One of my favorite units to teach in senior English is classic Greek Mythology. Having background information in this subject allows students a greater understanding of classic and modern texts alike. Our society is permeated with classical allusions to gods and myths of all sorts. While my enthusiasm for the subject often helps students get interested in the stories and heroes, I have found very few resources that are accessible to a modern teen audience. For my classes I have been creating most of my own curriculum and activities pieced together from my own training in humanities, the ever helpful Internet, and information in older textbooks. That has all changed now that I have found this book!
Mythology For Teens is an excellent teacher resource for the secondary teacher interested in bringing Greek myth into the classroom. By presenting the information in an easy to understand format, students are quick to get interested and involved with the myths. My students have really enjoyed reading the plays aloud because they are funny, relatable and action packed. Classroom theatre is an excellent way to meet learning outcomes and get students invested in the characters. Tales of heroes like that of Perseus, are the cornerstone of learning heroic archetypes and continue to be a feature in modern film, television and story. One needs to look no further than the recent production of Clash of the Titans to see that mythology can still be presented in a fresh manner. With modern audiences having their interest peaked in mythology, I think that now more than ever teachers that have not previously used Greek myth in the class should consider doing so, and a great way to do that is by using this book.
For teachers they need professional prodcuts to teach their students otherwise they wouldn't learn anything positive.
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