Mythology for Teens

by Zachary Hamby

Mythology for Classic Myths in Today's World takes classical mythology to a new level by relating ancient stories to the culture, history, art, and literature of today. By looking at topics instrumental to both mythology and modern culture, teens are encouraged to question topics such as the repercussions of war, vanity and greed, the workings of fate, the nature of love, the roles of women in society, revenge and forgiveness, the meaning of life, and national identity.

The majority of high school humanities and Advanced Placement courses teach classical mythology by simply retelling myths. By using teen-friendly reader's theater scripts to tell the legends, in combination with activities, discussion questions, and exercises that help students apply what they've learned to real life, Mythology for Teens takes the classic myths taught in school and turns them into an engaging, interesting, and fresh way of looking at old material.

Grades 7-12

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2009

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting. I liked reading the summarized stories like Perseus, the Trojan War, etc.

Read for a book scavenger hunt. Needed a book with an author having the same first name as me.

[Lotuslulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The information, scripts, and activities in this book are a must-have for every Greek Mythology teacher. This is the first mythology lesson instruction book to get me excited because the ideas are actually fun and the information presented in a fresh way. My favorite activity from the book is creating a Mythology Barbie. My students really enjoy thinking about how a product like that might come to life, and then I show them that Matel actually made an Athena and Medusa Barbie.

Using the reader's theatre scripts in the book as a model, students write their own script for a myth that we didn't already cover in class. As you go through this book, you will feel the author's enthusiasm for the subject because it is all so alive in its presentation. This is not stuffy antiquated information that will feel irrelevant to your students.It's fresh, and it will help you make your lessons fresh. I highly recommend this book to the teacher that want to bring mythology to life.

[Tara Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative nonfiction work on mythology and I really enjoyed reading it. It had a nice combination of popular myths and background information and cultural information. I liked how it was set up, it made it easier to follow. There were six chapters and they each explored a theme or big event and then had myths to expound upon the theme. It also had good activities that made you think about characters and stuff. I could totally see using this in a classroom as a supplement and I think students, even as young as middle school, would enjoy reading this book because it gave an understandable account of the popular myths that are commonly referenced. It was easy to read and everything was explained and even though it is pretty dense, it didn't actually take too long to read.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

RFL 2014 As a text for a high school course in mythology, this is a great text/workbook. It's a little unusual as a choice for Read for a Lifetime, but I think the students will not mind reading the readers' theater format.

[areadersjourney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for introducing students to the classic world of mythology!!!

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

So excited to give Reader's Theater a try this year with my Mythology unit! It sounds so much more fun than the dry book we usually use.