1/2 credit mythology course---What else can I add?

[mo2]

I intend to have my 14yo listen to TGC's Classical Mythology series (12 hours) and read Hamilton's Mythology and complete a study guide for it.  Any other suggestions to make this worth 1/2 credit?

 

Thanks.

[Kathy in Richmond]

You could use Bolchazy's Classical Mythology: A Reader Workbook.

 

It includes retellings of all the common Greek and Roman myths with illustrations & diagrams, genealogical charts galore, exercises, vocabulary work, cultural background, and writing topics. It's a huge 400+ page volume, so you wouldn't do the whole thing for a semester class, but you could easily pick & choose.

 

[MariaT]

You could read Homer's Iliad or Odyssey. Odds Bodkins has a 7-hour audio retelling of the Odyssey that would help with the reading.

 

Maria

[KarenNC]

I used the Bolchazy volume to teach a co-op class for middle and high school students and particularly liked that it went beyond the most common myths. Most of the page volume is due to all the story texts being included, so I think it could be done as a semester class, doing as many of the activities as work well for you, taking the place of the Edith Hamilton and study guide, or you could use it as a springboard to go deeper enough to make a full credit. Be sure to look at the Google Preview link to get a good idea of the layout and content. There's a sample option on the Google Playstore ebook link as well. 

 

I was pleased to see it included chapters on the Iliad and Odyssey as well as the Aeneid (though obviously not reproducing the entire content of these works--this would be just an introduction to the texts). The reader has about 13 pages of deity and genealogical charts, 11 pages of chapter-by-chapter pronunciation guides, and an extensive bibliography of primary sources, secondary sources, and resources for further study (teacher and student). There is a teacher's guide that goes along with it (ISBN 978-0-86516-747-6) which is basically chapter answer keys, chapter tests, and the test answer keys. The Google Playstore ebook was by far the cheapest option when I was buying though I don't know if the teacher guide is available that way. It was new at the time, so no used hard-copies were available.

 

A sample:Ch. 9 Heracles-- there is a box in the corner of the first page giving original source citations (Pindar, Vergil, Sophocles, etc) and there are 10 pages devoted to the story of Heracles drawn from these sources, illustrated with actual Classical art pieces related to the text. Following are review exercises---A) 23 matching on characters in the myth, B) 4 "Musings" questions connecting the myth to modern day (great for discussion). C) vocabulary exercises that include both drawing and writing, D) a "How About That?" section compare and contrast Heracles in modern music (Trisha Yearwood, Elton John), references in botany, entomology, and astronomy, and E) sends students to the extensive genealogical charts in the back to see where Heracles fits in. The test for this chapter includes 10 matching (do these incidents occur before, during, or after the labors), 4 short answer questions relating the myth to modern day allusions, and then a short answer section in which students are given 4 incidents in the life of Heracles and asked to create situations in which comparisons to the incidents could apply. 

 

Elizabeth Vandiver's lectures are great, very meaty. In addition, I found listening to a reading of the Odyssey and Iliad, just to hear the cadence as close as possible to the way they were intended to be experienced, was very compelling, similar to watching a Shakespeare play vs reading it. You can find some of Ian McKellan reading Fagles' translation of "The Odyssey" and Derek Jacobi (with others) performing a reading of Fagles' translation of "The Iliad" on youtube for a taste. Wonderful stuff! You catch more of the repeated phrasing that way, I think.

 

If the 14 yo is a 9th grader, you might consider the National Mythology exam, http://www.etclassics.org/pages/the-national-mythology-exam. The main theme is Hercules and is at the end of February. If you are doing this in the fall, you might consider adding or instead doing the Medusa mythology exam http://www.medusaexam.org/. This year's theme is "The Rise and Fall of the Titans," and the test is in late Nov/early Dec. My daughter  has done the NME, but not the Medusa, which looks to be a more in-depth test.

 

If you like, I will be happy to send you my syllabus for the course which shows what we did each week, the homework, and suggestions for taking it deeper or further (and a lot of links to online resources). My co-op class was a one hour a week 11 week supplementary class, so we didn't do the tests and focused mostly on discussion, along with some reader's theatre which they enjoyed. 

Edited August 11, 2016 by KarenNC

[Haiku]

If you do the Questions to Consider for each episode in the Great Courses guidebook, you will spend more than 12 hours on the GC part. You can also use the bibliography for each episode to find supplemental reading

[mo2]

 

If you like, I will be happy to send you my syllabus for the course which shows what we did each week, the homework, and suggestions for taking it deeper or further (and a lot of links to online resources). My co-op class was a one hour a week 11 week supplementary class, so we didn't do the tests and focused mostly on discussion, along with some reader's theatre which they enjoyed. 

KarenNC, thank you for that detailed response!  Yes, this is for a 9th grader.  This is my first time planning for high school and I'm finding it hard to determine how much material to assign for a credit. 

 

I would love to see your syllabus.  I will pm you my email. 

 

So is the general consensus then than the Bolchazy book can take the place of Hamilton?  If we complete it in its entirety, will it be worth 1/2 credit, along with the Vandiver lectures?  The exams are a great idea, too. 

 

Thank you!

[KarenNC]

Syllabus sent. This was for a supplementary class and the co-op had a policy of not grading or really requiring homework for such classes, so I had some sections where we substituted readers' theatre, which is hard to do with a single child. They were also not, as a class, listening to the Vandiver lectures, but we did at home. Do be aware that it is illustrated with art from the Classical period as well as art with Classical themes, so there is some nudity in it, as there would be if you went to an art museum.

 

It looks like the publisher offers the reader/workbook in print or ebook, but the teacher guide is only print. At $39.95 each for the print, I wish they'd reversed that. I'd personally rather have the TG in ebook and the workbook in print for annotating. Don't get the TG off Amazon, the prices are outrageous with used starting at $60! You can, however, rent the workbook from Amazon for about what you pay for the ebook. They are both oversized paperbacks.

 

I think if you do the workbook and the lectures you are more than covered for a half-credit, and your student will have a much deeper knowledge of and appreciation for the myths, their roles in the Classical world, and their influence on modern Western culture than most people. Caveat: I love mythology and at that point especially had a tendency to try to put in too much. I would strive for at least 60 hours of work (half a Carnegie unit) for a half-credit, using the aspects of the books and resources that are most beneficial to your student.

[mo2]

Got it.  Thank you. 

 

I think I'll have to get the ebook and just make do without the TG.  I wonder if I can print the ebook.  I've never purchased an ebook through Google Play 

 

Likewise, I'm going to have to settle for the audio versions of the lectures.  They're fairly inexpensive through Audible.

 

Thank you for all your help. 

[KarenNC]

I don't recall that the lectures had much if anything in the way of video-dependent material, but it's been a while since I watched them. With Audible, the supplemental material (guidebook) should be available as a pdf. As I recall, it includes a short-ish summary of the lecture and some questions, but I don't think there's an answer key to check. To help with retention, I might have the student read the summary first, then have the questions to answer as they go along stopping as needed. Check your library to make sure they don't have a copy, as many do.

 

I don't think I'd print out the whole book, as it would be prohibitively expensive in the cost of ink and paper unless you have an ultracheap printing option, as it's 439 pp without the index. I think you'd wipe out any savings from buying the ebook vs print that way. The genealogical charts in the Classical Mythology and More book will be very helpful in keeping the relationships straight, so you may want to print those out for reference, maybe the glossaries for the chapters as well. The exercises can be done separately on other paper. Depending on how you access the book, it may be possible to highlight or otherwise markup the stories on the ebook--haven't ever done that so I'm not sure. You could certainly go old school and have the student take notes in a notebook while reading, as if it were a library book.

 

As much as I like the Classical Mythology and More, it's not the be-all and end-all of resources. :) If you already have Edith Hamilton's Mythology (or want to use the free online texts of it) there are tons of free materials out there for it and no reason it couldn't be used if you prefer.

 

Some additional free resources you might find helpful:

• Material on myth and the hero's journey, tying into modern popular culture from mythologyteacher.com http://www.mythologyteacher.com/The-Hero%27s-Journey.php  This could make a good project or essay topic at the end, picking a particular popular movie
• The Medusa exam has released tests with answer keys that you could use as a question bank for setting up your own tests by matching up with the topics. http://www.medusaexam.org/Home/prior-examinations   The free study guides (more outlines) that go along with the released tests might be very helpful for organizing info
• If there are any areas where you want to go really deep or find more info on more obscure figures, http://www.theoi.com   is my favorite resource.
• http://www.Shmoop.com looks like you need a membership, but their mythology section is free. I had to scroll down the page to see the free materials.

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by KarenNC

[Hunter]

Bulfinch is a classic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulfinch%27s_Mythology

 

Ovid's Metamorphases can be found in bilingual Latin/English volumes. Even if a student cannot read Latin at all, they often appreciate the visual of seeing that this book was written by the Romans themselves, and they never forget that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphoses

 

Plutarch's Lives comparing Theseus to Romulus. This was written in Greek. The Loeb classic version is an easy to read version and shows the greek.

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Theseus*.html

I think Google has a free copy, but this link is to a harcopy at Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Plutarch-Romulus-Lycurgus-Publicola-Classical/dp/0674990528

Edited August 12, 2016 by Hunter

[mo2]

Bulfinch is a classic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulfinch%27s_Mythology

Can you compare Bulfinch and Hamilton, by any chance?  I feel like doing both would be overkill. 

[Hunter]

Here is the bilingual Ovid, that I think my son had.

https://www.amazon.com/Ovid-III-Metamorphoses-Classical-Library/dp/0674990463/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471043922&sr=1-1&keywords=loeb+ovid+metamorphoses

[Hunter]

Bulfinch is public domain and probably harder to read.

 

Sometimes I just read excerpts from books so that students know they exist. I just like them to hear a bit and sometimes hold them in their hands, especially bilingual texts originally written in another language. I want them to know people wrote their own books then.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Hunter

[Hunter]

I editted my first post to include more links.

[mo2]

Thanks Hunter.  Those are some great suggestions.  If Bulfinch is harder to read, I should probably stick with Hamilton. This particular student is a slow reader, and I don't want to kill her love of myths.  :)

[Hunter]

I'm not sure how you feel about projects, movies, documentaries, and graphic novels.

 

I don't think a project of a family free of the Olympians is a waste of time at all.

[Hunter]

I sometimes have assigned 3 resource 3 topic research papers that are just a basic 5 paragraph essay, using a gathering grid.

https://ihslmc.wikispaces.com/file/view/Gathering+Grid.pdf

 

 

[mo2]

I'm not sure how you feel about projects, movies, documentaries, and graphic novels.

 

I don't think a project of a family free of the Olympians is a waste of time at all.

I had considered getting some poster board and doing a family tree.  Because, honestly, it can get confusing!   My daughter is definitely a visual learner, so movies and documentaries are fine with us. 

 

I hadn't even thought of graphic novels!  She LOVES graphic novels and comic books.  I'm excited to go search for some now.

[Hunter]

Paintings of Greek Myths

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_depicting_Greek_myths

[merylvdm]

You could also have your child take the Medusa Mythology Contest. Our homeschool group does it each year and some of our students have done quite well - http://www.medusaexam.org/

 

[Pistachio mom]

You could broaden the mythology to include mythology and ancient tales from various parts of the world. Egyptian Myths, Babylonian myths, Enuma Elish, Gilgamesh, Norweigan mythology, Celtic legends, German legends, mythology and legends from the Americas whether Aztec, Northwest Indian, Asian literature - the Indian stories about Brama and Seta (I forget how to spell their names). This kind of study will lend itself to expose common themes and stories from various cultures. It seems like all areas have creation, flood, giants/heroes, religions with a mother giving birth to a special child.... I think you have a great foundation for lots of later learning of world history and world literature in giving your student opportunity to study whatever mythology you choose.

 

Another consideration would be to do some web research to see if you can find a syllabus for a similar class from a college or high school.

The schoolhouse classroom website has 2 courses along these lines - classical mythology and babylonian history and mythology. These do not have the detail I would find helpful, but it might be a place to start. 

https://schoolhouseteachers.com/2015/02/high-school-courses/

 

These are better once you read past all the administrative info:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/124765927/Mythology-Syllabus

http://greenwaysacademy.com/documents/Syllabi/Mythology%20Syllabus.pdf

Edited August 16, 2016 by Pistachio mom

[Hunter]

Mensaforkids.org as a nice free unit that can be viewed online or downloaded in a clean 16 page pdf.

http://www.mensaforkids.org/teach/lesson-plans/an-introduction-to-greek-mythology/

Edited August 24, 2016 by Hunter