For gifted students grades 5-7
This Duke TIP interdisciplinary curriculum for gifted elementary and middle school students lets students walk in the sandals of Achilles, Pandora, Perseus, Persephone, and a myriad of mythical heroes. They explore myths while investigating the historical context of this fascinating civilization. Students can read and listen to excerpts from Homer, Sophocles, and Ovid to better understand timeless tales and the art of excellent storytelling. They will write journals, essays, and short stories of their own, and conduct research and develop note-taking skills. They will play the roles of anthropologists and comparative mythologists to understand why cultures tell stories.
View the Duke TIP Growing Up Heroic Greek Mythology Syllabus.
Head to the TIP Curriculum Vault to view all 10 lessons.
Can a 4th grader join this class? He has been accepted to Duke TIP
Hi, Stacey, congratulations to the student! Some 4th graders may find the materials accessible. We recommend that a supervising teacher or a homeschooling parent review the materials with the student. There are pretests provided for each lesson, so you can use those as well. This preview and pre-assessment can help the educator and student see whether the course fits an individual student. Since these courses at the Duke TIP Curriculum Vault are free and accessible to students and their teachers, we welcome those who have interest and passion for the topic to give it a try, since giftedness presents at various levels and degrees and not strictly within a grade level. (This is why we say “5th-7th grade gifted students” for the course.) A note: the recommended companion literature is best suited for upper elementary and middle school, but it’s not required in order to do other aspects of the course.
Hi There! I’m a gifted coordinator in Minnesota, and as part of our full-time gifted program, we offer “Choice Units,” which are 9-week seminars on topics that will interest our students. I attended a session with Dr. Matthew Makel at the Minnesota Department of Education last year, and that’s how I found out about your wonderful resources.
I was looking at the “Growing Up Heroic” curriculum you created, and think it would be a great fit for our “Choice Units.” As I read through the materials, it seemed like there might be more detailed lessons plans if student registers for the independent study class? Are there detailed lesson plans available that we could access for free or purchase?
Thank you!
Molly
Hi, Molly! So glad you found our materials! The lessons are all “right there” on each web page (over 200 pages of student lessons) and also, there’s over 100 pages of content at the Mentor Guidelines link (basically the Teachers Edition), top of this page: https://apply.tip.duke.edu/educatorbenefits/TIPINLHMNGR101/contents_mentor/. There is no registration required; students can click through at their own pace. Everything is free.
The biggest question for you as educator is whether you will use the reading list associated with the lessons or opt for other readings. Those readings are not supplied within the course.
I would draw your attention to the right-hand navigation on various pages of the student lessons, where you’ll often find printable handouts and materials to use in class.
Also, in the Mentor Guidelines you’ll find other materials you might be able to use with students.
Hope you enjoy!
Molly, you might also enjoy these additional lesson plans and ideas from the curriculum author, Dr. David Frauenfelder–great role play activities and ideas for readings:
https://blogs.tip.duke.edu/teachersworkshop/how-ancient-greek-are-you-time-traveling-role-plays/
https://blogs.tip.duke.edu/teachersworkshop/ya-and-the-classics-a-storybook-match/
Thank you so much! Very helpful. 🙂
Hello,
I am building a curriculum for Talented and Gifted students and these resources are wonderful. The TIP Curriculum Vault link does not appear to work. Is there a way to access the lessons other than through the link above?
Thanks so much for these incredible resources.