Teaching the Hero's Journey: Dos and Don'ts of Unit Design [S7 EP. 256]
Listen to the full episode below:
Want to know one of our favorite things about the Hero’s Journey? It inevitably leads us to fantasy!
Spoiler: one of us was a fantasy skeptic turned believer. But don’t worry, we’re both all in now - and by the end of this conversation, we hope you see why the “f-word” (fantasy!) deserves a permanent place in your classroom too.
We’re kicking off a brand new four-part series on teaching the Hero’s Journey, starting with the dos and don’ts of unit design. We’re diving deep into the Hero’s Journey not as a rigid framework, but as a launchpad for critical thinking, meaningful discussions, and honestly, a little magic!
Throughout this series, we’ll be talking through three different units centered around three different texts. One will be for middle grades, one for lower high school, and one for upper high school. Today, along with best practices for teaching the Hero’s Journey, you’ll also hear our ideas for essential questions to use as anchors for your unit design.
In the upcoming episodes, we’ll look closer at each unit and text individually, including a more thorough look at EQs, assessments, and supplementals. Be sure to grab our free Hero’s Journey Evidence Tracker so your students can keep their notes organized and be prepared to have bigger “so what?” conversations in class!
topics discussed:
Our first entry into Joseph Campbell’s, the Hero’s Journey
Do and Do Nots for teaching the Hero’s Journey
Focusing on the “so what” questions!
The importance of structure and pacing for this unit
Advice to break the Hero’s Journey into three parts
Our first drafts for possible essential questions you could use with this unit
What to expect with the rest of this series (and what’s to come with Camp BNT this summer!)
resources:
Follow Marie on Instagram: @thecaffeinatedclass
Follow Amanda on Instagram: @mudandinkteaching
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check out other bnt episodes:
More about Brave New Teaching:
Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!
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