Week at a glance April 26 - 30, 2010

Curriculum focus: identifies, interprets, and analyzes the use of symbols (1.3.K4i), compares and contrasts character traits (1.4.K7a), compares and contrasts themes across multiple stories ( 1.4.K7b), identifies and describes the protagonist (2.1.K1a), identifies and describes the antagonist (2.1.K1b), analyzes the contextual aspects of setting (historical, social, and cultural) and their impact and influence on characters and events in the story (11.2.1.K2), recognizes ways that literature from different cultures presents similar themes differently across genres (11.2.2.K1), and compares and contrasts works of literature that deal with similar topics and problems (2.2.K2).

This week we'll begin by bridging the gap between Norse and English mythology by reading and discussing Beowulf. From there we'll take a look at one of my personal favorite mythologies: the legend of King Arthur, Camelot, and the Knights of the Round Table. One might argue that the Arthurian Legend does not deserve mythological study because it lacks a pantheon of gods and is mainly about people. However, like most mythologies we've studied, the Arthurian Legend is a rich set of stories written by various authors over a 1500-year period. Also like other mythologies, authors and artists have used the tales of the Arthurian Legend as mirrors so that they could study their own age. We'll push through a brief overview of the legend's main points throughout the week.

• Mon: English Mythology - Read and discuss Beowulf, pgs 269 - 288. Finish reading on your own what we do not finish in class.
  
• Tues: English Mythology - Finish Beowulf discussion. Beowulf assignment due by the end of the hour.
  
• Wed: English Mythology - The Arthurian Legend - Overview and notes in class
• Thurs: English Mythology - The Arthurian Legend - The British Tradition. Readings and notes in class.
• Fri: English Mythology - The Arthurian Legend - The French Tradition. Readings and notes in class. Study guide due by the end of the hour.