar Leader: Julia Reinhard Lupton, Associate Professor, English and Comparative Literature

Introduction to the Curriculum Units

In the course of this seminar, Institute fellows read stories from several mythological traditions, with special emphasis on the Greco-Roman tradition on the one hand, which formed a conceptual gateway to the problem of mythology, and on stories from the Pacific Rim on the other, which can help us link our schools and communities to neighboring nations and traditions. We gave special attention to the original sources and contexts for two recent Disney films that represent these two strands: Hercules and Mu Lan.

The goals of the seminar were:

to refine basic strategies for the analysis of narrative

to encourage cross-cultural and trans-historical comparison

to stimulate critical awareness of sources and variants

We took a "case-book" rather than a survey approach so that we could look at competing versions of the same story, including modern versions. Most seminar meetings included discussion of visual artefacts, since paintings, ritual objects, and architecture (as well as modern cartoons and comic books) can enrich our sense of the content, context, and function of myths as well as illuminate the reinterpretation of stories over time. Fellows had a chance to compare modern versions of myths to original sources and documents: what is changed in versions designed for a younger audience, and why? how might awareness of these changes, and of the larger worlds behind the stories we teach, change our teaching tools, practices, or objectives?

The following curriculum units come at these questions from a wide range of grade levels and subject areas. The first four units are on Hercules, the most well-known and beloved of Greek heroes. Elizabeth Brennan's unit, designed for her own first-graders and for students in lower elementary school, provides developed lesson plans that use Hercules to introduce students to the culture and geography of ancient Greece. Margaret Abend's unit targets her third-grade classroom and is appropriate for lower or upper elementary school. Her unit emphasizes ways of using Hercules to differentiate the curriculum for students in the GATE program. Everlena Oliver's unit is for ninth-graders, including those with learning disabilities; she provides lesson plans that treat the readers of the myth as young adults, while still taking into account limitations in their reading abilities. So too, Arthur Espinosa's unit, for ninth-graders who are learning English, combines intellectual substance with techniques for working with students with limited English skills.

The next two units are on the Meso-American tradition. Regina Parga's unit on Meso-American creation myths presents a content-rich program of study for English or Social Studies teachers at the intermediate level, though her unit is engaging and challenging enough in its content and questions to be adapted for high school use as well. Mark Bartholio's unit on Anaya's novella, La Llorona, is both a critical introduction to this piece of modern Mexican-American literature and a more general account of some of the major figures and tensions in Aztec mythology. Teachers approaching the mythology of ancient Mexico for the first time will find both of these units extremely useful, from their narrative expositions to their detailed lesson plans, glossaries, and lengthy bibliographies.

Jeanne Lund's unit on Cinderella stories takes a popular fairy tale and places it in the global context of folklore. Showing how different types of the story appear throughout the world, Lund's unit uses this favorite story to introduce students to the comparative study of narrative. Although aimed at her own intermediate school students, the lively, accessible material and stimulating lesson plans could be adapted either downwards for elementary or upwards for high school students.

Finally, art teacher Penelope (Smith-Ginter) Venola's unit on story-quilts should be of interest to any teacher wanting to combine visual and verbal materials in a challenging creative project. Using artist and writer Faith Ringgold's classic children's book, Tar Beach, as a model, the unit shows how students can make their own personal myths into the subject of original works of creative visual/verbal art. Although aimed at intermediate school students, this unit could be adapted to any grade level.

"Myths and Their Transformations"

	Seminar Leader: Julia Reinhard Lupton, Associate Professor, English and Comparative Literature

	Introduction to the Curriculum Units In the course of this seminar, Institute fellows read stories from several mythological traditions, with special emphasis on the Greco-Roman tradition on the one hand, which formed a conceptual gateway to the problem of mythology, and on stories from the Pacific Rim on the other, which can help us link our schools and communities to neighboring nations and traditions. We gave special attention to the original sources and contexts for two recent Disney films that represent these two strands: Hercules and Mu Lan. The goals of the seminar were: to refine basic strategies for the analysis of narrative to encourage cross-cultural and trans-historical comparison to stimulate critical awareness of sources and variants We took a "case-book" rather than a survey approach so that we could look at competing versions of the same story, including modern versions. Most seminar meetings included discussion of visual artefacts, since paintings, ritual objects, and architecture (as well as modern cartoons and comic books) can enrich our sense of the content, context, and function of myths as well as illuminate the reinterpretation of stories over time. Fellows had a chance to compare modern versions of myths to original sources and documents: what is changed in versions designed for a younger audience, and why? how might awareness of these changes, and of the larger worlds behind the stories we teach, change our teaching tools, practices, or objectives? The following curriculum units come at these questions from a wide range of grade levels and subject areas. The first four units are on Hercules, the most well-known and beloved of Greek heroes. Elizabeth Brennan's unit, designed for her own first-graders and for students in lower elementary school, provides developed lesson plans that use Hercules to introduce students to the culture and geography of ancient Greece. Margaret Abend's unit targets her third-grade classroom and is appropriate for lower or upper elementary school. Her unit emphasizes ways of using Hercules to differentiate the curriculum for students in the GATE program. Everlena Oliver's unit is for ninth-graders, including those with learning disabilities; she provides lesson plans that treat the readers of the myth as young adults, while still taking into account limitations in their reading abilities. So too, Arthur Espinosa's unit, for ninth-graders who are learning English, combines intellectual substance with techniques for working with students with limited English skills. The next two units are on the Meso-American tradition. Regina Parga's unit on Meso-American creation myths presents a content-rich program of study for English or Social Studies teachers at the intermediate level, though her unit is engaging and challenging enough in its content and questions to be adapted for high school use as well. Mark Bartholio's unit on Anaya's novella, La Llorona, is both a critical introduction to this piece of modern Mexican-American literature and a more general account of some of the major figures and tensions in Aztec mythology. Teachers approaching the mythology of ancient Mexico for the first time will find both of these units extremely useful, from their narrative expositions to their detailed lesson plans, glossaries, and lengthy bibliographies. Jeanne Lund's unit on Cinderella stories takes a popular fairy tale and places it in the global context of folklore. Showing how different types of the story appear throughout the world, Lund's unit uses this favorite story to introduce students to the comparative study of narrative. Although aimed at her own intermediate school students, the lively, accessible material and stimulating lesson plans could be adapted either downwards for elementary or upwards for high school students. Finally, art teacher Penelope (Smith-Ginter) Venola's unit on story-quilts should be of interest to any teacher wanting to combine visual and verbal materials in a challenging creative project. Using artist and writer Faith Ringgold's classic children's book, Tar Beach, as a model, the unit shows how students can make their own personal myths into the subject of original works of creative visual/verbal art. Although aimed at intermediate school students, this unit could be adapted to any grade level.