The Hero's Journey: Sixth Grade Language Arts
The following lessons could be part of a larger unit of instruction built around Greek Mythology for Sixth
Grade Language Arts with the central text, The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan. (Lesson One prerequisite: mini-lesson on Central/ Main Idea.) The Hero's Journey can be traced throughout The
Lightening Thief, so the following two lessons can be used to provided a framework for understanding
the novel.
Lesson One
Objectives: The student will be able to answer the Big Question: "What is the Hero's Journey?" The
students can provide examples from an informational text article to explain the elements of the Hero's
Journey. Students can determine the main idea of an informational text based on details in the text.
Students can summarize an informational text using key words and details from the text.
Standards:
RI 6.1 Cite textual evidence to support an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
RI.6.2. Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a
summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
Materials:
The Hero's Journey by Zachary Hamby - Article
Hero's Journey PowerPoint
Highlighters
Hero's Journey/ Monomyth Chart
Setting and Duration:
Whole Class and Small group instruction
One 45 minute class period
Grouping: Heterogeneous (mixed academic levels in each group)
Procedures:
Hook: Pictures from familiar movies that also follow the Hero's Journey.
Say something like: You might not realize it, but all of these stories are examples of The Hero's Journey.
Today you are going to read to find out what the Hero's Journey is by using our strategy for determining
the main idea of a text.
Close Read; annotation of the text, The Hero's Journey.
Students read the first paragraph silently for a general understanding of the text.
Guided Practice: Teacher reads the first paragraph aloud as students follow along and highlight
repeated key words and phrases.
Students work in groups to generate main idea statements about the text using information from the
first paragraph only.
Independent Practice: Students will read the rest of the text to find the elements of the Hero's Journey.
Students will fill in the Hero's Journey Chart with each stage of the archetype.
Say: As you read, highlight in the text and write each stage of the journey on your Hero's Journey chart
in the appropriate column.
Exit Ticket: Describe in your own words the Hero's Journey and list the key stages.
Assessment:
Formative-Teacher observations as students work in groups to develop main idea statements using the
text evidence.
Summative- Hero's Journey Chart will demonstrate how well the students can read the text to
determine the elements of the Hero's Journey AND the students' ability to cite evidence from the text to
fill in the elements. The Exit Ticket will inform the teacher of how well the students understood the
concept of the Hero's Journey through their reading of the text.
Differentiation:
Struggling Readers - provide a copy of the text with challenge words defined in the margins.
- allow students to read with a partner.
Lesson Two
Objective: The students will be able to trace the Hero's Journey, citing examples from a literary text to
demonstrate their knowledge of the archetypal myth structure.
Standards:
RL.6.1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.6.3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of
episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves
toward a resolution.
Materials:
The Adventures of Theseus from www.greekmythology.com - Literary Text, Adaptation
Hero's Journey/ Monomyth Chart
Colored Pencil or Pen
Procedures:
Set: Students, we learned about the Hero's Journey yesterday through our reading, and today in class
we are going to apply what we know to help us analyze a specific Greek myth. Turn and Talk with your
neighbor/ groups about the elements of the Hero's Journey. (Teacher works the room and listens to the
students discussions.)
Ask for students from each group to give a review of the Hero's Journey and its various stages.
Guided Practice: Let's get out our charts from yesterday, and everyone grab a colored pencil/ pen and a
copy of the myth I have placed at the center of each group of desks.
As we read the myth, use your colored pencil/ pen to underline each stage of the Hero's Journey.
Teacher models with the first section of the story (included in the Power Point), and then says:
Now, in your groups read the rest of the myth and underline the stages of the Hero's Journey.
Students read, teacher works the room making observations about what is being underlined and
providing feedback as needed.
Now that you have read the myth, discuss in your groups what you have underlined and fill in your chart
with the details from the text you underlined in the appropriate space.
Remember: While most myths contain many of the elements of the Hero's Journey, they may not
contain all of the elements.
Differentiation:
Struggling Readers- This is an abridged version of the Theseus myth, so there are not many difficult
vocabulary words; however, a pronunciation guide for the names has been provided to give to all
students.
Students can read the myth aloud in groups to aid in comprehension. The students are grouped
heterogeneously, so a stronger reader can read aloud.
Common Elements
within the Hero's
Journey
Text Evidence:
explanation of each
element
Examples from
The Adventures of
Theseus