Summer SAVY, Session 3 Day 4, “Percy Jackson & Greek Mythology” (3rd-4th)
Happy Thursday! We began our day today by learning about Greek pottery. Students learned that painting on pottery was used to tell stories and myths. After learning about it, we got out our own model magic clay and made pots that we will be able to paint tomorrow after they dry overnight. We looked at pictures of different types of pottery that would have been found in Ancient Greece to get inspiration for our own pots. We ended up with a big variety of shapes and sizes, and I am so excited to see how they turn out once they are painted tomorrow!
After our snack, we began our study of the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey is an extremely common archetype that you can find in stories that are thousands of years old, as well as those that are written today. We learned what the 12 steps of the hero’s journey are and worked as a class to map out Percy Jackson’s journey in book 1 as he moved through each step. We had some healthy debates about which step some of his actions would fall under before we came to an agreement and could finalize the steps of the journey.
Once we practiced figuring out the steps together, students then had to think about a character from Greek Mythology or Percy Jackson and map out how they went through their own hero’s journey. We had a good mix of choices in our class, including Orpheus, Odysseus, Zeus, Grover, Annabeth, and Leo. This is a great hands-on way for students to solidify the hero’s journey in their minds and apply it to stories that they already know but can now think about differently. These comic strips will come home with them tomorrow. Ask about who they picked and what they did on their journey!
Everyone was given the opportunity to present, and most students chose to show the class the amazing work that they did! I can’t wait to see how they choose to paint their pottery tomorrow!
