by Shelly Alilunas, Chisholm Trail Middle School
Sara Wimberley, CTMS
This WebQuest takes students through the hero's journey (popularized by Joseph Campbell) in five easy steps. The WebQuest examines several stories and how the "monomyth" applies to them all, including movies.
Teacher Introduction
Using the Hero's Journey in Language Arts
The ultimate goal of this approach to literature is this: to help students see the Hero's Journey in literature, real-life heroes (Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, etc.), and how their own lives follow the same pattern as well.
Finding Materials
Any number of movies, novels, short stories, myths, and true stories of heroic people follow this path. So, get creative and get ready to see the hero in everyone.
Depending on the age of your students, here are some suggestions for tracking the hero's journey through film:
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (can you say "call to adventure"?)
- The Goonies (which character do YOU think follows the hero's journey?)
- Freedom Writers (teachers are heroes, too--Erin Gruwell's story exemplifies this)
Literature is, obviously, rich with examples of heroic journeys. Here are some to consider:
- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Tally is a great example of a female on the Hero's Journey)
- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (this book is all about what it truly means to be heroic)
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Montag's story is an excellent example)