Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Motif Presentation”

After reading the stories in Evslin’s collection, students demonstrate their understanding of a key motif by analyzing the motif, comparing and contrasting its use in Greek mythology with its use in another cultural context, and sharing this information in a presentation.

For this activity, you will choose a symbolic motif that recurs in at least three of the stories in Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths. Then, you will create a presentation that uses words and images effectively to

• Show where this motif occurs in Evslin’s book
• Explore evidence in the text about what messages the motif conveys
• Compare and contrast the meanings this motif seems to have in Greek mythology with the meanings it has in the traditional stories of another world culture
• Cite the sources of all borrowed images, language, and ideas

You may choose one of the following symbolic motifs—or any other that occurs in at least three stories:

• light and dark
• gold
• music
• monsters
• hunting
• dogs
• trees
• birds

In your presentation, be sure to name the stories in which your motif appears. As you listen to each presentation, track in your notes the most popular motifs and the stories in which they appear. What impact do these motifs have on the overall tone and mood of the collection?

Teaching Suggestion: If your students will struggle to understand how to analyze a motif in this way, you might choose one of the motifs from the list and lead them through a verbal analysis.  You can reduce the time required for the creation of these presentations by allowing students to work with a partner or in a small group. If students work in small groups, you might ask each group to choose a different motif and then allow time for groups to present their work to the class.

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with visual impairments may struggle to complete this assignment; a reasonable alternative assignment might be asking them to write an essay with the same three sections that occur in the original assignment: Where does the motif occur in Evslin’s collection, what does it seem to mean and why, and how does this compare/contrast with the same motif’s usage in another world mythology? Students with dyslexia or attentional/executive function issues and English language learners may struggle with the length of this assignment. Even if other students are working individually, you might want to allow these students to work with a partner, or shorten the assignment by eliminating the requirement to compare the motif’s use in Greek mythology with its use in another world mythology.