Output for homemade Mythology class in 8th?

[travelgirlut]

I'm putting together a Mythology course for my daughter for this next school year when she'll be in 8th.  I've got a fair number of resources--books, videos, activities, etc.--but I'm clueless about what kind of output to expect from her.  I'm worried I'm either going to do too little or too much, and I'd really like to use this course to get her ready for beginning high school work.

 

So far I'm thinking about requiring her to create 2 pages a week for a binder, one page on a historical topic and one on whatever myth we're working on.  I'd like to have some writing assignments, but she will be taking a writing class though Write at Home, so I don't want to overwhelm her as she is a VERY reluctant writer.  Maybe some sort of quarterly project?  I'd love ideas for other kinds of output that are still grade-level appropriate. Thanks for any help you can give!

 

TL;DR - What quantity and types of output should be expected from my daughter for a history course in 8th grade?

 

[EKS]

You could have her create her own mythology or write her own myth using the existing gods/goddesses.  Or she could make up new god/goddess and insert them into an existing myth.

 

You could also have her write a paper where she compares several different mythologies or, on a smaller scale, particular gods from different mythologies.  

[AggieMama]

You could try having her make trading cards of mythological creatures, create games, make videos acting out the stories, write her own mythological story, make a webpage, blog, interactive notebook, brochures, create a video game, write an informative book with illustrations, or many other things.

[travelgirlut]

Those are all good ideas!  Thank you!

 

So how often she should be doing these types of things?   Right now we have about 9 units planned, so would some sort of larger project per unit be a good amount?  That works out to about one per month.

 

I feel like this should be easy to figure out, but my brain is just not working!  Thanks for your help!!!

[ScoutTN]

She could study for and take the National Mythology Exam! My dd loves this.

 

I think an 8th grader would take the basic section (Greek mythology generally), the theme section ( one story each year), and a literature section of her choice (Norse, Native American, Illiad, Odyssey, Aeneid). The test is not long or crazy hard, but it is quite thorough and specific. Multiple choice, no answers to write out. There are excellent study guides available for download when you register. They give medals!

[travelgirlut]

She could study for and take the National Mythology Exam!

 

We definitely have this on our list to do!  I'm really excited about it!

[Chelli]

I'm doing a mythology course for upcoming 8th grader as well!

 

I've got the first semester totally planned and an in-depth outline for the second semester.

 

Some of her projects/assignments: create a version of Clue based on Greek mythology, a paper taking a modern comic book hero and how it was influenced by Greek mythology (she's watching the Stan Lee videos about this), a paper comparing/contrasting the tale of Cupid/Psyche with Beauty and the Beast (she's also doing a fairy tale class this coming year so this is a crossover assignment), design a Barbie doll (clothing, symbols, etc.) to be one of the female figures from Greek mythology, write a fictional story that follows the Hero's Journey outline (this is after studying the Odyssey), and a mythology scavenger hunt with her camera phone where I give her a list of various gods/goddesses from around the world and she has to snap a picture of something that would represent that god.

[Farrar]

I think the output depends on what you're picturing. Two polished pieces per week is too much for an 8th grader, IMHO. It's really too much for anyone. Two unpolished pieces of writing per week isn't at all. In terms of the historical topic each week - a page of written narration/summary of writing you've chosen for her and that she's read wouldn't be a lot... but having to do a great deal of independent research and then write a paper each week would be a lot.

 

Seconding all the above ideas. I think a mix of creative assignments (retell this myth in the modern day, write this myth as a Twitter conversation, write the myth from the villain's point of view, write your own myth, etc.) and more formal assignments (compare and contrast these things, what is the most important character in this, who is the real hero of that, summarize this, etc.) is good.

 

Last year for 7th grade, ds did fairy and folk tales for one semester. He did about two pieces of writing for it per week, but they were all rough drafts, so to speak. At the end of the semester, I had him pick two things to type up, revise, and then edit. That was the final project.

[travelgirlut]

Two polished pieces per week is too much for an 8th grader, IMHO. It's really too much for anyone. Two unpolished pieces of writing per week isn't at all. 

 

The two pages a week aren't polished writing assignments.  They are meant to be more creative things, like a map of the region she's studying, a drawing of a god, a brief outline of a major historical figure, an illustration of a myth--that kind of thing. Sorry I wasn't more clear about that.  I'm trying to steer clear of lots of writing because she really hates it and already has another class for writing.

[travelgirlut]

Thank you all for your ideas and help.  I think I'm getting a grasp on what I want this to look like.  Between your ideas above and putting my Google-fu to work, I think I have a pretty good list of fun activities/assignments to give.  My plan at this point is to have one bigger project/activity per unit, with shorter assignments (worksheets, mapping, summaries, etc.) along the way.  Now I just need to organize and plan it all!!  I've never created curriculum before, always just bought stuff, so this is new territory for me!  Thanks again for all your help!