Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths for Today's World [Paperback]

Zachary Hamby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2009

Teens will question life's biggest topics by relating them to classic myths.

Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths in Today's World takes classical mythology to a new level by relating ancient stories to the culture, history, art, and literature of today. By looking at topics instrumental to both mythology and modern culture, teens are encouraged to question topics such as the repercussions of war, vanity and greed, the workings of fate, the nature of love, the roles of women in society, revenge and forgiveness, the meaning of life, and national identity.

The majority of high school humanities and Advanced Placement courses teach classical mythology by simply retelling myths. By using teen-friendly reader's theatre scripts to tell the legends, in combination with activities, discussion questions, and exercises that help students apply what they've learned to real life, Mythology for Teens takes the classic myths taught in school and turns them into an engaging, interesting, and fresh way of looking at old material.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Zachary Hamby is a high school Communications Arts teacher from the Ozarks, where he teaches English, World Literature, and Mythology. He also serves as a consultant for the National Writing Project. He is a frequent educational conference presenter on the benefits of using Reader's Theater in the secondary classroom.  He also maintains the teacher website mythologyteacher.com. He resides with his wife and two children in the Ozarks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Prufrock Press (January 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593633637
• ISBN-13: 978-1593633639
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Zachary Hamby was born and raised in the Ozark Mountains. He is a teacher of English at Dora High School, where he teaches a Mythology-Folklore class. A breakthrough occurred in his teaching career when he started turning mythological stories into Reader's Theater plays for his classes to read aloud. Since this time, these mythological stories have come alive for his students.

Zachary has authored two mythology series. The first is the REACHING OLYMPUS series, which uses Reader's Theater to teach world mythology to middle school and high school students. The second series, MYTHOLOGY FOR TEENS, relates ancient myths to the modern world.

Zachary is a common presenter at conferences such as the Missouri Write-to-Learn conference and the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention.

Zachary also maintains a website specifically for teaching mythology at www.mythologyteacher.com

He resides with his wife, son, and newborn daughter in Dora, Missouri.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mythology comes alive, February 6, 2009

By 

S. Johnson (Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths for Today's World (Paperback)

Oh, to have had this text years ago when I was teaching mythology! It would have been much easier on me and the students than using the "dry" text from which I tried to teach. This book is a must for anyone teaching mythology to junior high or high school students, but I found it to be an interesting read for enjoyment, as well.
One challenge for teachers is getting students engaged in the subject, and this book does just that. Zachary Hamby has taken a few of the stories of the Greek and Roman gods and heroes and turned them into reader's theater scripts written in language to which teens can relate. The length of these plays will work well for a class period with time left for discussion. Activities of various kinds are included as students are asked to discuss, write, research, draw--in short, to think and be creative as they relate the myths to heroes in history and today's world. One activity is a pattern for students to design a "Mythological Barbie" based on a creature or hero from mythology. The activities appeal to students with differing learning styles and abilities.
The illustrations throughout the book are fascinating. Each of the major gods and goddesses and some creatures are illustrated in outstanding detail capturing the characters' physical features and personalities in a cartoon-like fashion--one that will appeal to teen readers. But, far, far from being a teen myself, I could not keep from being drawn to each illustration and took time to find the heroes and creatures in a "Where's Waldo"-type of drawing near the book's end.
Additionally, a colleague and I discussed how this book could be used as a model to show teacher education students how to make their subject come alive. Historical events, scientific discoveries, biographies could be created in a similar way as these reader's theater scripts have been done. Hopefully, this author will follow with additional books that will inspire students and help teachers bring creativity to their classrooms. I can only imagine how the "Canterbury Tales" and "Beowulf" might be presented in a similar way.
Well done, Mr. Mythology!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book for mythology teachers!, March 30, 2009

By 

a frequent visitor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths for Today's World (Paperback)

I have done quite a bit of research on Readers' Theatre so I know how effective it is in motivating students to read and interact with texts. I was very pleased to see Zachary Hamby's book Mythology for Teens: Classical Myths in Today's World for adolescent readers. He has done an amazing job of making mythology and reading appealing for this age group, which is not an easy task. I think any high school teacher can relate to his comments on the acknowledgments page about the frustrations of making difficult curriculum interesting to teenagers. Yet, he has accomplished the task with flair. I believe high school students will find the book highly interesting and motivating. The illustrations are excellent and add a great deal to the book. This is a must have book for high school teachers. The discussion points and teaching ideas that go with each piece are invaluable as well. Kudos for writing and illustrating a book for Readers' Theatre for adolescent readers!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Special Education Book!, November 11, 2010

By 

Sensor - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mythology for Teens: Classic Myths for Today's World (Paperback)

I used this book to teach Mythology this past summer in a high school special education room. When I purchased this book to use a text, I did not have very high expectations since I needed a book fast. What I ended up with was one of the best texts I have used in quite some time. All the kids loved the activities, stories, and the author truly brought the topic to life with current events. This is a must for any Social Studies teacher .