| LESSON OVERVIEW
The main objectives of this ESL lesson on ancient myths are to:
- learn and use idioms related to mythology;
- discuss mythology and its impact on modern life;
- watch part of a podcast on why myths matter.
With this lesson, students work with idioms that derive from mythology (e.g. Trojan horse, Pandora’s box, Midas touch). They talk about myths from different perspectives, explore mythological metaphors in modern contexts and share their experiences and opinions. Students also discuss the significance and influence of myths, talk about mythological characters (e.g. Medusa, Loki, Thor) and watch part of a podcast (16:35–19:45) on the importance of myths.
This is a Flipped Classroom lesson plan. In a nutshell, it means that the first part of the lesson needs to be done by students at home. Learn more about flipped classroom and how we implement it in these lesson plans in our post.
PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES
In the pre-class part of this ESL lesson on ancient myths, students use words to complete idioms about mythological concepts and expressions (e.g. Trojan horse, Pandora’s box, Midas touch). They then rewrite sentences about various situations using the idioms from the previous task. Afterwards, students choose a myth from any mythology (Greek, Norse, Roman or another culture). They prepare a summary and think about its significance. Students are provided with some online sources they can use.
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
In the in-class part of this ESL lesson on ancient myths, students match halves to create sentences with mythological metaphors in modern contexts (e.g. Trying to keep my inbox at zero feels like a Sisyphean task.). They then choose three statements and discuss whether they agree with them and add details. Following that, they discuss questions about personal views on mythology. Next, students choose the correct verb (e.g. attest, shed, transcend) in statements about the significance and influence of myths. After that, they look at the statements again and discuss to what extent they agree with them. Students give examples if possible.
At this point in this ESL lesson on ancient myths, students say what they know about some characters (e.g. Aphrodite, Zeus, Prometheus). They discuss the points related to aspects of mythology (e.g. key traits, pop culture references, relevance today). Subsequently, students watch part of a podcast and take notes on how the myth of Pandora applies to the challenges of our modern world. They say if they think the observation is accurate. Finally, students read about two myths and explore how they might apply to modern-day challenges.
HOMEWORK/REVISION
This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students use different words and phrases (e.g. attest to, be enshrined in, permeate) to continue sentences with their ideas. They use a different word or phrase in the boxes for each one. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.
WORKSHEETS
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