When creating the power point presentation for our myth chapter it dawned on me that we were also learning some very important history. Myth telling was the way in which tradition and faith were passed on. In revisiting those stories we too are passing them on when we discuss them with our students, friends or family. I talked to my friends about the medicine wheel and they had never heard about it. I had them do the exercise we did in class and we had a great time because some of the things they placed inside the wheel was entertaining.
As I was creating my myth I started writing a story and not adding some type of unnatural super hero. Instead
I wrote about a city and how it was run. After my peers commented on my work I realized that there does need to be someone in my city that stood out from the rest of the population. Someone that was looked up to and respected. The super hero's work would make the citizens become dedicated followers and pass on the beliefs. Creating the website has not been fun. I have never created one and listening and watching the people that were introducing the basic steps to us also confused just created the anxiety bubble to grow. My site is still in the process and I hope to complete that hurdle with much outside help.
I learned that when introducing this topic to students it has to be explained thoroughly. The use of the power point outline (not too wordy) is a great way to introduce the myth, because the pictures or animation can be incorporated to keep the students attention. The use of the exercise at the end will indicate if the students understood the subject, and hopefully it will be entertaining enough that it will grasp their interest. At the conclusion of the myth section an assignment for the students would be to write their own short myth. I am sure there will be many interesting creations.
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4 comments:
Hi Elizabeth,
It is so cool that you did the wheel exercise with your friends. That must have been fun and interesting.
I agree that when we are teachers, and we have to introduce this topic, we should definitely try to explain it as thoroughly as possible with as many examples as possible. For me, this genre is still somewhat blurry. Honestly, I had never learned about myths before. Usually, I think we're supposed to learn this stuff in freshman year of high school, but my teacher was really out of it that year. We didn't do anything!! So, I had never ever been introduced to mythology before, and then to have to read all this, and then create one myself was a real stressful experience. I did learn a lot, but I still have a lot more to learn. So, I agree with you that this is something that must be thoroughly explained to students because it is not an easy domain.
It is also a good idea to have our students create their own myths (just as we did) after they understand the concept of it. You're right in that this would show what they know and what they've learned. It's also a great way for them to entice their imagination and enter their creative world.
I really like how you point out that myth is something that is more than just a story, but a link to the past that is handed down through the generations. Sometimes when I read mythology I wonder if it has been translated properly and if we are getting the entire story. One of my favorite things about myths is the different versions of the same story.
I agree that writing a myth is not easy! I really like reading them too. I have taken a class on greek mythology and I learned about it in school. Since I like this genre, I read some on my own. But I have never written one before. I had no idea what to write about, even though I've heard them a million times! It makes me think that my students will have just as hard as time as I did or harder. I'm glad that I had this experience so that I will know that this is a subject that must be given proper time and preparation in order to better understand it. I agree with you that having the students write their own myths will reflect their learning!
Laura Q.
Hey Elizabeth-
When we did the myth projects, I too thought about folklore and the passing down of stories. It is really interesting that you took the time to try it out on your own time. That is awesome.
I also think that the approaches we took in class will be usesfull in our own classrooms. This is mainly because if we have fun with them, it is very likely that our students will enjoy them as well.
That is agood way to reach them and to get them to understand the points we are trying to get across.
It will also be interesting because they will be able to practice on their creativity and be better thinkers.
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