Mythology by Edith Hamilton (1942, Little, Brown and Company) Reader s Theater CONTEXT: This is an after reading strategy that can be used as a way to recognize the effort students have put into writing their own myths. They can choose a myth written by someone in their group to perform in front of the class. This strategy can also be used during reading by having students dramatize one of the myths in Mythology or a simpler one from the picture book strategy. This strategy may take a few class periods for students to prepare. PURPOSE: The purpose of this strategy is to help students visualize the elements of mythology as portrayed in students writing. This is also a good way to celebrate the myths they have been writing by doing a performances of them. Students build reading fluency as they practice their lines and read through the story numerous times. They also learn comprehension and critical thinking skills as they create a script from the story, deciding which elements are crucial to their performance and what parts they can cut out. They learn to work together as a group successfully to portray their myth and they also learn how to take on different perspectives by playing different roles. Overall, this strategy builds classroom community as students work together to portray to the class myths they have written themselves. DIRECTIONS: 1. After students have taken their myths through the writing process, have students break into groups of four. 2. Have each student share their myth with their group and decide which one would be the most interesting/fun to act out for the class. 3. Once students have chosen, have them give you the myth to make copies for their group. They will begin scripting the next class period. 4. Model how to create a script using the model story provided.
5. As you read through the myth, ask students to circle the different roles required in the story. Have them mark an N by what the narrator might say. 6. When the narrator is providing details, have them decide whether the narrator needs to read the whole passage or if there are portions that are not necessary for the story. 7. Now, ask them to determine stage directions for what characters should be doing at specific points during the story. What props are needed? 8. At this point students should assign roles and highlight what they are going to say. Show them a few cases where dialogue can be created if there is not enough dialogue. They should try to keep the author s original words in place as much as possible. 9. Pass out the directions for scripting their myth to follow along when they do it on their own. 10. Have students break into groups and begin scripting. They should mark on the copies provided them. Circulate to answer questions and provide suggestions. 11. After scripting, provide them time to rehearse their myth. 12. Perform the myths in front of the class. You might even have the class hold up signs during the performance indicating what part of the hero s journey the myth is portraying as a review. 13. Students should be respectful. This should be a celebration of what they have learned during the unit. ASSESMENT: Since students are already being assessed on the myths they wrote during the unit, assess students on their participation in their groups. Were they active in suggesting ideas and listening to other s suggestions? You might even have them write two suggestions they made and two suggestions that they thought were good in their group. Let them know they will be accountable for this beforehand. This assessment can be done as a reflection after the performance. What went well? What didn t work? What was the difference between performing the myth rather than just reading it? What was one challenge in making a story a script? How did this activity help you better understand what was learned during the unit?
SCRIPTING YOUR MYTH Your task is to turn one of your own myths into a dramatic performance! Follow these steps to create your script. Your myth should be well-rehearsed but you do not need to memorize your lines. Since this is a reader s theater, try to keep the original text as intact as possible. That means you can even read the dialogue tags such as he said or she said. 1. Share each myth written by those in your groups. Decide which one will be the most fun/interesting to perform. 2. Read the myth together and circle each role that is needed. 3. Divide the roles among members of the group. It may require that one person has more than one role or that two people alternate as the narrator. 4. Underline the lines that you are responsible for and write any stage directions to help you know how to act out those lines. 5. Cross out together the parts of the story that you are going to cut out because they are not important to the story. 6. If there needs to be more dialogue, find places where you might turn the narrator s words into something a character says. Write those lines on your script. 7. Practice through your script and make any adjustments that are needed. 8. List any props you might want to use to enhance your performance.
Myth Model THALES and THE DRAGON Greece always needed heroes. For some reason there were always minotaurs in mazes or three headed beasts terrorizing towns that needed someone to kill them. Of course, the town couldn t do it themselves. Reading the local newspaper about all of the heroes journeys, Cyrillus saw a business opportunity. He decided he would be an agent for heroes. Instead of finding their own quests, heroes, for a small fee, could sign a contract that would allow Cyrillus to find the quests for them. The idea became popular immediately. A tall, handsome man named Thales signed on with Cyrillus business, hoping to fulfill his dreams of becoming a famous hero, maybe even getting a statue somewhere. The problem was, in the two years of being on the list, he had not once received an assignment. Many of the more senior heroes were wanted for the jobs. No one believed Thales was capable of handling the difficult tasks required of heroes in Greece. Plus, he did not have an immediate connection to Zeus like some of the others. He still was half-divine. His mother is Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, which is why many people deemed him a pretty-boy with no special strengths. In Greece, strength and bravery got you farther than your looks. Yet, finally Thales chance came. It was during the Olympics, and all the other heroes, too busy competing or watching the games, refused the quest. Thales name came up and he was offered the job. There was a dragon somewhere in the forest, burning up all the trees. Thales was to go and slay the dragon. I can t do this, Thales thought, What if the dragon burns my beautiful skin? Thales had every reason to be afraid of fire, and it wasn t just about his beautiful skin. When he was younger, Thales was almost burned in a terrible fire. Zeus was upset at Aphrodite for interfering with an affair that was none of her business, and so he threw a thunderbolt at the house of her mortal child to set it on fire. Luckily, Thales was rescued by a neighbor who stormed into the fiery building and brought him out. Thales could still picture the flames encircling his crib. Comment [U1]: You can have students discuss whether this paragraph is necessary to the story.
Despite being nervous about his first quest, Thales knew this was his chance. He packed his bags and headed for the forest where the dragon was supposed to be. The forest was thick with bushy trees forming a web of darkness. Looking upward, the specks of sunlight making it through the trees looked like the night stars, providing just enough light for Thales to see the path. After hours following the path, Thales saw no sign of a dragon. He didn t see a sign of anything actually, except the occasional rustling of leaves overhead. Comment [U2]: This could be a good point to show students how to create dialogue. Instead of the narrator saying what Thales thinks, Thales himself can think out loud. Well I guess the dragon took care of himself, he thought. But then Thales saw fire flickering between the trees ahead and could smell the smoke of burning wood. He was close. His feet became harder to move forward. He peered through the branches into a small clearing. It actually was just a small hut, and dinner was cooking on a fire outside. A juicy chicken was dripping, causing a delicious aroma to waft through the air as the fire sizzled. Thales approached the door of the wooded hut. Surely the person who lived there knew of the dragon. A grisly old man, with a long white beard opened the door. He squinted, looking past Thales as if he couldn t see him at all. Who s there? he asked. Excuse me, sir. But I m looking for a vicious dragon. Well, it s obviously not me, the man replied. Would you be able to point me in the right direction? That would make me responsible for killing a man. No one can defeat that dragon. So you know where he s at? Thales asked hopefully. Of course I do. Almost was killed myself hunting one day. What are you going to do when you meet him? Chop off his head with my sword. Oh, you won t even reach his head before you re a pile of ashes, replied the man. What you need is chicken.
Chicken? asked Thales, now thinking he should have expected someone who lived in a hut like this to be a little off. Yeah, just get the dragon to eat some spicy chicken and he ll implode. Well, if it s that easy, why didn t you do it? I m not going near that beast. Thales was skeptical of the man s strange advice, but before leaving, he took a satchel of the man s spicy chicken. It seemed like the type of strange information that the oracle of Delphi would offer. Thales walked in the direction that the man indicated, this time off the path, which took a lot more time. Within ten minutes, Thales could hear the roar and thrashing of an animal ahead. He had found the dragon. And he was armed with a sword. And chicken. He thought about turning back, but this was his chance. How hard was it to throw a bundle of chicken anyway? Thales walked as quietly as he could through the trees until the dragon was in sight. Luckily many of the trees were charred and he could easily land the chicken near the dragon. Comment [U3]: This is a good point to teach students about stage directions. While the narrator speaks, what are the characters doing? Thales took the satchel and launched it, landing it perfectly by the dragon. The dragon turned and released a breath of red-hot flames. Thales passed out. Instead of flames he now saw a light. His mother, Aphrodite, appeared next to him in all her beauty. Thales, I m so proud of you. Awake and slay the dragon. She touched his shoulder and Thales strength returned. He stood up shakily, and saw that the dragon had fallen over, his whole body smoking. The old man was right about the chicken. It had done a number on the dragon. Thales approached slowly, raised his sword, and cut off the head of the dragon. He had done it. The dragon was dead. Thales dragged the head through the forest, taking it to the nearby village. He was received with cheers, and ironically, a delicious chicken feast. Word of Thales deed spread to his hometown, and he became one of the most requested heroes in Cyrillus s agency. Thales took every quest offered him. He knew he just had to ask the right person and he could solve any problem.