There are so many myths in Greek mythology that it is impossible to get to them all. It is a shame, because many of these myths are somehow referenced in modern culture, and contemporary literature (for example: Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, among others). Due to this, our goal over the next five weeks is to teach our classmates some of the myths.
Your job is to teach your classmates one of the Greek myths listed at the end of this page. This requires you to provide some sort of visual, and to retell the story, making sure that you have at least three important facts to share with your classmates.
How you do it is up to you. Here is a list of suggestions that might work for you. While I DO NOT want to see any dioramas or tri-fold posters, you may try anything as long as you’ve cleared it with me.
| Create a comic or a painting representing a scene from your myth. | Write and perform a song or rap about your myth. Provide lyrics with your presentation. | Adapt your myth into either a children’s story or a short story (3 to 5 pages) | Dress up! Act out a scene from your myth. You may work in a group of three for this. |
| Write a short play about your myth (3-to-5 pages). Assign parts to classmates the day of the reading. | Create a music video about your myth. You may work in a group of three for this. | Create a flash animation of your myth. ONLY DO IT IF YOU’RE AN EXPERT AND WILLING TO WORK HARD!!! | Create a poem about this myth. It must be at least 24 lines. You must perform it, a la poetry slam, on the day you present. |
| In a three-page report, explain what phenomenon or historical fact may have caused your myth to be created. | Create and perform a musical instrumental piece based on your myth. Explain how your musical choices reflect your myth. | Create and demonstrate a card or board game based on your myth. Explain how it relates to your myth. | Compose a resume and cover letter for a character from your myth, who is applying for a suitable job. |
| Imagine a book is the basis for a miniseries on television. Prepare and give the television commercials that would make people want to watch it. | Imagine your myth as a movie. Decide who would be the actors and actresses. Write a report, include photos and descriptions of the stars and tell why each is “perfect” for the part. | Create a ten-to-twelve slide powerpoint about your myth. This must have some way of showing that this is your own, unique work. | Create a mock-Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter account for one of the main characters. This must have some way of showing that this is your own work. |
Myth Presentation Rubric
Body and voice: Describe each
Posture _____________________
Eye Contact _____________________
Appropriate Gesturing __________________
Clear, authoritative voice: _______________________
Body and Voice grade out of twenty points: ______________________
Visual
Creativity: _________________
Neatness: ____________
Effort: ____________________
Visual Grade out of thirty points: _________________________
Presentation
Rehearsed, fluid, and confident retelling ____________
Avoids weak conversational language (like, so, um, y’know, and yeah) _____________
Uses Concrete, vivid images: _________________
An appropriate closing (not “so yeah” or “I’m done” or “that’s it”) ________________
Engaged speaker—cares about the story she is telling ___________________
Presentation Grade out of thirty points ______________
Annotated Works Cited (Describe Each)
Follows MLA Format _______________
Is Neat, Clean, and in order ___________
Uses at least five sources _____________
Works Cited Grade out of twenty points _____________
Total out of 100 points ___________
Bad Boys
Dionysus and Midas
Ixion and the Wheel of Fire
Orion and Artemis
Pelops
Prometheus and his punishment
Tantalus
Theseus v. Pirithous
Bad Girls
Athena and Arachne
Cassiopeia
Charybdis’ punishment
Pallas and Athena
Pandora’s box
The Story of Scylla
Why Medusa is a gorgon
Family Ties
Achilles’ heel
Castor and Pollux
Daedalus and Icarus
Demeter and Persephone
Prometheus and Deucalion
The Birth of Perseus
The Birth of the Nine Muses
The Kidnapping of Glaucus
Theseus and his two fathers
Love Stories
Actaeon and Artemis*
Echo and Narcissus
Hero and Leander
Orpheus and Eurydice
Perseus and Andromeda
Monsters
Aristaeus and Sirius
Ladon vs. Heracles
Perseus vs. Medusa
The Chimera v. Bellerophon
The Twelfth Labor of Heracles
Theseus and the Minotaur
Typhon and Echidna attack the gods
Random Stories
Dionysus and Ampelos
Perseus and Pegasus
Rivalries
Antaeus vs. Heracles
Hera and Lamia’s rivalry
