Guide Entry 98.02.05

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

Universal Myths and Symbols: Animal Creatures and Creation, by Pedro Mendia-Landa

Guide Entry to 98.02.05:

Has today's society lost touch with the universal dream language of myth? Are we so busy in our daily lives that the reasons why we are her are no longer important? This language arts integrated unit represent an attempt to bring some of that myth language to today's generation by exploring the immense wealth of mythological creation stories. I focus on the role that the animal plays in the stories, and I take a close look at the Phoenix as representative of mythological creatures.

This unit is an attempt to integrate the topic of mythology into the district curricular standards through the use of performance-based learning/assessment tasks. These tasks are specific to the second grade but can be adapted to meet the needs of younger and especially older students through modification.

The curriculum unit is divided into two sections. The first one provides the reader with some background knowledge on the subject matter. In the second section, the reader can see a series of lessons based on performance tasks that the students need to accomplish.

A list of student and teacher electronic and other resources is provided.

(Recommended for Integrated Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, Social Development. Grades 1-3)

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