An authentic ancient Greek theater masks worn during a tragedy.Dear Students,
Let me enlighten you regarding what you missed on Wednesday and Friday if you were not in class.
WEDNESDAY
1. We completed our quiz covering the myths of "Arachne," "Daphne and Apollo," "Io," and "Echo and Narcissus."
2. We then discussed a new assignment that was given entitled "Nature Myth Pt. 1." You will need to collect the instructions from someone in class. In essence you are being asked to create your own nature, and the first step is developing a god. "Nature Myth Pt. 1" is due on TUESDAY along with your bandage for your mask. The handout is below. You can copy it as a word document and access it that way.
Name______________________ Period_________________ Score______________
Nature Myth Part 1
We have recently completed reading several Greek nature myths. These include Pandora's Box, Prometheus, Arachne, Daphne, Narcissus, and Demeter. Each of you should have a clear concept that a nature myth was the Greeks' way of explaining aspects of nature that they could not comprehend. You will eventually write your own nature myth. There are three parts to your "Nature Myth" assignment: the written portion is the second part and the performance section is the final part. The following directions relate to the first part of this assignment which is the creation of your god for the nature myth.
Part 1:
You are to create your own god or goddess, as he or she will be the primary character within your nature myth. You can decide if your deity is the protagonist or the antagonist. Please respond to each of the questions below, as this information will be used in the writing portion of your assignment.
1. What is the name of your god or goddess?
2. What is his or her domain?
3. What is his/her symbol? What does the symbol represent?
4. Include special powers or abilities possessed by your god or goddess:
5. What does your deity look like. Describe him/her below and then draw a picture of the god on the back side of this paper. The drawing should be large enough that it is easy to see specific details. You only need to include the face (mask). It is not necessary to dear the god's face using color, but I do request that you label the areas of the face with the specific colors you will be using on the mask. NOTE: THE FACE YOU DESIGN IS THE MASK YOU WILL BE MAKING IN CLASS, and eventually wearing!
Description of god's face:
3. Remember to wear clothes on Tuesday that you are not concerned about in becoming dirty. In addition, the following steps need to be taken:
a. Remove all make-up
b. Remove all jewelry
c. Ladies....pull back your hair
d. Gents.....shave your facial hair or be prepared to have it covered up with tape
I know that you will value and enjoy the mask making assignment, as this is one way the Greeks shared their myths with others. They would record their myths by writing them down, and then ultimately perform them. I have included some authentic Greek masks below.
FRIDAY:
On Friday we submitted our thrones, which are fabulous, by the way, and then we began our discussion of the written portion of the "Nature Myth" assignment. I shared poor several examples of previous nature myths written by former students with each class. We reviewed ways that the myths could have been improved through deeper character development, a stronger plot, and more logical sequence of events. If you missed Friday, please visit with me when you return to class.
I will look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
Best wishes,
Mrs. Crampton
