Today’s Excerpt:

Here are some examples of how the hero’s journey might look from day to day:

Sample Story #1: New School Year for Maya

1. Call to Adventure: Summer is over and Maya is starting a new grade. Maya is especially nervous about starting the first day since her best friend is in a different class.
2. Meeting the Mentor(s): Thankfully, Maya’s older sister had the same teacher that she’s going to have.
3. Crossing the Threshold: Maya goes to school.
4. Challenges: On her first day, Maya forgets her lunch at home. At recess she falls on the playground and a few of the other kids laugh at her. She feels embarrassed and alone.
5. Victory: After several weeks of school Maya makes new friends in class and really likes her teacher.
6. Finding a New Home: Maya realizes that even when she’s nervous, she can do things that are hard. When Maya starts gymnastics at a new gym, she’s not scared because she remembers what she learned starting a new grade.

Sample Story #2: Marcus Has Sibling Conflict

1. Call to Adventure: Marcus has been fighting a lot with his sibling and wants to try to get along better.
2. Meeting the Mentor(s): Marcus asks his mom and dad for help. He also watches his older brother because he is usually always nice to all of the siblings.
3. Crossing the Threshold: After talking to his mom and dad and watching his brother, Marcus has some new skills to try to get along better.
4. Challenges: Even when he starts off trying to be nice, Marcus loses patience and ends up getting mad!
5. Victory: Even though Marcus still gets mad sometimes, he notices it’s a little bit easier to be kind.
6. Finding a New Home: Marcus starts to notice that sometimes he actually enjoys being with his sibling.

Discuss:

• What is an experience you’ve had that fits the map of the journey?