Mrs. Diggs, Pre-AP Seventh Grade Language Arts

MYTHOLOGY RESEARCH PROJECT

Mrs. Diggs, Pre-AP Seventh Grade Language Arts

Cultural Values in Traditional Stories (Folklore):

Culture includes the way people live, their beliefs, values, language, art, music, and food. There are many elements that define a culture: its attitudes, values, ideals, hopes, fears, language, humor, expectations, and rules. A society’s culture is constantly changing. Stories that reveal the values of a society or what the society considers important paint a picture of the culture’s beliefs at the moment that the stories are written down. These stories can be preserved for upcoming generations to study and enjoy. By studying the literature of a society, you can draw conclusions about the culture of the society.

For this research project, you will complete a web quest, in which you will answer the question: How does the culture (ideals and beliefs) of a society affects its literature? The web address for the web quest is the following:

You will use the literary category of folklore to answer this question, specifically you will study the subgenre of folklore, categorized as mythology. Your task is to choose an ancient society and show how the culture of that society is reflected in its mythological stories. You will also explain how that culture is depicted in our American society today.

You will begin research on your project on November 12th. Projects will be completed in class. However, any part of the assignment that is not completed on the date assigned must be completed for homework. Your project should be completed on Tuesday, November 18th. However, you have until Friday, November 21st to turn in your project. Use your time wisely. Below are the due dates for sections of your project:

November 13th – Tasks 1 and 2 (Computer Day)

November 14th – Task 3 (all characteristics should be completed)

(Computer Day)

November 17th- Tasks 4 and 5

November 18th- Work on your final product. (Computer Day)

I strongly suggest that you work on your final product during the entire research process.

Grading:

You will create a slideshow presentation explaining and displaying the findings of your study. You can use PowerPoint, Prezi, Movie Maker, or Google Docs presentation program. Also, you can choose to write a two-page paper in MLA format or use a trifold presentation board as an alternative to the slideshow presentation. You will be graded on how well you prove your answer to the research question. You will be given a rubric. If you are completing a slideshow presentation you must have at least 10 slides containing the elements below. On the other hand, if you are writing a paper or completing a trifold board you must include the following 10 items.

Your presentation will include the following:

1.How storytelling and folklore reflects a society’s culture.

2.Describe your country’s culture.

3.Explain how your country’s culture is reflected in its mythology, using

the three characteristics.

4.Include a summary of your country’s creation story.

5.Include two examples of stories of how an aspect of nature or human

nature was created.

6.Explain how your society uses stories to teach behavior? Use two

examples.

7.Choose a god or goddess and show how he or she reflects the culture of

the society. Include a family tree.

8.Explain how your society’s mythology affects American society today?

9.You will be graded on creativity. Include pictures, sound, and video.

10.Your last slide must give credit to your sources in MLA format.

TASKS

Task 1: You will first explore the act of storytelling. The cultural purpose of storytelling is to help people in a society understand who they are in relation to those in their own cultural group and to those outside the group. Stories provide an individual or society with the following: a religious tradition, group identity, childhood learning, helps a person understand the world around him, help people resolve conflict, gives a person a sense of belonging, and stories are used for entertainment and play.

Read the articles on storytelling and folklore. Complete the chart on storytelling and folklore and write a summary on how storytelling and folklore reflect a society’s culture. The chart will be given to you.

Website: Alabama Virtual Library

Sirs Discoverer, Compton’s by Britannica, Storytelling

Sirs Discoverer, Compton’s by Britannica, Folklore

Task 2: Choose an ancient country to explore. Complete the chart. Explain the characteristics of the society. Describe its culture. Include in your description their religious beliefs, values, language, art, music, food, and the way they live. Our focus for this task will be on ancient Greece, however, you may choose another culture, such as Roman, Chinese, Norse, Russian, or Egyptian.

Websites on Culture:

• Greek Religion-Ancient Greece for Kids

• Ancient Greece

Task 3: Show how this country’s culture is reflected in its mythology.

A myth is a traditional story that was created to explain mysteries of the universe. The characteristics of mythology are as follows: (1) Explain how something connected with humans or nature came to be. (2)Reveals the consequences of both good and bad behavior. (3)Features gods or other beings who have supernatural powers as well as certain flaws. By using the above three characteristics, you will explain how the society you have chosen shows or reflects its culture through its stories. List 5 types of myths and their characteristics.

Website: Alabama Virtual Library:

Sirs Discoverer, Compton’s by Britannica, Mythology

Characteristic 1: Creation Stories

How does your ancient society explain how the world was created? How does your society explain how something connected with humans or nature came to be. For example, how does the sun rise and set every day? How do the seasons change? What is lightning and thunder?

These sites feature the story of creation from different cultures around the world.

Big Myth:

Magic Tales:

Encyclopedia Mythica:

Stories that explain how things were created:

Prometheus (the creation of man)

Demeter & Persephone (the creation of the seasons)

Characteristic 2: Reveals the consequences of both good and bad behavior.

How does your society use the stories to teach good and bad behavior? What character traits did your society value the most? Choose two stories from Greek (or your chosen society) mythology that teach lessons about behavior. Summarize the stories and explain the character traits that were taught. What were the consequences of their behavior?

What are some character traits that the Greeks did not like? The Greeks used mythology, poetry, and plays to show characters that were accountable for their own actions, choices, and behavior. The stories teach lesson about behaviors that were considered disagreeable by the Greeks.

Use the following website: Encyclopedia Mythica:

Below are a list of characters that the Greeks used to teach behavior

Echo PandoraIcarus

Narcissus Medusa Phaethon

Characteristic 3: What gods or other beings who have supernatural powers as well as certain flaws are found in your society’s mythology? In Greek mythology, each Greek god or goddess represents a value of the ancient culture. Through the roles of the gods and goddesses the Greeks explained the clouds, rain, light, marriage, war, music, wisdom, sun, hunting, moon, fire, and purity.

Choose one god or goddess. Explain what part of nature and cultural value that the god or goddess represents. Include biographical information concerning the god or goddess. Also, create a chart of the god or goddess family tree.

Task 4: How does your society’s mythology affect our American society today?

Mythology in Modern Society:

Task 5: You must document all resources used, including pictures and charts. You must have at least three resources.

MLA Citation Guide

You may also use chapter nine of your book for examples of correct documentation of sources.