English 1 Course Outline
Fall 2014
Ms. Yan
Myths have existed in every society, and in this course, we will explore how humans created myths to transform chaos and confusion
into developing order. We will examine the necessity of myths to explain the unknown and build societies in both the ancient and
modern world. As we study classical mythology, we will also examine what it means to be human in a social, cultural and personal
context, known as "the human condition," and discover the basic elements of the human culture. We will discuss the ways our culture
and society are like those of the ancient civilizations. How are our values and morals the same? Are our behaviors essentially still like
those of the ancient people? The study of mythology not only reveals the principles of individual societies, but also those of the human
culture as a whole.
We will be reading the following:
Ovid's Metamorphoses
Homer's Odyssey
Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Please note that we will also be reading additional supplemental material.
During this study, we will learn how to analyze, question and respond to a text. In addition to identifying literary structures and
devices used by mythmakers and creating our own myths, we will be writing comparative and analytical essays.
The outline below is tentative and subject to change.
Week of
Literature/Reading
Week 1
9/4
Class Contract
Topics/Themes
Vocabulary
Assessment
Introduction to Course and Overview of
Check contract and
Expectations
supplies.
Rules and Responsibilities
Monitor behavior.
Small group
discussions
Week 2
Intro to Greek/Roman Gods
9/8
Oral Tradition
“Genesis”
Mythology
Ovid’s “The Creation”
Significance of myths in the Modern
Begin Ovid’s
Metamorphoses “Book I”
“The Flood”
Flood Stories
Distribute
Collateral #1:
Pantheon of the
Gods
Examining Cultural Values through
World
9/15
excerpts
Creation Stories
The Beginning of Things”
Week 3
Vocab from the
Metamorphoses
vocab
Motifs across Literature
Quiz on the Gods
Class presentations/
group work
Determining Theme
“The Epic of Gilgamesh”
Week 4
Continue
Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Identifying Literary Elements
Metamorphoses
vocab
Work on Collateral
#1
9/22
“Book I”
“The World is too Much
Composing the Literary Paragraph
with Us”
Week 5
9/29
“Hyacinth”
“Orpheus and Eurydice”
Love and Loss
Characterization
Literary Paragraph
Metamorphoses
vocab
“Pygmalion and Galetea”
Week 6
10/6
“Tiresias”
Sexual Identity
Gender Roles
“Echo and Narcissus”
Pride
Week 7
“Niobe”
Pride and Downfall
10/14
“Arachne”
Hubris
“Phaeton”
Wrath of the Gods
“Daedalus and Icarus”
Allusions
10/20
“Musee des Beaux Arts”
Presentations
Characterization
“Hermaphroditus”
Week 8
Collateral #1
Fatal Flaws
Metamorphoses
chart
vocab
Test on Book I
Metamorphoses
Literary paragraph
vocab
comparing two
works of literature
Metamorphoses
vocab
Reading Quiz
Gather quotations
relating to the
The Fall of Icarus
Week 9
Introduction to Heroes
10/27
Week 10
11/3
Joseph Campbell’s The
Power of Myth
Star Wars Episode IV
Excerpts from The Iliad
11/10
Homer’s Odyssey
Homer’s Odyssey
11/17
Week 13
11/24
Hero’s Journey and Deeds
Epic Hero vs. Romantic Hero
Week 11
Week 12
week’s theme
Mythology and
You
Presentations
Check thesis
statements
Thesis statements
The Hero in Modern Culture
Vocab from the
Peer review of draft
lecture
The Heroic Tradition
Outline for fourparagraph essay
Writing a four-paragraph essay
Conventions of an Epic
Invocation of the Muse
Vocab from the
Odyssey
Test on Heroes
Literary Devices
Modern Application
Psychological Motivation
Homer’s Odyssey
Vocab from
Contrasting Elements
Characterization
Sensory Details
Vocab from the
Odyssey
Vocab from the
Odyssey
Presentations
Quiz on the
Odyssey
Week 14
12/1
Homer’s Odyssey
Week 15
Homer’s Odyssey
12/8
Tennyson’s “Ulysses”
Week 16
12/15
Week 17
12/22
Week 18
1/5
Week 19
1/12
Haroun and the Sea of
Stories
Haroun and the Sea of
Stories
Haroun and the Sea of
Stories
Reflection on the course
Significance of the Adventures
The Monsters and Human Qualities
Graphic Violence
A Hero’s Return
Introduction to Magical Realism
Vocab from the
Odyssey
Test on The
Vocab from
Group
Odyssey
Latin American Fiction
Satire
Vocab from
The Hero’s Journey
Haroun and the
Sea of Stories
Political Criticism
Vocab from
Review
Dramatizations
Vocab from the
Haroun and the
Sea of Stories
Connections to The Odyssey
Scene
Haroun and the
Sea of Stories
Odyssey
Presentations
Comparative Essay
due
Collateral #2