Mythology Characters: Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Creatures

Teaching Greek mythology characters? What fun! After all, kids love the larger-than-life personalities. Try this easy project. First, assign one god, goddess, hero, or creature to each child. Ask them to do a little research. When they write it on themed templates and color – you get a beautiful display for your classroom!

Ms. Sneed Teaches Greek Mythology Characters

Our favorite fourth grade teacher sat across the table from her former student teacher.

“Remember when we taught Greek mythology characters last year?” he asked.

Introducing Greek Mythology

“Sure!” said Ms. Sneed. She rustled around in her bag and pulled out a one-page information sheet. “First we read this page on the history of the Greek gods. It will give kids some background information.”

Mr. Grow nodded. “I liked that for your fourth grade ELA block, and it seems appropriate for my sixth graders too.”

Assigning Greek Mythology Characters

“Since there are so many characters and myths, we did a jigsaw-type research project next. Each student found information about one specific god, goddess, creature, or hero. Then they recorded the information on a sheet like this.” She slid a completed page across the table. “After they colored it, we created a giant wall display. Well, actually you created it.”

“Still feel proud of that,” Mr. Grow responded.

“You should! I remember how the kids clustered around that display. We had to drag them away just to take attendance in the morning!”

“And they learned about mythology without any reading assignment at all!”

“Exactly. Before too long, they became mini mythology experts.” Ms. Sneed grinned. “I loved it!”

Researching with Passages

“For a few years,” Ms. Sneed continued, I had trouble finding literature that was appropriate for my kids. Initially, I checked out books from our school library. I even bought some myself. But there just weren’t enough materials for everyone.”

“Why didn’t you let them go online?”

“No way! Many, many sites use nude paintings to portray the gods. Furthermore, events can be too violent or sexual. And then there’s readability… Not good for kids who are only nine or ten.”

“Okay, I get that.”

“Anyway, then I found these one-page passages. Each features one character. After a little background information, the text summarizes one or two myths. Just right for my fourth graders.”

Using an eBook

“And guess what?” Ms. Sneed continued. “They’re printable, shareable – and even come as an eBook!”

Mr. Grow Teaches Greek Mythology Characters

“This was a great introduction to Greek mythology for your fourth grade class. But I think the materials may be too cutesy for my sixth graders. On top of that, I think I would be okay with my kids using the Internet for research,” said Mr. Grow.

Taking Notes on Banners

Ms. Sneed nodded in agreement. “Lucky for you, this teacher-author just came out with some banners for older students. The images are also cartoons – but not cutesy like the ones I’m using.” As she spoke, she opened her laptop and clicked around to find the resource.

“Hey,” said Mr. Grow. “I like these. You’re right. They’ll be great for the middle school students I teach. Look, they can also be used digitally.”

Writing a Five-Paragraph Essay

“And look here,” said Ms. Sneed. “The resource comes with this organizer. If you want, kids can use their notes to organize and write a five-paragraph essay.”

“Great! that will also cover some of my ELA standards. And my kids will love writing about these wild mythology characters. Thanks!”

Beyond Greek Mythology Characters

“This Greek mythology characters stuff looks wonderful,” said Mr. Grow. “Can we meet again next week to work on some complete lesson plans?”

“Sure! If we include a novel like The Lightning Thief and some allusions, I’m sure we can put together the best genre study ever!”

Teach a complete 5-week mythology unit for fifth and sixth grade students. Novel, character banners, allusions, Medusa, the Quest, and opinion writing are included.
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