A look at heroes Greek Mythology Allusions in 4th grade Literature and Culture Allusions are a reference to things commonly talked about in our society (examples: Cinderella, Shakespeare, and Greek Mythology) (Muniandi) What are Allusions? They help us avoid long, roundabout explanations Allusions help you get a visual image, because you can relate and understand. Allusions just don't have to be words or phrases though, they can be entire story lines. Think about how many different versions of Romeo and Juliet there are.

• 4th Grade Guided Math Stations

Where They Come From Many allusions come from Greek fables. (Like King Midas) Many of the settings of the fables though are real, like Ancient Greece. Steve Persall, a studier of allusions, says 'Many hero stories have great parallels to Odysseus, since it was essential the first 'Hero' story.' There can be allusions of a plot development, character development, mythical creatures and many other things. (Muniandi) Modern stories often have similar character development, hero who grow through trials.

Examples of Character Allusions made in Harry Potter Hermione in Greek Mythology was the daughter of Aphrodite, an intelligent girl that was a good strategist. See the parallels? ('Mythological') Harry, like Odysseus was looking for his home. He just wanted a place to fit in.

'They meaning the Ancient Greeks want to find their proper places in life.' (Leeming.) One of the evils that Harry had to fight in one of his journeys were the merpeople at the bottom of the school pond. Fashioned after the Sirens in Greek Mythology they distracted Harry, like Odysseus, from his journey. ('Mythological') Harry Potter allusion examples everything from Hermione, to turning people into ferrets. ('Mythological') The ghosts in Harry Potter also held many parallels to the ones in the Odyssey. They advise about the future, and then leave.

Many are still sorrowful about their past. Odysseus talked to one of his men, and his mother.

Harry talked to Cedric and his parents, they appeared when he needed them the most. (Muniandi) Circe was one of the witches in the Odyssey, but like the witches and wizards at Hogwarts, she didn't always use her powers for good. Many kids are introduced to Greek Mythology in an early age. From Monsters, Inc., to Shrek, many children's movies contain these allusions. (Suite 101) Kids Cartoons The Little Mermaid 'Circe shut them in a pigsty- body, voices, heads, and bristles all pig-like now, though their minds unchanged.(Leeming 742) -Mermaids are derived from the idea of Sirens. (Zimmerman) - Ariel's dad was Neptune, the Roman name for Poseidon.

(Zimmerman) -The idea of Ursala came from the Greek monster Scylla. (Zimmerman) Circe could be helpful sometimes too.

'Odysseus shares her meat and wine, she restores his heart' she then gives him information to help him along his path. (Muniandi) There were so many allusions in the Harry Potter series, I just gave it its own section. Star Wars 'Luke fulfills a number of characteristics you see in mythic heroes, like he has special abilities brought out by trying times.'

Says Steve Persall, Star Wars enthusiast. Sound familiar? Think: Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, and Odysseus. The Hunger Games In Greek Mythology there is a coined term of 'Battle Royale' a bloody fight to the death. The entire plot of The Hunger Games is the same as the original battle.

(Suite 101) There are so many more allusions that I didn't even mention. From product names to music, Greek Mythology fills our lives. I think we use so many allusions in our literature because we can relate to the trial the character must face. Steve Persall says, 'Ultimately, the hero must stand on his own, face the darkness and conquer it before returning to reality' Plus, who doesn't like a happy ending?

Work Cited ( I have 37 if anyone was wondering:) ) Cinderella. By William Peed, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton S. Luske, Clyde Geronimi, Ben Sharpsteen, Ub Iwerks, C. Slyfield, Donald Halliday, Al Teeter, Oliver Wallace, Paul J.

Smith, Mack David, Jerry Livingston, Al Hoffman, Joseph Dubin, Mac Stewart, Eric Larson, Don Lusk, Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Brey Claire Du, Rhoda Williams, and Rooten Luis Van. Distributed by Buena Vista Film Distribution Co., 1949. Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Collins, Suzanne.

The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Collins, Suzanne. New York: Scholastic, 2010. 'The Free Automatic Bibliography and Citation Maker.' Gnomeo & Juliet.

Kelly Asbury. Touchstone, 2011. 'Greek Monsters.'

Greek Monsters. PriorityDigital.com, 2008. EBSCO Publishing Service, 1999. 'Greek Stories.' EBSCO Publishing Website, 1999.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Chris Columbus. David Heyman. By Steven Kloves. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and Richard Harris.

Pictures, 2002. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Warner Bros., 2010. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Warner Bros., 2011. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. David Heyman.

By Steven Kloves. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith.

Pictures, 2005. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Daniel Tadcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. Pictures, 2009.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. Warner Bros, 2007. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Chris Columbus.

Warner Bros, 2004. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Chris Columbus. 'List of Greek Mythical Creatures.'

EBSCO Publishing Services, 1999. The Little Mermaid.

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc, 1989. Monsters, Inc. Muniandi, Punitha. 'Allusion In Literature: An Important Literary Device in Writing.'

N.p., 10 July 2010. 'Mythological Allusions in Harry Potter.' Mythological Allusions in Harry Potter. Persall, Steve. 'Move Over, Odysseus, Here Comes Luke Skywalker.' Mythology in Star Wars. Riordan, Rick.Percy Jackson.

Hamburg: Carlsen, n.d. 'The Free Automatic Bibliography and Citation Maker.' Shakespeare, William, and James N. Loehlin.Romeo and Juliet.

Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2002. Paramount Home Entertainment, 2007. George Lucas. Niles Film Products, 1941. Zimmerman, John Edward.

Dictionary of Classical Mythology. New York: Harper & Row, 1964. (Prezi) (Peter Pan) Allusions Similarities Between People & Things Nor Real Information About Stories, More Alternate Examples. & Definitions Plot Parallels Quotes Bibliography.

. Introduce the lesson by talking to the students about fairy tales. Since this not a new genre or topic for them, use 'activation' questions to get them responding and excited. Some examples of activation questions are: Can anyone name a myth? Can you tell me what a myth is?

Do we say anything in normal conversation that might come from a myth?. Odds are that last question will stump most, if not all, of the students. Use it as the lead in.

For example: 'It's okay if you can't think of anything right away, because that is what we're going to learn about today!' . Ask students to get out their pencils. Pass out Myth Madness packet. Use the word 'herculean' in a sentence and write the sentence on the board, underlining 'herculean.' . Ask the students to write down the sentence, underline or highlight the word herculean, and then underneath, write a sentence telling what they think the word means.

Allow a few students to share their definitions. Define the word and ask how they knew (if they did) that it meant being strong or having large amounts of strength. Tell them that the word comes from old myths and stories about Hercules, a strong demi-god in Greek mythology. Enrichment: Advanced students may write another modern story and include the words from their packet in their new tale. They may create a script for the fairy tale or for a new story that uses mythological language, to be acted out for their classmates later on.

4th Grade Guided Math Stations

Support: Struggling students may work in small, mixed groups to obtain peer tutoring. They may also read the stories aloud to each other. If needed, allow them to work on the Greek Myth word search as a replacement for some of the pages in the packet. Tell students that those stories are not the only ones that have impacted our languages. Fictional stories are so important that they have woven their way into our everyday life. Ask reflection questions such as: Can you think of other stories that sparked the use of certain words or phrases?. Tell students, 'After you leave class today, I want you to pay close attention to everyone around you and really listen to what they are saying.

Do they use a word or phrase that might come from fairy tales?'