Мифы Древней Греции на английском языке

Иностранный язык – необычный предмет! И среди всех других ему равного нет. На уроках своих обо всём говорим, кругозором широким хоть кого удивим. Знаем всё про семью, про квартиру, одежду…И секреты раскрыть не теряем надежду про моря-океаны и про дальние страны, про великих людей, про природу, зверей…А сегодня знакомиться с мифами будем, про богов и героев ни за что не забудем!

Цели и задачи

Образовательный аспект

• Совершенствовать навыки аудирования и устной речи учащихся

Развивающий аспект

• Обучать учащихся решать речемыслительные задачи, устанавливать логические связи

Воспитательный аспект

• Воспитывать у учащихся позитивное, уважительное отношение к общечеловеческому достоянию, каковым является культура вообще и мифология в частности

Ход урока

Вступительное слово учителя

Dear friends! Today we are going to have a lesson which is not usual at all. We’ll speak about very interesting things. I’m sure that you know many international words in the English language. It’s not difficult to translate them into Russian, e.g.: actor, organization, admiral, central, profession, museum, fantasy, comedy, platform, gallery, alphabet. This list may be continued.

Today I’d like to introduce you three words more. A myth. A legend. Mythology.

These words will define the theme of our lesson. Can you explain the meaning of these words? I’ll help you. So, take the sheets of paper with new words written on them, look through them and pronounce the words. (Приложение. Vocabulary.)

A myth is a story which is the product of the imagination. For the Ancient Greeks they were more than just folk tales. They tried to explain things that nowadays can be described scientifically. Ancient people had no scientific knowledge, they used their imagination to fill the gap. Other stories were the reflections of historical novels and events in which human kings or heroes behaved like gods and did things no real people could do. This type of story is called a legend.

The stories told in the Greek myths formed part of the religion for Ancient Greeks. They illustrated the nature of gods. So, religion was a part of everyday life for the Greeks. Each god was responsible for some aspect of life. Greek history can be traced back over 40,000 years. No one knows when the myths first appeared. Some of them are very old.

Now I suggest you to work with the tasks which you have on your desks and do the exercise. You are to complete the sentences. (Приложение. Task 1)

Do you like myths? Have you got any books of myths? Do you often read them? Is it interesting for you to read myths and to listen to them?

I’m glad to hear that you like myths.

Today I’d like to tell you my favourite myth. I’m sure you’ll like it too. But first try to answer such a question: can you explain why the seasons change one another? You think that it is because the Earth moves around the Sun. It’s the scientific point of view. But mythology explains this fact in another way.

Now you have a happy chance to listen to my favourite myth.

The Sorrow of Demeter

Demeter was the Goddess of the earth and harvest. She had a daughter Persephone. Once when Persephone was gathering flowers with her girl – friends in the field the earth opened and a chariot appeared before her. A gloomy – looking man got out of the chariot, seized Persephone, put her into the chariot, and the earth closed over them. The friends of Persephone looked for her for a long time, and when evening came they told Demeter everything. Demeter became very sad. She went over land and sea looking for her daughter. She went to Helios who told her that Persephone had been taken away by Hades to the underworld. The sorrow of Demeter was great, she was weeping all the time, she never smiled. Everything on the earth began to fade. There was no fruit upon the trees, no flowers on the ground. Zeus understood that if he didn’t help to solve this difficult problem, everything would die.

So he sent Hermes down to Hades, the dark king to ask him to allow Persephone to see her mother. But before Hades let her go, he had given her a pomegranate to eat, because he knew that if she ate a pomegranate she would return. Then the great chariot was brought before the door of the palace. Hermes and Persephone stepped in it and drove away.

When Demeter saw her daughter, her joy was greater than her sorrow had been. She said: “I have not seen you for such a long time. I’ll never let yon go again to the dark kingdom of Hades”.

But Persephone said she would have to go back to Hades in six months because she had eaten the pomegranate. She said that Hades was very kind to her, though he never smiled and everything in his palace was dark. Hades promised to let her stay with Demeter for six months every year. Another six months she was to spend with him.

Demeter was happy for her daughter, and everything that grew on earth felt that her anger and sorrow had passed. The hills and gardens were green again and the corn in the fields became golden.

The six months passed and Hermes came with the chariot to take Persephone to the dark kingdom. She asked Demeter not to weep. “When six months pass Hades will let me come to you again”, she said. But Demeter was in sorrow again thinking of the happy days when Persephone was a child and gathered flowers in the fields and played with other girls. Now every year when Persephone goes to the kingdom of Hades everything on earth begins to fade and autumn comes. When Persephone comes back to her mother spring begins. Nature awakens from its long winter sleep.

I’m sure that you’ve understood everything and can do the next exercise. (Task 2)

Now answer the questions:

1. What was Demeter?
2. What was her daughter’s name?
3. What was the name of the god who stole Persephone?
4. Who helped him steal Persephone?
5. When did Persephone come back?
6. What happens in nature when Persephone comes back home?

Your answers were correct. Did you like the myth about Demeter and her daughter Persephone?

Homework: to speak about any myth you like

Приложения

Task 1

Complete the sentences:

Task 2

Choose the right variant:

Demeter was…

• the goddess of earth and harvest
• the queen of the underworld
• the fairy of the tale

2. Her daughter’s name was…

• Persephone
• Aphrodite
• Hermes

3. The name of the god who stole Persephone was…

• Zeus
• Helios
• Hades

4. …helped him steal Persephone.

• Hermes
• Zeus
• Helios

5. Persephone came back to…

• the Olympus
• the field of flowers
• her mother

6. When Persephone comes back home…

• nature awakens from its long winter sleep
• everything begins to fade
• the story comes to an end

Vocabulary

Источник информации: книга для чтения УМК “Easy Reading”(авторы Г. Выборова, К. Махмурян, О. Мельчина), Москва, “АСТ – Пресс”, 1998г