Parodies, satires, and modern day adaptation are rich with literary elements. They are valuable assets for teaching students about literature. Through creative writing, students learn to use literary elements in context, committing them to memory.
During a unit on Norse mythology, you can have students create their own Norse god or goddess. They can turn themselves, someone they know, or even a celebrity into a god or goddess. Students will create storyboards depicting their new god or goddess. Some things that must be included are the domain, power, symbol, and weakness.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create your own Norse god or goddess, including a story about them.
Student Instructions
Encourage positive, constructive peer review to help students refine their modern Norse god projects. Thoughtful feedback promotes deeper understanding and improves creative work.
Outline specific criteria for feedback, such as creativity, use of Norse mythology elements, and storytelling clarity. This gives students a focused structure for reviewing each other's work.
Demonstrate how to give both positive comments and gentle suggestions. Show examples using student work (with permission) or teacher-created samples so students know what helpful feedback looks like.
Pair or group students and provide time for them to exchange storyboards. Use guiding questions to steer the conversation, such as "What part of this god's story was most creative?"
Invite students to reflect on the feedback they received and make revisions to their Norse god projects. This step helps them see the value of peer collaboration and improvement.
To create a modern Norse god or goddess, choose a character (yourself, someone you know, or a celebrity), assign them a domain (what they rule), powers, symbols, and weaknesses. Write a story about their origin or adventures, and illustrate them using a storyboard.
Include the name, domain, symbols, powers, and weaknesses of your god or goddess. Also, create a story that highlights their background or a key adventure.
Modern adaptations help students connect with ancient myths, encourage creativity, and make it easier to understand literary elements like character, symbolism, and theme through engaging, relatable projects.
A storyboard is a visual tool where students illustrate scenes from their god or goddess’s story, showing key traits, symbols, and moments. It helps organize ideas and brings the character to life.
Encourage students to think about unique traits or modern problems and link them to mythical powers or weaknesses. For example, a god of social media might have the power to connect people instantly but be weakened by misinformation.