Greek Mythology

Spring has definitely arrived here in Portland, and with it, the fifth grade Waldorf Greek Mythology block!

The fifth graders and I are loving the stories of the Greek gods! I’m doing things a bit different this time around, thanks, in large part, to the popularity of Percy Jackson. I couldn’t imagine telling my students the stories of the Greek gods, pretending that they were all new to them. So, instead, I decided to take advantage of their familiarity with the stories to do things a bit differently. Here’s what I’ve got figured out.

1. We spent just one week on the Greek Olympian gods. I gave them a basic picture of at least 3 of the 12 gods each day. I told them enough stories to make it interesting and engaging, but I did not tell them a lot of the stories they already knew.
2. I assigned a substantial project for the block. The students have been divided into groups and together they will write a play based on one of the more popular stories. I split my 27 students into 4 groups and gave them 7 different options for stories. The ones that were eventually chosen were Demeter and Persephone, Daedalus and Icarus, Prometheus and Pandora’s Box.
3. I am spending the rest of the 3 week block telling the stories of the Greek heroes (Hercules, Perseus and Theseus.)

This approach means that we’ll be able to talk about all of the Olympians, the demi-gods and the heroes — a tall order for a short block!

I’ve also discovered some new resources.

Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths is a book I have used in the past. I’m not sure that there isn’t a better version of the stories out there, but this one is serviceable and has served my needs pretty well.
D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths is a resource not to be missed. I haven’t used it a lot this time around for story content (though I certainly did my first time teaching the block.) Instead, this time I’ve used this book for the drawings. Most of the drawings translate easily to the chalkboard or oil crayon with colored pencils. I couldn’t imagine teaching the block without it.

The last resource I have to share is completely new to me and I feel like I just discovered buried treasure!
Hercules by Geraldine McCaughrean is part of her series of books on the Greek heroes, which also includes a book on Perseus and Theseus. These books are very descriptive, wonderfully-written young adult books that are manageable for the typical fifth grade reader.

I’m feeling a bit pressed to tell the stories of these three heroes in the two weeks I have left of the block, so in addition to telling the stories of some of Hercules’ labors, I plan to have them read some of them, too. I’m really enjoying reading them as I prepare and I feel completely prepared to tell the stories based on the versions that are in this book.

Of course, I’m just working on the Hercules book at the moment, so I can’t speak for all three, but they’re definitely on my list as I continue the block!