The story of “Icarus and Daedalus” is an effective myth to use when teaching about the mythology genre. Although brief, the tale contains many fundamental elements of Classical myths. Have students use storyboards to identify these elements and thus strengthen their understanding of this important genre. Provide students with a list of mythological characteristics, such as the one below, and ask them to identify and depict 3-5 elements present in “Icarus and Daedalus”. Have students include text boxes below each picture to explain their depiction.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard illustrating characteristics of myths in "Icarus and Daedalus".
Prompt students with open-ended questions about myth traits, like “Why do you think myths often have tragic endings?” or “How do the gods and goddesses influence the story?”. Encourage diverse responses and connect answers to real-life situations or classroom themes. This helps students deepen their understanding and makes the discussion interactive and meaningful.
Read a passage aloud from "Icarus and Daedalus" and verbalize your thought process as you identify myth characteristics. For example, say, “Here, Daedalus invents wings, which shows super-human ability.” This strategy demonstrates analytical skills and supports students who need guided practice.
Pair students or create small groups to review each other’s storyboards. Ask them to offer specific praise and suggest one area for improvement on how myth characteristics are depicted. This fosters collaboration and critical thinking in a supportive environment.
Invite students to write their own short myth using at least three characteristics they identified in "Icarus and Daedalus". Encourage illustrations or a digital storyboard for added engagement. This activity reinforces understanding and lets students apply genre knowledge in a creative way.
'Icarus and Daedalus' features classic myth traits such as a tragic ending, super-human abilities (flight), supernatural activity (wings made by Daedalus), a hero with a tragic flaw (Icarus's hubris), and lessons or explanations about human nature.
Teachers can have students create storyboards to visually identify myth characteristics in 'Icarus and Daedalus'. Each storyboard scene can highlight a different trait, with text boxes explaining how that element appears in the story.
The myth teaches the dangers of hubris and disobedience. Icarus ignores his father's warnings and flies too close to the sun, resulting in his fall—showing the consequences of ignoring wise advice.
While no gods appear directly in the myth, supernatural elements like the ability to fly using crafted wings and the concept of fate are central to the story.
Ask students to use a provided template to create a spider map storyboard, illustrating and labeling 3-5 mythological elements from the story, then explain each in short text boxes below their drawings.