Fulbright-Hayes Seminar Abroad-Greece/Bulgaria 2008

Curriculum Project
Amy Andersen, Ed.D.

Curriculum Project for Language Arts/Social Studies Education Methodology

Course
Level: Undergraduate Education Majors (Juniors or Seniors)
Objectives:
• Effectively integrates language arts and social studies
• Effectively build on students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds to
enhance language and social studies development
• Use a variety of instructional techniques to promote reading
comprehension and social studies understandings
• Create a jackdaw or “teaching trunk” related to some part of a country
and culture other than the United States
• Relate historic mythology, folktales/folklore, etc. from this culture to
modern times
• Create a new myth or folktale based on modern happenings and
research on their country/culture
• Explain how the project they create will help students in the grade
level they choose

Students in a reading/language arts and social studies methodology class

designed for elementary and middle school pre-service teachers will take
part in several activities geared to help them create a unit plan for their own
classroom based on study of mythology and folklore of a country and culture
from outside the United States. The students will complete a unit in class
designed by the professor and then use this experience as a model on which
to build their own unit on a country/culture of their choice.
Process
The instructor will provide mini-lessons to the entire class on the following
topics:

• Greek culture and history in general

• Background on Greece including architectural/spiritual icons related to
Greek mythology including the Parthenon in Athens, The Temple of the
Oracle at Delphi, and the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
• Concepts and culture of modern Greece
• Bulgarian culture and history in general
• Background on Bulgarian folktales and how they relate to historical and
archeological sites in Bulgaria
• General literary characteristics of myths and folktales
Collaborative Group Work
Students will split into groups of four. There should be six or seven groups in
each section of the class. Each group will first choose the country they
would like to use as the basis of their study, either Greece or Bulgaria.
Students will then choose a myth or folktale from that country as the focus of
their study. They will choose from the following myths/folktales:

Greek Myths
Gaea-Mother Earth/Creation of the World
Creation of the Titans
Creation of Man by Prometheus
Persephone and Demeter
Pandora
King Midas
The Golden Fleece
Adventures of Theseus
Others if approved by instructor

Bulgarian Folktales
Tiny Man
The Ogre Called Ouch and the Three Girls
The Boy, the Puppy, the Kitten and the Small Frog
Bang! Bang!
A Gift From the Heart
“Clever Peter” short tales (at least three)
Why March Has 31 Days
Others if approved by instructor

Groups will read and discuss the critical attributes of their myth/tale. They
will identify 5 items to create based on their myth/tale to go into a teaching
trunk related to the tale. These will include the following:
• “Baseball” type character cards that include a picture of each major
character listing character traits as the statistics
• Information about the country/culture at the time period depicted in
the tale. Groups will identify and research four important
ideas/concepts related to the time period and the myth/tale. These will
be presented as small posters in the teaching trunk.
• Groups will design a small board game or electronic game based on
the plot line of the myth/tale they read.
• Groups will include “artifacts” in the trunk to represent new ideas they
have learned about the culture they are studying. For example, for a
 Greek myth or Bulgarian story, groups might include dolls with
examples of dress.
• Groups will include four items from modern times that could be
included in a new version of the myth/tale and be ready to explain how
they could be incorporated in a new version of the myth/tale.

After creating this teaching trunk, each group will present it to the class
explaining each piece and how their students would benefit from the items
included. Each group will be evaluated by the instructor and other students
in the class. A rubric will be included for evaluation purposes.

Creation of New Myth/Tale

After each project is presented, the groups must write a new folktale or myth
based on current events in Greece or Bulgaria. Groups will take into account
the attributes of the literature they studied and include these attributes in
their new tale/myth. Groups can use the ancient/traditional characters in a
modern setting or use modern characters they create themselves but told in
the same style as the original. These new tales/myths will be shared with
the class and bound into a book for future use.

Culminating Project
The culminating project will allow students to take the experience of creating
the teaching trunk in a group and applying it to a new situation individually.
Students will plan a unit of their own for the grade level of their choice. They
will describe a teaching trunk for use with a different country/culture their
own students might be interested in. They will gather resources for the
literature their students will study through these teaching trunks or allow
older students to create the teaching trunks on their own. Each unit plan
must include the following:
• An overall timeline of the project
• Full lesson plans for to teach students about the literature and culture
of the country of choice (at least 5)
• A full description of the items included in the teaching trunk for the
country/culture they choose or a full description of the model trunk
they would use to demonstrate the process for older students creating
their own.
• Three to five lessons on facilitating students to write their own version
of the myth or tale from their chosen country/culture.
• A culminating activity appropriate for the grade level/age of their
students
• A comprehensive list of resources for student use while working on all
aspects of the project. This should be a combination of web and other
resources. There should be at least 30 of these.
Greek and Bulgarian Resources for Class Use

Books on Greek Mythology (Based on a bibliography compiled by: Inez

Ramsey)
Aliki. The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins,
1994; pa. HarperCollins, 1997.
Ardagh, Philip. Ancient Greek Myths & Legends. Illustrated by Virginia Gray.
Chicago: World Book, 2001.
Ardagh, Philip. Ancient Greece. Illustrated by Colin King. McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Age 8 up.
Clement-Davies, David. Trojan Horse : The World's Greatest Adventure. 1st
American ed. New York: DK Pub., 1999
Colum, Padraic. The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived before
Achilles. Illustrated by Willy Pogany. 1st Collier Books ed. New York: Collier,
1983, c1921.
Colum, Padraic. The Trojan War and the Adventures of Odysseus. Illustrated
by Barry Moser. New York: Morrow, 1997.
Connolly, Peter. The Legend of Odysseus. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1986.
D'Aulaire, Ingri. Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths. 1st ed.
Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1962.
Evslin, Bernard. The Dragon of Boeotia. New York: Chelsea House, 1987.
Fanelli, Sara. Mythological Monsters of Ancient Greece. Cambridge, MA:
Candlewick, 2002.
Fisher, Leonard Everett. The Olympians : Great Gods and Goddesses of
Ancient Greece. 1st ed. New York: Holiday House, 1984.
Fleischman, Paul. Dateline : Troy. Collages by Gwen Frankfeldt & Glenn
Morrow. 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick, 1996.
Gates, Doris. A Fair Wind for Troy. Drawings by Charles Mikolaycak. New
York: Viking, 1984.
Geringer, Laura. Andromeda : The Flying Warrior Princess. Illustrated by
peter Bollinger. New York: Scholastic, 1996.
Geringer, Laura. Atalanta : The Wild Girl. Illustrated by Peter Bollinger. New
York: Scholastic, 1997.
Geringer, Laura. Castor & Pollux : The Fighting Twins. Illustrated by Peter
Bollinger. Scholastic, 1997.
Geringer, Laura. Iole : The Girl with Super Powers. Illustrated by Peter
Bollinger, 1997.
Gibson, Michael. Gods, Men & Monsters from the Greek Myths. Illustrations
by Giovanni Casell. New York: P. Bedrick, 1991.
Green, Jen. Myths of Ancient Greece. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn,
2001.
Houle, Michelle M. Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology. Berkeley
Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2001.
Hull, Robert. Greek Stories. Illustrated by Adam Stower and Claire Robinson.
New York: Thomson Learning, 1994.
Hutton, Warwick. The Trojan Horse. 1st ed. New York: Margaret K. McElderry
Books, 1992.
Kingsley, Charles. The Heroes. Illustrated by H.M. Brock. New York: Mayflower
Books, 1980.
Kondeatis, Christos. Pandora's Box : A 3-Dimensional Celebration of Greek
Mythology. Boston: Little, Brown, 1995.
Lang, Andrew. Tales of Troy and Greece. Illustrated by Edward Bawden.
London: Faber, 1968.
Low, Alice. The Macmillan Book of Greek Gods and Heroes. Illustrated by
Arvis Stewart. 1st Aladdin Books ed. New York: Aladdin Books, 1994.
Macdonald, Fiona. God & Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks.
Columbus, OH: P. Bedrick, 2002.
Malam, John. Gods and Goddesses. Peter Bedrick, 1999.
Masters, Anthony. Greek Myths and Legends. Illustrated by Andrew Skilleter.
Peter Bedrick, 1999.
Mattern, Joanne. The Odyssey. By Homer; retold by Joanne Mattern; interior
illustrations by Hokanson/Cichett; Wishbone illustrations by Kathryn Yingling.
New York: Harper Paperbacks, 1996.
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Greek Gods and Goddesses. Illustrated by Emma
Chichester Clark. 1st U.S. ed. Margaret K. McElderry, 1998.
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Greek Myths. Illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark.
1st U.S. ed. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1993.
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Odyssey. Illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Morley, Jacqueline. Greek Myths. Illustrated by Giovanni Caselli. 1st ed. P.
Bedrick, 1998.
Nardo, Don. Greek Mythology. San Diego, CA: Kidhaven, 2002.
Oldfield, Pamela. Tales from Ancient Greece. Illustrated by Nick Harris.
Doubleday, 1988.
Osborne, Mary Pope. Favorite Greek Myths. Illustrated by Troy Howell.
Scholastic, 1989.
Osborne, Will. The Deadly Power of Medusa. Illustrated by Steve Sullivan.
Scholastic, 1988.
Philip, Neil. King Midas. Illustrated by Isabelle Brent. 1st U.S. ed. Boston:
Little, Brown, 1994.
Rockwell, Anne F. The One-Eyed Giant and Other Monsters from the Greek
Myths. Greenwillow, 1996.
Rockwell, Anne F. The Robber Baby : Stories from the Greek Myths. 1st ed.
Greenwillow, 1994.
Steig, Jeanne. A Gift from Zeus : Sixteen Favorite Myths. Pictures by William
Steig. 1st ed. New York: Joanna Cotler Books, 2001.
Stories from the Stars : Greek Myths of the Zodiac. Compiled by Juliet
Sharman Burke; illustrated by Jackie Morris. 1st ed. New York: Abeville Kids,
1996.
Sutcliff, Rosemary. Black Ships before Troy : The Story of the Iliad. Illustrated
by Alan Lee. New York: Delacorte, 1993.
Switzer, Ellen Eichenwald. Greek Myths : Gods, Heroes, and Monsters : Their
Sources, Their Stories, and Their Meanings. Photographs by Costas. 1st ed.
New York: Atheneum, 1988.
Vinge, Joan D. The Random House Book of Greek Myths. Illustrated by Oren
Sherman. Random House, 1999.
Selected General Books on Greece
Bordessa, Kris. Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid’s Guide to the History and
Science of Life in Ancient Greece (Tools of Discovery series). Nomad Press,
2006.
Cobblestone Publishing. If I Were a Kind in Ancient Greece: Children of the
Ancient World (If I Were a Kid in…). 2007
Dalby, Andrew. Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece.
MacDonald, Fiona. Ancient Greece (Curious Kids Guides). Kingfisher, 2002.
Woods, Michael and Woods, Mary B. Seven Wonders of Ancient Greece.
Twenty-first Century Books, 2008.
Wroble, Lisa A. Kids in Ancient Greece (Kids Throughout History). Powerkids
Press, 1998.

Greece- Selected Useful Web Sites

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Main_Page/
http://www.angelfire.com/pe/GrChildLit/
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/Greece.html
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/index.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ancientgreece/main_menu.shtml
http://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/AncientGreece.html
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/greek/
http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/home.html
http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/
http://yazoo.lib.ms.us:8000/kcweb/kcURLs?search=Mythology%2C+Greek++
Juvenile+fiction.
http://www.mythweb.com/
http://www.epl.ca/EPLMaster.cfm?id=ANCIENTGR2
http://www.sclibrary.ab.ca/kids/pathfinders/mythology.htm
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.html
http://www.greece4kids.com/
http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html
http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/content/en/Article.aspx?folder=95&of
fice=3&article=12221
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/goplaces/0,12405,227674,00.html

Bulgaria-Books and Websites

Georgieva, Ivanichka. Bulgarian Folk Mythology by (Sofia 1985)

Butler, Thomas. Monumenta Bulgarica (Michigan Slavic Publications 1996)

http://www.suite101.com/articles.cfm/short_tales/more
http://www.spiritoftrees.org/folktales/howe/nasrudin_trees.html
http://www.spellintime.fsnet.co.uk/Bulgarian%20Oral%20Tradition.htm
http://www.spellintime.fsnet.co.uk/Folklore_Section_Tales.htm
http://www.childrenslibrary.org/servlet/WhiteRavens?title=Bulgaria&where=c
ountry%3D'Bulgaria'
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/sfs/sfs47.htm
http://www.bnr.bg/RadioBulgaria/Emission_English/Theme_Folklore/Material/w
eatherriddles.htm
http://www.purebulgaria.com/en_version/folklor.php
http://www.banknotes.com/bg.htm
http://academickids.com/encyclopedia/b/bu/bulgaria.html
http://www.rainbowkids.com/HTMLFiles.aspx?page=BulgariaAct
http://stnicholas.kids.us/Brix?pageID=82
http://www.europe.org.uk/europlus/bulgaria.html
http://www.geocities.com/greetings1001/martenitza.html
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/bgtoc.html
http://www.omda.bg/indexa.htm