Legends

It’s mid-October, which means that little ghosts and goblins everywhere are gearing up for a fun, sugar-fueled night of trick-or-treating on Halloween. The kids’ growing excitement is palpable, and teachers often tap into their students’ interest by offering Halloween-related crafts and projects. Students of all ages respond well to ghost stories and Gothic fiction lessons, with many middle and high school classes delving into spooky classics such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Still looking for something different? How about exploring the “how” and “why” behind superstitions?

One of my absolute favorite units as a middle school student was mythology. Since we were learning about ancient civilizations in Social Studies, my Social Studies teacher and English teacher developed the unit together. Although we focused primarily on Greek mythology, we also touched briefly on mythological allusions in books such as The Lord of the Rings and in films such as Star Wars, and the role of the archetypal hero.