The Hero's Journey Lesson Plans Grades 8/9

The Hero's Journey: An Introduction

The Hero's Journey, also referred to as a “monomyth,” is a narrative pattern identified by Joseph Campbell, an American literature professor, in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This pattern is found in stories from around the world and throughout history. It describes the typical adventure of a hero who goes on an epic quest and faces various challenges, ultimately transforming in a meaningful way.

This resource includes the following:

• an easily accessible introduction to the Hero's Journey
• a sample text that illustrates each stage of the journey
• multiple comprehension assessments + teacher keys
• six writing prompts to foster deeper understanding and connections with the text
• six exemplars (one for each prompt)
• writing rubric
• lesson plans aligned with ELA CCSS grade 9
• 28 pages of resources