Overview and Background: Unit: Let's Sue Zeus

Melodie Hofer : Cheney USD 268

Language Arts. : Literature : Literature

Cheney Middle School : Grades 7 - 7 : Aug. - Jun.

Title:	Let's Sue Zeus
Topics:	Greek Mythology
Time Frame:
Start Date:	-
Status:	Draft
Date Revised:

Other Designers:

Summary:
Students will read at least 12 Greek myths and speak in a variety of situations involving role playing. This role playing will assess students' basic understanding of the plots. The end of the unit project will assess the big understanding in the form of a court trial. Students will also be role playing through various writing assignments. Traditional basic comprehension quizzes are a must during the unit due to the number of characters students must know like the A,B,C's. Videos, filmstrips, and the Internet will be utilized.

Print Materials Needed:
Explorations in Literature. America Reads Classic Edition. Scott, Foresman,
Glenview, Illinois,:1989.

Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Bronze Level. Prentice Hall, Glenview, Illinois: 2000.

People. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston: 1981.

Teacher study guides & quizzes.
Teacher designed speaking rubrics.
Teacher designed writing checklists.

Resources:
Character and Content Filmstrip
Greek gods videotapes
Hercules Filmstrip
Former students' video projects
Former students' game boards
Props for students' role playing.
Internet.
Cassette tapes for myths.

Resource Attachments:	Newscast Rubrics, Expository Writing Checklist, Court Trial Rubrics, Court Trial Checklist, Overview of Unit Sheet
Internet Resource Links: Link 1:http://greekmythology.com/ Link 2:http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/1664/index.html Link 3:http://www.bulfinch.org/ Link 4:http://www.classicsunveiled.com/ Link 5:http://onlinelearning.tc.cc.va.us/faculty/tcreisd/projects/icarus

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

State:	KS
Title:	Communications Standards
Standard(s):	State Standards Reading 1: Learners demonstrate skill in reading a variety of material for a variety of purposes. Literary Genres 3: The proficient reader demonstrates knowledge of the effects of cultures on literature. Literature Response 1: The proficient reader uses literary concepts to interpret literature. Literature Response 2: The proficient reader evaluates literature with criteria based on purposes for reading and derived from time periods and cultures. Listening 1: Learners will participate effectively as listeners within formal and informal groups. Speaking 1: Learners will speak effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, occasions, and contexts Local Standards Reading 1: Read a variety of material to understand themselves and the world around them. Speaking 1: Learners speak effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, occasions, and contexts. Listening 1: Learners listen in a variety of situation and setting to understand others.

Understandings:
user	Cultures influence each other. Greek myths are told to influence people's behavior and explain natural phenomena.

Essential Questions:
User	What human characteristics lead to failure? Success? How do myths reflect virtues that a society values? How is Greek mythology evident in our culture today? What allusions are there to these stories?

Knowledge and Skills:

K
Cultural & literary contributions of the Greeks.
Why the Greeks passed these stories on.
Virtues or traits that are valued.

S
Identify symbols of & allusions to Greek mythology
Identify Greek characters by role
Retell plots of Greek myths
Use new vocabulary

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

Assessment Summary:
Perform a court trial which depicts the possible problem of parent(s) wanting to throw out the teaching of Greek mytholody in their child's school district.
G
The goals is to demonstrate the possible controversies involving the teaching of this unit.
R
You are one of two parts: prosecution or defense.
A
The target audience is a group of peers and/or teachers acting as the jury.
S
You need to organize evidence if you are the prosecution, or if you are the defense, you need to plan a defense.
P
As a lawyer, you need to write questions and be prepared for follow-ups. As a witness, you need to have possible responses prepared.
S
Your performance must meet the speaking standards.

Task/Prompt: Let's Sue Zeus

Type: Performance Task

Topics: Greek Mythology

Summary:
Perform a court trial which depicts the possible problem of parent(s) wanting to throw out the teaching of Greek mythology in their child's school district.
G
The goals is to demonstrate the possible controversies involving the teaching of this unit.
R
You are one of two parts: prosecution or defense.
A
The target audience is a group of peers and/or teachers acting as the jury.
S
You need to organize evidence if you are the prosecution, or if you are the defense, you need to plan a defense.
P
As a lawyer, you need to write questions and be prepared for follow-ups. As a witness, you need to have possible responses prepared.
S
Your performance must meet the speaking standards.

Print Materials Needed:

Resources:

Resource Attachments: Newscast Rubrics, Expository Writing Checklist, Postcard Rubric, Court Trial Rubrics

Internet Resource Links:
Link 1: http://greekmythology.com
Link 2: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/1664/index.html
Link 3: http://www.bulfinch.org
Link 4: http://wwww.classicsunveiled.com
Link 5: http://onlinelearning.tc.cc.va.us/faculty/tcreisd/projects/icarus

Notes:

Student Directions:
You are one of four people: a defense attorney, a witness for the defense, a prosecturing attorney, a witness for the prosecution.

You will be involved in a court trial where a group of parents and students are sueing your local school district for the teaching of mythology.

Context of Use:
This is an end of the unit project which should reveal students' understanding of the importance of mythology and the misunderstandings about still studying these world famous stories.

Other assessment evidence to be collected:

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Learning Activities:

W
Students will view a PowerPoint presentation depicting allusions to Greek Mythology in our world today. Class discussion will occur. This assesses students' prior knowledge of this unit.

H
Students will share other Greek myths and characters they know.

E
Students will take a matching and true/false paper pencil test to assess their current knowledge. They will check their own and keep this as a reference. Students will be able to see their basic knowledge of characters grow as they read through the myths.
Students will receive a copy of the essential questions the teacher put on bulletin. This sheet will also explain the court trial performance at the end of the unit.
Teams are assigned different introduction to mythology section from two different texts. They will complete the study guide. When all are completed, teacher will draw names and students will read and answer the given question so students who have not done that reading the study guide, they will fill it in.
Class will read three myths on Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Teams will perform a news story for each of those myths. Each student will have the opportunity to be the cameraperson, the anchor, the reporter, and the interviewee. Students on camera will be assessed on oral and physical delivery. Cameraperson will be assessed on camera position and steadiness as well as what is pictured.
Students will reflect on the importance of animals based on their reading of the Poseidon myth.
Students will read Persephone as they listen to it on cassette tape. They will create a postcard depicting the transformations they see occurring due to the events of these myths. They are to write from one character from another.
Students will read Arachne as the listen to it on cassette tape. They will write an editorial supporting who was right, Arachne or Athene.
Part way through the unit, students will represent characters and concepts in a Win, Lose, or Draw game as well as in a game of charades.
After reading Prometheus, students will role play a court trial suing Prometheus for giving fire to mankind.
After reading The Golden Apples and the viewing Hercules filmstrips, students will create a PowerPoint presentation depicting Greek characters and concepts from their Internet and other print research.
Students will role play the counselor and character parts for a counseling session after reading the myth, Phaethon.
Students will role play the counselor and character parts for a counseling session after reading the myth, Daedalus. They must play a different role than the above.
Students will read the Minotaur and perform a news clip depicting the events of the story.
Students will read The Great Musician and watch the filmstrip. They will write a sad poem or song for their lost love.
After reading Echo & Narcissus, students will explain, in a self-reflection essay, what they do and don't like about themselves.

R
Students will practice their roles for their final project and provide feedback.

E
Students will role play on the final project, suing the school for the teaching of these myths. Roles include the following: prosecuting attorney, prosecution witnesses, defense attorney, defense witnesses, bailiff, judge, jury member.

Notes:

For the news clip activities, students should be in the same groups of 4 (I use Kagan Cooperative Learning in my classroom). Teacher should write out the script so students can focus on performance. They may change wording, etc., but focus on performing. Each time a newscast is done, students must play a different role. Teams consisting of five to three students will have to modify the script. It is important to give traditional paper pencil quizzes after each myth. They are short, but will hold students accountable for knowing the characters.