English Literature Lessons

Content Questions

Download and modify the content questions as you see fit for your classroom.

Lessons

  1. Joseph Campbell's Monomyth and Archetypes: The Monomyth
  2. Symbolism
  3. Themes
  4. Vocabulary
  5. The Bookshelf

Lesson: Joseph Campbell's Monomyth and Archetypes

Learning Goals

  1. Learn plot structures and recognize these patterns in various literary works.
  2. Learn various oral communication techniques
  3. Take notes from a media piece

Minds On

  • Have students watch the TEDeD video "What Makes a Hero?" by Matthew Winkler
  • Students should take notes on the various elements of the monomyth.
  • To check for understanding, have students watch a number of movie trailers, identifying the stages as they appear
  • Guiding Questions: What elements of the Monomyth are consistently present in movie trailers? What elements are omitted from the trailers? Why do think these elements have been omitted?
  • NOTE: You could begin with the trailers and have students come up with their own stages, then see how consistent they are with Campbell's afterward.

Action

  • After studying the elements of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth, have students identify elements in The Average José, including archetypal characters, themes, and situations.
  • Use the worksheet provided to do this, or create one of your own.

Consolidation

OPTION 1: Have students tell a story of their own (real or fictional) that touches on many stages of the Monomyth. They should perform this story for the class, using expression and volume. (See Lesson for full assignment and rubric).
OPTION 2: Have students use the elements of the Monomyth to create a movie trailer of their own, either based on the graphic novel, or on their own experience.
OPTION 3: Have students complete an exit card where they identify the elements of the monomyth. They may also answer: "Why do you think the monomyth is so prevalent in our stories of old and our modern stories?"

Success Criteria

1. Successful delivery of an oral presentation using the elements of the Monomyth.
2. Successful creation of a trailer using the elements of the Monomyth.
​3. Understanding of the monomyth and application of this archetype to other texts and forms

Lesson: Symbolism

Lesson: Themes

Lesson: Vocabulary

Lesson: The Bookshelf