The
Epic of Gilgamesh Unit Outline
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic
poem from Babylonia and is among the earliest known literary works. In this
unit of study, students will read three installments of a children’s series
that retells important elements of the original tale prior to reading a
translation of the original cuneiform text. Students will be expected to assess
the effectiveness of these children’s renditions and the manner in which they
change the original meaning of the story. Students will complete assignments
that examine the manner in which elements of the Gilgamesh epic have
been adapted by later Greek mythologists and in the Judeo-Christian Flood
Narrative. Students will be expected to present their literary inquiries to the
class. Finally, all students will write one short quiz on the epic, as well as
the unit final.
Work and Assessment: All written submissions must be in complete sentences and have proper
paragraph structure, unless otherwise specified.
Major/Minor Assignments:
1. All students will write a one page, one-sided,
double spaced summary of each of the three children’s versions of the Epic
of Gilgamesh. These summaries will be important so that students can do
their best job on assignment 2.
2. All students will write a one page, one side,
double-spaced, review of any or all of the children’s story versions of
the Epic of Gilgamesh. Their reviews ought to include the following
elements:
(i) What did you like
about the storybook(s)? Why?
(ii) What did you dislike
about the storybook(s)? Why?
(iii) What was added to
the storybook rendition that was not included in the original? Why?
(iv) What was left out of
the storybook rendition that was included in the original? Why?
(v) Rate the book(s) on a
scale of 1 to 10 (ten being the best).
3. All students will be required to complete at
least ONE reading/analysis of a secondary text. Students will read the
text, and they will respond to the following questions:
(i) Provide a
synopsis/summary of the secondary text you have just read. Who are the
characters? What happens to them?
(ii) Look for connections
between this source text and the earlier Epic of Gilgamesh. Make a T-Chart that
illustrates 5 similarities and 5 differences between the two stories.
4. All students will present at least ONE
reading/analysis of a secondary text. These presentations may be done in groups
(3 people maximum) or individually. They may take the following forms:
·
a formal speech or lecture
·
an artistic depiction
·
a musical interpretation
·
a dramatic display
All presentations ought to answer the following
questions:
(i) Provide a synopsis/summary of the secondary text you have just
read. Who are the characters? What happens to them?
(ii) What do you think
are the connections between the earlier Gilgamesh epic and this particular
secondary text?
*** In order to encourage student achievement, the higher mark between Assignments 3 and 4 will be recorded as the major assignment, and the lower one will be considered as a minor assignment.
Tests/Quizzes:
1. After reading a translation of the original
epic, students will be expected to complete a short quiz on the Epic
of Gilgamesh in multiple choice format. This quiz will give them practice
for the more aggressive, in-depth Final Test at the end of the unit.
2. In order to help students gain practice in the
multiple choice test format that provincial examinations follow, all students
are required to write the Multiple Choice Unit Final. Students should
re-read and try to recall all the particulars of plot and character in the
Epic, as well as be familiar with the pantheon of gods as found in
Babylonian/Sumerian mythology. Some questions will also require that students
have listened attentively to other students’ presentations on secondary texts.