Internet Labyrinth

Created by = Maggie Tarbox

Grade Level: 6^th

Content Area: Language Arts

Duration: six (6) fifty minute class periods

Materials: Access to internet and attached handouts, i= ndex cards

Objectives:

= Students will:

Students will come to school dressed as their character and read their autobiography aloud. All characters will participa= te in a Greek Parade around the school

Connecticut Curriculum Framework Standards covered in the unit.

Standard One- Reading and Responding

Overarching Idea: Students read, comprehend and respond in individ= ual, literal, critical and evaluative ways to literary, informational and persua= sive texts in multimedia formats. Guiding Question: How do we unders= tand what we read?

· 1.1 Students use appropriate strategies before, during and after reading in order to construct meaning.

· 1.2 Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend understanding and appreciation.

· 1.4 Students communicate with others to create interpretations of written, oral and visual texts.

Standard Two- Exploring and Responding to Literature

Overarching Idea: Students read and respond to classical and contemporary texts from many cultures and literary periods. Guiding Question: How does literature enrich our lives?

· 2.3 Students recognize and appreciate that contemporary and classical literature has shaped human thought.

· 2.4 Students recognize that readers and authors are influenced by individual, social, cultural and historical contexts.

Writing Standards:

Expository (Grades 5 and 6)

The expository mode will consist of prompts designed to elicit both traditional expositions (see the Grade 5 example in this book) and prompts that specifically ask the student to compare and/or contrast two things (see the Grade 6 example in this book). The scorers will be using one expository rub= ric to help them determine a score for each paper. A holistic impression of the quality of the writing is the guiding criterion for the score.

Grades 5-6: Rubric

Score Point 1: An undeveloped response

Typical elements:

• Contains few or vague details

• Is too brief to demonstrate organization

• May be difficult to read and understand

Score Point 2: An underdeveloped response

Typical elements:

• Contains general, unelaborated and/or list-like details

• Shows little evidence of organization

• May be awkward and confusing

Score Point 3: A minimally-developed response with inadequate details

Typical elements:

• Has minimal elaboration with more general than specific details

• Shows some organization

• May be awkward in parts and may lack most transitions

Score Point 4: A somewhat-developed response with adequate details

Typical elements:

• Is adequately elaborated with a mix of general and specific details

• Shows satisfactory organization

• May be somewhat fluent with some transitional language

Score Point 5: A developed response

Typical elements:

• Is well elaborated with mostly specific details

• Shows generally strong organization

• May be generally fluent and may show proficient use of transitional language

Score Point 6: A well-developed response

Typical elements:

• Is fully elaborated with specific details

• Shows strong organization

• Is fluent and may use effective transitional language

Day One:

Objectives: Students will b= e introduced to the characters in Greek mythology and history

Initiation: Introduce the characters of Gr= eek Mythology to students through a Family Tree assignment. Begin the assignment in class usin= g LCD projector and http://www.desy.de/gna/interpedia/greek_myth/godsFT.html as a starting point.   Students must fill in the bl= ank family tree through research done using the links in the Internet Labyrinth web page. As th= ey fill in the Family Tree they should also be completing a KWL Chart with interesting facts about Greek Characters.&= nbsp; Materials include Who’= ;s Who on Mount = Olympus (See Figure 1), Blank = Family Tree and KWL chart.

Activities:

·        Begin Family Tree: use Online Template at:
htt= p://www.education-world.com/tools_templates/ftc_nov2002.doc   Save this document to your d= esktop or your documents. Name it Gr= eek Family Tree

·        In computer lab, students will conduct resea= rch to complete Family Tree assignment. Go to h= ttp://ancientgreececulturequest.hoppertech.com then click Literature, then click Internet Labyrinth.

Closure: Exit slips where students writ= e one new fact that they learned from today’s research.

Day Two:

Objectives: Introduce Greek Autobiography Assignment. Go = over expectations and procedure. Students will continue to complete Family Tree and begin to think ab= out what God or Goddess they would like to learn more about. See Figure 2

Initiation: Quick review of Family Tree and relationships between characters in Greek mythology

Activities:

·        Pass out and go over Greek Autobiography directions and procedure

·        Return to computer lab to continue to work on Family Tree and to begin research on characters in Greek Mythology

·        Choose one character from Greek mythology or history to focus on for Greek Autobiography assignment

Closure: Students must turn in a paragr= aph which includes their name, the name of the Greek character they have chosen= to research, an explanation as to why they chose the character, and two facts about the character’s life.

Day Three and Four:<= /b>

Objectives: Continue Resear= ch and begin to write Greek Autobiography. Self-Assessment Checklist and Peer Edit Checklist: See Figures 3 and 4

Initiation: Each student will read the par= agraph they wrote at the end of yesterday’s class to peers.

Activities:

1= .      Oral reading

2= .      Research in computer lab

3= .      Write rough draft of autobiographical essay, complete self-assessment sheet (fig.= 3) and peer edit sheet (fig. 4).

Closure: Exit slip a list o= f four things that they need to revise in their autobiographical essay.

Day Five:

Initiation: Ball toss activity to assess s= tudent learning about character’s in Greek history and mythology. Use questions from Greek God and Goddess PowerPoint.

Activities:

·        Complete written work and submit all required elements; including all materials outlined in Greek Autobiography assignmen= t, and Family Tree assignment

Closure: Open ended question- Discussion- How has Greek mytholog= y and history affected and/or impacted our world?

Day Six:

Play Greek God and Goddess Jeopardy. Complete any unfinished work and submit.

Figure 1 Who’s Who on Mt. Olympus

Who’s Who on Mount Olympus?

The mythological gods and goddesses who the ancient Gr= eeks believed lived on Mount Olympus were all cl= osely related. Zeus was the father = of many Olympians, although these gods and goddesses did not all share the same mother.

To help you understand the complex relationships betwe= en them, I’d like you to do some research on 12 gods and goddesses of Olympus, record the information on the 12 attached blocks, then create a family tree poster showing how they are related. A family tree is one way to visual= ize relationships. Parents (husband and wife) are joi= ned by an equal sign (=3D) and children are listed below their parents, shown with= a connected line.

For example:<= o:p>

Your family tree project will need to include 12 gods = and goddesses with the following:

Figure 2=

Greek Autobiography Assignment=

Greek Autobiography

BACKGROUND:

        &= nbsp;   As a culminating project to the study of ancient Greece and Greek Mythology, y= ou will be required to assume the identity of a Greek character, either real or fictional, and research his/her life.

YOUR TASK:

   &nbs= p;        Write an autobiography from the point-of-view of your Greek character that reflec= ts the highlights of your life and shows why you are famous in Greek history or Greek mythology.

AUDIENCE:

   &nbs= p;        Your peers and your teacher form the audience for your work.

PURPOSE:=

   &nbs= p;        To write an autobiography that reflects an understanding of Greek history and = to show evidence of effective research skills.

PROCEDURE:

1.      Generate a list of questions to be answered from your research.

2.      From at least three different sources, collect information and write it in note = form on index cards. List all reso= urces on your works cited paper. Us= e MLA format for citing sources. Se= e Son of Citation Machine to correct= ly cite sources.

3.      When your research has been completed, organize your note cards in chronological order and number your cards.

4.      Write a rough draft of your autobiography, making sure it is written in the first person and includes highlights of your life and a summary of any famous myt= hs, fables or stories in which you were a character.

5.      Assess the story using the assessment list, and make note of needed revisions.

6.      Peer edit your story.

7.      Revise your story.

8.      Do a final self-assessment, make corrections, and turn in all parts of the process.

9.      Your final packet should include: note cards, rough draft, assessment and peer-e= dit sheets, final draft and works cited page.