Lesson Plan Template

Name: Jorie Grande Class/Subject: 6th Grade Ancient Civilizations/ Greek Mythology Date: 3/12/13 Student Objectives/Student Outcomes: -Students will watch a short clip from the movie Hercules. The clip will show students Greek mythologys creation story and highlights how the ancient Greeks viewed these myths as a religion. -Students will be given a lesson using the Prezi format. This presentation will introduce students to the topic of Greek mythology, as well as to the various Greek gods and goddesses most well known today. -Students will complete a writing activity in which they will choose a god or goddess based on personal preference to become for a day. They will explain why they would be that god or goddess and share their ideas with the class at the end. The activity will be low stakes, so as to allow students an easy topic to write about (themselves) while remaining on task and able to recall the information presented to them in the lesson. Content Standards: 18.A.3 Explain how language, literature, the arts, architecture and traditions contribute to the development and transmission of culture. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. Materials/Resources/Technology: -computer -projector screen -projector -access to internet -Prezi -Warm Up! sheets -which Greek god are you sheets Teachers Goals: - To offer students an introduction to mythology, in particular ancient Greek mythology.

- To introduce students to the main canon of Greek gods and goddesses, as well as their origins. - To encourage students to build their writing abilities through a low-stakes, but on task writing assignment. Time 8:10-8:20 Start of Class: Students will complete a Warm Up! activity. The word for the day will be myth. Definition: a traditional or legendary story. Sometimes, it can be about an event or a hero, and other times, it can be an explanation for a practice, rite, or natural phenomenon. Examples, Example Sentence, and Illustration will be provided by the students. Introduction of Lesson: Students will be shown a YouTube clip from the movie Hercules. The clip gives a brief introduction to Greek mythologys creation story and the origin of the gods, in particular Zeus. Particular focus will be drawn to how the ancient Greeks explained natural disasters as well as the name of the song: The Gospel Truth. Gospel is often associated with religion, and, for the ancient Greeks, the stories of the gods and heroes were their religion. Today, we call it mythology because nobody worships it any longer. Lesson Instruction: Students will be given a Prezi Presentation on the main canon of the Greek gods (see attached outline). The presentation consists mainly of a refresher of what mythology is and what its purpose was in Ancient Greek society, as well as an overview of the major Olympians that were worshipped. This will act as their introduction to Greek mythology. Questions to consider for this portion of the lesson include: -Mythology was a way to help Greeks understand the way the world worked; what stories do we have today that explain our world in the same fashion? -Who were some of the demigods? Are there any that are still famous enough that a lot of people know about them from pop culture? -Why do you think Athens patron god was the goddess Athena? Why did the Ancient Athenians place so much stock in a female deity when their own women were not allowed to vote or have much of a say in the way the city-state was run? -Who is Eros? Do we have a different name for him that more of the general population would recognize? -Hera was the Greek goddess of marriage, but her own husband was known for having multiple affairs and fathering many of the Olympian gods, goddesses, and the demigods. Why do you think that the Greeks had their patroness of marriage be married to a deity who consistently and constantly cheated on her? -Is Greek mythology still relevant today? How? Where do you see signs of it the most? 8:50-9:00 Assessments/Checks for Understanding: Students will complete a writing activity

8:20-8:25

8:25-8:50

wherein they will specify, if they had woken up this morning as one of the Greek gods or goddesses, (1) which god(dess) would they be, and (2) why. The activity asks students to recall information from the lesson, determine which god(ddess) they would most appropriately be, and why based on personal preferences, interests, and/or information (i.e. a student says he would be Poseidon because he enjoys swimming). If there is time remaining, students will be invited to share what theyve written with the class. The instructor will collect the activity sheets at the end; they will help me make sure the students understood the lesson as well as help me get to know them based on their responses. 9:00 Closure/Wrap-Up/Review: Many ancient civilizations and even some modern ones have used stories of the fantastic or supernatural to explain the very scary and volatile world around them. The ancient Greeks were no different; they used their mythology to try and understand why natural disasters took place, as well as to explain the much larger question of why they even existed to begin with. We still have the stories the Greeks told, and they often appear in movies, books, poetry, and other forms of pop culture. Self-Assessment: -Are students answering my questions? Are they asking their own because they need more clarification on the topic, or because they do not understand the material? When they participate in the activity-discussion, are they voicing appropriate responses? -Ask the students at the end of the lesson for feedback on what they did/didnt like, why,and how they think future lessons could be improved.

Name______________________________

What Do You Think?

In class, weve discussed the Greek gods and goddesses. The gods and goddesses of these ancient mythologies helped the Greeks explain their world, as well as the natural events, like storms or crop failures, that took place in their world. Imagine that you have woken up this morning to discover that you are not human, but one of the gods! Which god or goddess are you and why? How would you spend your days, and how would you use your godly powers? Please remember to write in complete sentences with the appropriate capitalization and punctuation at the beginning and end of each one. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Prezi Transcript What Is Mythology? Myths helped the Greeks understand how the world worked In Ancient Greece, myths told stories of: o The origins of the gods o The doings of the gods o Adventures of the demigods Zeus Zeus defeated the Titans and freed his siblings from them God of the sky and king of the gods More powerful than all the other gods combined Hera Hera was sister to Zeusand his wife! Hera was the queen of Olympus and the goddess of marriage Poseidon Poseidon was brother to Zeus God of the seas He was also known as Earthshaker Hades Hades was one of Zeuss brothers He was god of the Underworld and Lord of the Dead His wife is the goddess Persephone Demeter Demeter was one of Zeuss sisters She was the goddess of the harvest She is the mother of the goddess Persephone Hestia One of Zeuss sisters Goddess of the hearth She had no throne at Olympus Gentlest Olympian Athena Daughter of Zeus; she was born by springing from his head Goddess of wisdom Patroness of Athens Apollo Son of Zeus and twin brother to Artemis God of the sun/light, music, and reason The Oracle at Delphi belonged to him Artemis Daughter of Zeus; Apollos twin sister Goddess of the moon, the hunt, and patroness of the youth, particularly maiden girls Ares Son of Zeus and Hera

 God of war Known to be cruel and vain Known for having an affair with Aphrodite Aphrodite She sprung up from the sea; her parentage is disputed, but often attributed to Zeus Goddess of love Married to Hephaestus Mother of Eros Hephaestus Son of Zeus and Hera Aphrodites husband God of blacksmiths and fire His legs were crippled Dionysus Son of Zeus and a mortal woman God of wine/celebration Patron of the theater Hermes Son of Zeus God of merchants, shepherds, travelers, thieves, wit Messenger of the gods Leads the dead to the Underworld