Hero’s Journey, Speech Assignment for Joseph Campbell's Hero Journey, CCSS

What do Finding Nemo, Legally Blonde, and The Lego Movie all have in common? All of these stories (and so many others) fit the classic storytelling pattern of a heroic journey, as established by famed scholar Joseph Campbell.

Using ten of the Hero’s Journey steps chronicled by Campbell, students will connect many of the films they love with elements of the Ancient Greek storytelling tradition in this partner speech assignment. The entire lesson plan will take six days or so, depending on your class size. On the first day, you’ll present Joseph Campbell’s pattern using the FREE presentation materials you can find by clicking HERE and assign topics/teams. (For convenience, the free lecture materials are also included in this download in both Prezi and Google Slides versions.) Give the class two days to brainstorm, build a visual aid in your school’s computer lab, and rehearse. Delivery of these high-interest speeches usually takes three days for my classes of 33-35 students.

This 4-page PDF includes a student presentation assignment handout, a list of more than 60 modern school-appropriate films that follow Campbell’s steps of the Hero’s Journey, a brainstorming organizer grid, and a detailed rubric to make grading easier for you.

Want a teen-appropriate five-week unit covering Greek mythology? Click HERE for 25 days’ worth of engaging lesson materials.

NOTE: This item is included in my English 9-10 full-year curriculum. If you already own the full-year download, please do not purchase this item here individually. If you’d like to receive this item plus everything else needed to teach 180 days of English 9 or English 10 at a deeply discounted price, click here to learn more about the full-year curriculum download.

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Cover image credit: Pixabay, Public domain