Objectives:
1. To refine research skills in the library using the Internet, card
catalogue, encyclopedias
2. To help students develop a character's voice (to empathize with
another individual)
3. To practice oral presentation and interpretive skills
4. To practice independent study on a topic that is open-ended for the
student's own conclusions

Students read Edith Hamilton's Mythology as part of their summer reading. 
Instead of giving a test or writing essays, this activity will help them 
move from a humorous dramatic monologue into a more serious one that still
extends students'creativity. Each student will choose a god, goddess or 
major hero to portray in class.

Procedure: The students choose the character they are to research.
Females portray female characters and males, males. They then do research on
their characters for one major symbol for a prop such as a jagged piece of 
lightning for Zeus. For costumes, students may drape sheets to
suggest males or females and use safety pins and ribbons to secure the
ends of the sheets. Hair, sandal and jewelry styles are available in 
encyclopedias for both males and females to use as they choose.
The presentations themselves are two minutes long and are written on
index (cue) cards that are numbered and have the student's name on them. 
The presentations must cover the following questions:
a. Who are you?
b. What is your background?
c. What are your powers and responsibilities?
d. What did you accomplish or fail to accomplish?
e. Were you treated fairly by history? Why or why not?
f. Why should you be remembered?
Students will be assessed on their costume and prop being appropriate to 
their characters, their posture, voice, appropriate gestures, facial 
expression, and preparation for the presentation.

One of the most interesting characters is Iphigenia in the version
where her father Agamemnon sacrifices her in order to receive good weather 
to sail.
Shelly, one of the students from the academy would especially enjoy this 
serious dramatization while Joey Wade would make a wonderful Hermes who 
flits from place to place and has considerable fun along the way.

The cards will be useful for reinforcing long-term memory of the project
for the semester exam and give students a chance for self-directed 
exam review as opposed to teacher review. More developed monologues may 
also lead into literary pieces themselves for submission to online
publications like Merlyn's Pen and writing contests.