18 January 2017

8 Grade Literature
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Drexel Lesson Plan Format:

Student Teacher Malanka Turczeniuk Grade Level 8 th

I. Content and Standards: CC1.3 This is the first lesson in our Greek
mythology unit; this lesson will introduce Greek mythology and Greek gods. As the
unit proceeds, students will demonstrate mastery of standards listed under CC1.3
II. Prerequisites: Students understand that ancient civilizations used oral
storytelling.
III. Essential Questions (provide a framework)
a. What role did Greek mythology play in ancient Greece?
b. Why have the myths endured to today?
c. Given that the world has changed so much since the Greek myths were written,
why do we still include them in our lives/ culture/ society?
d. What does art tell us about ancient civilizations?
IV. Instructional Objective: Students will recognize that ancient Greek myths
share common characteristics with contemporary literature: just as Greek myths
depicted gods with different personalities, abilities, and conflicts, contemporary
literature also assigns those same qualities to its characters. Students will recognize
that ancient Greek period art or artifacts give valuable clues as to the lives of
ancient Greeks.
V. Instructional Procedures: BDA
a. Before:
1. 10 minutes- Students watch Flocabulary video (Week in Review), and then
students choose which three news stories covered in the video they would
like to know more about. I then read aloud to the class the brief paragraphs
summarizing each of those stories.
 2. 10 minutes- Free Write
During: Introduction to Greek Mythology

1. 10-15 minutes- Greek Art/ Greek-related art - show artwork to spur

curiosity and interest. In small groups, students will walk around the class
and examine printed copies of pictures of period art/artifacts. Students will
first individually and silently examine each exhibit and reflect on it. Students
will then share their thoughts about that exhibit with their group members.
After @ 3-4 minutes at each station, students will rotate to the next station
(total of 3 or 4 stations). Once students have been at all stations, they will
take their seats; we will then as a class discuss what we saw in the artifacts.
Ask students what items they saw in those images; on blackboard, I list
those items. Is there anything in common with those items?
2. 8-10 minutes- Watch Safari Montage Gods of Olympus videos and discuss
them.
3. If time is left: students begin to draw a scene from something that was
covered in the videos OR if not much time is left: students quietly and
individually brainstorm as to what they would like to draw that is based on
Greek mythology, Greek gods, or is related to the art we saw today. Students
list possible options in a new Google doc.
After-
5 minutes- Ticket out the Door: Students will individually answer the following
three questions (on post it notes, which they will then place on a large piece of
paper [one piece per class period]).
1. Where before in your life have you seen mythology?
2. What did you find interesting in the videos we saw about Greek myths,
and why?
3. What are your wonders? (What do you still wonder about, from what
we saw in the videos or in the art?) Examples: I wonder why or I
wonder what would happen if or I wonder how she felt when...
VI. Materials and Equipment:
Laptop and whiteboard
 Paper, pencils, colored pencils, markers
Printed images (all searched from creative commons: these images are at
the end of this lesson plan)
o painting of Midas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology_in_popular_culture#/
media/File:Midas_gold2.jpg
o https://pixabay.com/p-1165599/?no_redirect
o https://www.flickr.com/photos/tipsfortravellers/11220380984
Students will examine above art/images for imagery, symbols, common themes,
and to come up with any other ideas or thoughts about Greek mythology.
VII. Assessment/Evaluation:
By seeing what kind of questions/observations/connections the students are raising
(both as a class and in small groups), I will determine the extent to which students
have attained the instructional objective.
Also, reading their ticket out the door answers will give insight into what the
students have learned, what connections they may have made, and what they are
curious to know more about.
VIII. Differentiation: Individualized Activities: As per IEPs. Students with
written accommodations will be asked to answer two of the three questions for their
ticket out the door, and those with verbal accommodations will be provided with
an opportunity to tell me their wonders instead of writing them.
IX. Technology: Students will use their iPads to access our daily agenda. The
video on Greek mythology will be shown on the whiteboard using my cooperating
teachers laptop (thank you!).
X. Self-Assessment: I will gauge student interest and enthusiasm during the
lesson. In particular, I am curious as to how they react to the first activity, the
stations at which they will examine the art. I also wonder what kind of discussions
they will have in their small groups after they have seen all the art exhibits.
Then, after the lesson, I will compare my objective with their out the door tickets.