Books by Zachary Hamby

Learn the secret reason we find hero stories so exciting and inspirational. Humorously illustrated with over 40 cartoons, this book takes readers through the stages of Joseph Campbell's pattern of the Hero's Journey using examples from books, films, and even video games.

Roman mythology continues the grand storytelling tradition of Greek mythology. The Aeneid, the poet Virgil's masterpiece, tells the journey of the Trojan lord Aeneas as he leaves the destruction of the Trojan War behind to discover a new home in Italy. The poet Ovid's Metamorphoses inventively re-tells the Greek myths by linking them together through the theme of metamorphosis or transformation. The allegorical myth of Cupid and Psyche analyzes the connection between the heart and the mind. The legends of Romulus and Remus, the Sabine women, and Lucretia explain how Rome was founded and then grew into a mighty republic. This textbook includes 11 script-stories that re-tell these wonderful Roman myths. Each script-story is prefaced by a 2-page teacher guide complete with background information, story summary, pre- and post-story discussion questions, project ideas that connect the myths to the modern world, and terms that can be taught using the script. Also included is a battlefield strategy game, a glossary of important characters, and a name pronunciation guide.

Have you ever wanted to teach a thorough survey of American Literature, but could not find the time? Searching for America takes some of America's greatest works of fiction and non-fiction and adapts them into Reader's Theater script-stories. Now classic texts such as The Scarlet Letter can be experienced in a whole new way! Reader's Theater script-stories allow students to break away from silent reading and participate in a group "acting out" experience that brings literature to life. By making literature an exciting, group-learning event, this script-story strategy motivates reluctant learners, helps struggling readers become a part of the story, and encourages all students to dig deeper into the texts. American Literature has never been this exciting and engaging! The script-stories included in this series are designed for students grades 6-12. Each script-story is prefaced by a 2-page teacher guide providing a synopsis of the adapted text, relevant background information and commentary, anticipatory questions for pre-script discussion, essential questions to help analyze the "big ideas" behind each text, recall questions to check reading comprehension, and instructions for teaching commonly-tested terms and literary devices using each script.This volume of 11 script-stories includes Native American myths like "The Flying Canoe" and "Gluscabi," non-fiction selections from early American Literature such as "The Explorers of the New World," "Mayflower: The Voyage of the Pilgrims," "The Journey of Olaudah Equiano," "Captured by Indians: The Narrative of Mary Rowlandson," and fictional works like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Courtship of Miles Standish" and a four-part adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. In addition an interactive classroom strategy game gives students a chance to build their own New World colony while competing against their fellow classmates.Zachary Hamby is an author, illustrator, and experienced educator. He has spoken at many conferences including the NCTE National Convention on the benefits of using Reader's Theater script-stories in the secondary classroom. He is also the author of the Reaching Olympus series, which teaches world mythology. He also operates two websites, mythologyteacher.com and creativeenglishteacher.com . He currently teaches high school in the Ozarks where he lives with his wife and children.

Knights in shining armor, fair damsels, dangerous castles, and enchanted swords are just some of the thrilling details that have made the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table popular for over a thousand years. From his castle of Camelot noble King Arthur sets out to create the perfect society with the help of the wizard Merlin. Meanwhile, his scheming half-sister, Morgan le Fay, the dark night, Mordred, and the disloyalty of Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot threaten to destroy his dreams of a better world. The 14 reader's theater script-stories included in this book re-tell the full saga of Arthur and his knights. Also included are several bonus stories, worksheets, and activities, including two playable games and a Find-It picture puzzle. The Reaching Olympus series uses classroom-tested Reader's Theater script-stories specifically designed for 6th-12th grade students to retell the great myths and legends of world mythology. Reader's Theater is an innovative and powerful teaching tool that allows students to break away from silent reading and share in an "acting-out" experience where words and myth come to life! Each script is prefaced by a teacher guide providing a synopsis of the myth, relevant background information and commentary on the myth, anticipatory questions for pre-play discussion, essential questions to help analyze the "big ideas" behind each myth, recall questions to check reading comprehension, and instructions for teaching commonly-tested terms and literary devices using each story.