Last week, the 7th and 8th graders began their unit on Greek Mythology! Popularized in countless films and novels such as “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief,” Greek mythology has always been one of my favorite subjects to teach because it connects things that students see everyday and connects it, and them by extension, to the ancient world. They began with a brief overview of what a myth is and got a working definition for our purposes. After a few examples of a creation myth, they were tasked with writing a myth of their own that would explain, in fantastical terms, how a natural phenomenon came into being. They really enjoyed the freedom they had to explore the supernatural world and had results that ranged from silly to heart warming. They deftly wrote stories explaining things like “why roses have thorns” to “the creation of the rainbow” and everything else in between. One myth, written by Cadence and Emily, even explained how the Blood Falls in Antarctica came to be. The blood falls are a real thing of which I had no knowledge. We all learned something in class that day. This week, they will continue with their work on creation myths and branch out into the pantheon of Greek gods and the myths that feature them.
This coming week, 6th grade will begin their first class novel “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. This is a classic and staple of the literature canon. It gives the students introductions to science fiction as well as dystopian literature and allows them to envision for themselves what a “perfect” society might look like.
High School began reading “Dracula” and will continue when I see them next on Wednesday. They seem to be very interested in the history and myth surrounding the novel and I’m really looking forward to the many discussions and thought provoking questions they will have around this classic work of Gothic Literature.
