Three Furies Study | Greek and Roman Mythology Lesson for Middle & High School

Who are the Furies? What is an anthropomorphic personification? Engage English Language Arts middle and high schoolers by exploring how the Furies appear in literature and art. The Furies, the Furiae, or the Erinyes are fearsome law enforcers. Appearing in the plays of Aeschylus and Euripides, where they torment Orestes for murdering his mother and her lover, traces the symbolism and import of The Fates, not only in ancient myth and stories, but also how the notion of vengeance and retribution plays itself out in the literature.

Use this Digital Download for a Three-day English Language Arts Lesson

Using my tested-in-the-classroom resources, with links to primary sources, activities, assessments, and more, your kids will want to discuss the role of the gods in the life of humanity, the concept of revenge, representation of women in literature, literary terms such as allusion, and anthropomorphic personification! So, I have loaded this resource with questions and readings that will get your students talking and writing! N.B. — Links to various source material versions are included in this digital download.

Common Core Standards: This resource aligns well with the reading literature standard: "Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux-Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus)."

This Resource Includes the Following Features:

• 1 Teacher's Three-day Lesson Calendar
  • With a teacher-tested stamp of approval, follow my suggestions on how to weave the story of the Furies into a three-day student-centered lesson. Start with artwork, conduct a think-aloud, break into expert and teaching groups with a compelling Jigsaw reading protocol, and more!
• 3 Art + Literature Connections (with Visual Aids)
  • Dictionary Entry on the Furies (Anchor Chart)
  • Two-page informational Text on The Furies (from the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology)
  • "Orestes pursued by the Furies" by Fernand Jacques François Lematte (French painter, 1850-1929).
  • Drawing of Two Furies traced from a Greek vase
  • "Juno Frightened by the Furies," by Giulio Bonasone (Italian artist, 1498- c. 1576)
• Identify Key Characters Worksheet
  • The Furies have taken on different names throughout history. Orient your learners by identifying the story's key characters.
• 22-Count Question Bank
  • Use these questions as quizzes after reading, independent work, or in a discussion or small group setting.
• Frayer Model Vocabulary Cards (with student sample)
  • Frayer models are a way to get kids to think about vocabulary visually in a four-section square —- A square for meaning, one for examples, another for non-examples, and a sketch. It is impressive to see the work they produce. A great way to decorate your classroom to showcase your kids' vocabulary-in-text understanding. The cards can contain terms, geography, and challenging words (as well as contextual entries that fit the story).
• Half-Sheet 3-2-1 Exit Ticket
  • Exit tickets are a way to get data about your students' understanding of the lesson right before the class is finished. Collect these exit tickets and quickly see what ideas your students picked up about the Furies.
• Further Reading List
  • Consider this further reading list if you think it is merely a bibliography. Share the list with your students or have them do projects based on the available research. Assign different sources to students and organize presentations where learning can go deeper.
• Answer Keys for all student-facing documents
  • Teachers always ask for answer keys for my products, so I guide you on what to expect from students in their written and oral responses.
  • Includes a standards alignment chart for planning.

I created this resource with middle and high students in mind. It is designed for an English Language Arts Mythology unit —

• Supplement to Oresteia Trilogy by Aeschylus
• For any myth-related unit!
• Use this resource as a stand-alone lesson or pair it with a larger unit on Myth, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Robert Graves's Greek Myths, Edith Hamilton's Mythology, etc.

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