This 84-page guide contains everything you need to teach the basic Hero’s Journey archetype. The unit is designed for five days, but it can be shortened to two days or expanded to several weeks by using The Hero’s Journey: Three Supplementary Projects, our 40-page guide which is included in this package.
Three individual lessons
This teaching guide contains everything you need to teach the basic Hero’s Journey pattern in just five days.
- Class activity exploring students’ favorite stories to activate their narrative schema.
- The legend of “Gawain and the Green Knight” to introduce the Hero’s Journey pattern. Included are writing and discussion questions.
- A three-day lesson using the original Star Wars film, Star Wars IV: A New Hope. (You may substitute a film of our own choosing.)
This unit is ready to go. Preview the lesson and background information, print student materials and start teaching.
Classroom-tested materials
- Detailed, daily lesson plans
- Student texts: “The Hero’s Journey: Life’s Great Adventure” and “Gawain and the Green Knight”
- Film unit using “Star Wars IV” (or other film of your choice)
- Graphic and written activities to enhance learning
- Resource material to enrich your own knowledge and understanding of the journey
After the students have learned the journey archetype, they will be able to use it to study literature and film and to better negotiate the challenges in their own lives. You can use my suggested plans or fit the material to your own curriculum and schedule.
Available Supplements
If you want to expand your studies of the Hero’s Journey, two supplements are available: “The Legend of the Buddha: A Spiritual Hero’s Journey” and “The Call Refused: Evoking the Shadow Journey.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I have more than 30 years of experience teaching, researching and writing about the Hero’s Journey. I have an MA in psychology focusing on the transformative process in the journey experience. My teaching guide The Hero’s Journey: A Guide to Literature and Life, which is being used by schools in 42 states and 17 countries, won the 2002 National Youth Storytelling “Teaching and Coaching” Pegasus Award. I’ve presented dozens of workshops, including at state conferences in Oregon and California. In 2007 I was a featured speaker at the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the original Star Wars.
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