Prehistory/evolution/creation myths

[Melissa B]

Now that we are solidly underway this year, I want to start planning the next year. I am planning to do a year long study of prehistory, evolution and creation myths. Can anyone suggest some non-fiction spines along this line?

 

I am looking for something fairly current and something that supports evolution. I would like something at the logic level or above. I am also looking for good sources for creation myths above the grammar level.

We will be doing this class once, possibly twice per week. So some depth, but nothing that can't be covered in 40-60 lessons.

 

Thanks!

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I can't really help. I did try to do something similar when my kids were very young - so not at the logic stage. I never did find a spine . I remember studying some African myth from the back of a music CD cover!

[Karen in CO]

creation myths

Laura Hamilton has a wonderful book called In the Beginning or something like that. It has creation myths from all over but is a little skimpy on South America. It has explanatory text after each story that you could use for to add depth for the older students.

 

evolution

Jennifer Morgan has a series of books that I am working my way through with my kids. The first one is Born with a Bang.

 

for younger kids, I like Life Story by Virginia Lee Burton. It is simplified but is a good starting point.

 

Prehistory - we watch a lot of Discovery channel. I don't have any great books on that.

 

This year I am working my way through mythology and folk tales with my kids instead of just covering one topic. We will read picture books and anthologies on Celtic, Jataka, Norse, and Indian mythological and folk tales. Last year we read mostly Greek and Roman mythology and the year before we read creation stories.

[sagira]

Some sources that may be able to help you:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-What-Fossils-Say-Matters/dp/0231139624/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217814592&sr=1-1

 

The book Science, Evolution and Creationism by the National Academy of Sciences:

 

http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11876&page=R1

 

An excellent video resource:

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/

 

Sounds like an interesting year :)

[Jenny in Atl]

 

Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World is also a good one but may be more on the logic level than grammar. I have some great grammar level evolution bks (a series). The first one is called Born With a Bang. Not sure you could use these too, but thought I would mention them anyway.

[Melissa B]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have added In the Beginning to my wishlist. Unfortunately, Born with a Bang looks like it will be too young. (I really like Life Story as well.)

 

We are in the middle of a two year tour through mythology as well. Our focus this year is Norse mythology, but we are also doing a basic sweep of world mythology. We are currently finishing up Greek and Roman mythology and Old Testament stories from last year.

I was going to focus only on Norse myths this year, but we have a set of four books by McCaughrean on myths and legends of the world that I really wanted to read (The Golden Hoard, The Silver Treasure, The Bronze Cauldron and the The Crystal Pool.) Then the kids decided they want to read a couple of other books, so we are doing world myths alongside our focus on Norse mythology.

[Melissa B]

Sagira -

 

Thanks to the links for evolution. Science, Evolution and Creationism looks like it would be a good fit. I am definitely going to check out the PBS videos as well.

 

 

 

Jenny -

 

I think Primal Myths will be exactly what I was looking for.

 

 

 

Thanks everyone, for the great suggestions so far!

[Matryoshka]

You might enjoy the book "The Origins of Life" by Roy Gallant - it's part of the Story of Science series (not to be confused with Joy Hakim's by the same name) - they're written at a middle school level, I'd say (isn't that the logic level?). This particular book examines how humankind has thought about the beginnings of life through history. The chapters are

 

In the Beginning / Myths as Answers

How the Greeks Discovered Nature

Spontaneous Generation

Earth in Its Youth

From the Seafloor to the Stars

 

(the last two chapters deal with evolution, and also throw out some of the ideas modern science has thrown out there as to where the original biochemical structures may have come from). This is definitely written from a scientific, not religious perspective.

 

The whole series is structured this way, covering different scientific topics. You might find some of the other titles useful as well (they have ones called Early Humans, and The Tales Fossils Tell, among others). I think the series is out of print, but I found the books quite easily through the library.

[woolybear]

We just got a book out of the library called The Illustrated Book of Myths- Tales and Legends of the World. It is by Neil Phlip. I'm not sure what age level it would be for, but I don't think it would be too young. It covers a lot. The different sections are: Creation Myths, Beginnings, Fertility and Cultivation, Gods and People, Gods and Animals, Visions of the End, Gods and Pantheons. I liked that in the creation section it really covered quite a bit of the world. There are stories from Serbia, China, Japan, Australia, Iran, Siberia, Native American, Norse, and Sumeria. So far,I have found it to be well written.

[KarenNC]

We are in the middle of a two year tour through mythology as well. Our focus this year is Norse mythology, but we are also doing a basic sweep of world mythology. We are currently finishing up Greek and Roman mythology and Old Testament stories from last year.

 

You might be interested in having your kids take the National Mythology Exam http://www.etclassics.org/NMExam.html. I want my 3rd grader to do the basic level this year (Greek and Roman), but they have varied levels up to 9th grade and include optional sections for Norse, African and Native American mythology.

[Penny]

It seems to me that you are actually teaching your child about different world views??

 

We are doing a World View study this year exposing the different world views and why we belief our world view, along with what others believe and why they do so. I'm using Brimwood Press.

 

Brimwood Press explains the different world views, and goes into the conflicts that different world views cause, but it does not go into why people believe their world view is valid. This part requires quite a bit of research. It is helpful to note that all world views are based on faith, even atheism (ie. the faith that matter and/or energy are eternal.) It gets tricky when teaching the big bang theory because this suggests that matter and energy were eternal, but something interfered with the previously infinite state (OK, that is a misspeak because infinity by definition cannot be interupted at any point in time) and caused the big bang. Creationists would say this was God. I don't know what atheists say....I need more research.

 

Other world views are either monistic or montheistic. Pantheism falls usually falls into one or the other of these catagories. A monistic world view says that god permeates the universe and god is part of the universe in that god would not exist if the universe did not exist. This world view denies good and evil. It just IS what it IS. (I have trouble with this because if WE know good and evil, which we all claim to, then we would be putting ourselves above this god and would be outside of the universe, in a sense. We could not know more than our creator.)

 

The monotheistic view I'm sure you already know. God is the provider of the moral law.

 

This may be not at all what you're looking for, but if you're going to provide cultural creation myths, including the creation of the universe (not just the earth) it may be more of an explaination for your child.

 

Penny