Greek Mythology Translated to the Present

Jackie GillespieREAD 520

Grade 6

Overview Essential Question: What meanings do Greek myths have for us today?

3 week unit with multiple technologies to write across the curriculum. This lesson is the cumulative project that falls the third week of the unit.

Prior to this project, students have:1. Utilized Vocab Grabber and Visual Thesaurus to map unknown and important vocabulary

2. Read several myths from Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin

3. Tracked character & plot development for each myth

4. Created a Wordle for each myth that you will covered with character descriptions, key words, and plot points.

Students will recreate one Greek myth and translate it into a modern day retelling through one of several presentation options.

Rationale My school is comprised of students who are focused on

memorizing minor details, but miss the larger picture such as its relevance to or connections with other pieces of literature or life.

I desire for my students not only to develop a schema for Greek culture for our unit on Ancient Greece, but also to make connections between mythology and stories today.

Students have a good baseline level of technology, but don’t see the connections or role it has in education aside from Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

I utilized this lesson with second language learners in ninth grade and it raised comprehension significantly as evidenced through several ongoing and cumulative assessments (projects, tests, etc.).

Standards Addressed

Common Core Standards

RL.6.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

RL.6.3. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

SL.6.5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphic, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information)

www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/

Standards AddressedTechnology Standards

1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students:

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:

b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.

www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx

Process & Technologies Used

Students will utilize:

• Major plot points• Themes• Character traits, motives, etc.

Students can:• Make any changes other than

those above.• Help with other students’ projects

(i.e. actors in videos, etc.)• Work in groups if approved by

teacher.

All retellings should be set in present day.

Presentation Options

Video

• http://www.onetruemedia.com• http://dfilm.com/moviemaker/

index.html • http://www.stupeflix.com/

Digital Storytelling

• http://issuu.com/• http://animoto.com• http://photopeach.com/• http://yodio.com/• http://storybird.com/• http://voicethread.com

Comic Book

• http://www.toondoo.com

Samples

Zeus and Metis Comic Book on ToonDoo

WordleVocab Grabber/Visual Thesaurus