9th Grade Humanities Project
Mrs. DePaula, teacher & Mrs. Boston, library media specialist
Overview:
The purpose of this unit to enhance students' awareness of Greek and Roman mythology and its impact on modern culture. Greek mythology is woven into the texture of Western civilization. This unit provides an opportunity for students to examine the myths and to investigate the cultural allusions associated with them.
- Students will research information on Greek gods and goddesses to enhance their understanding of Greek mythology.
- Students will use their knowledge of the gods and goddesses to further their understanding of the role of the hero in Greek mythology.
- Students will use their knowlege of Greek mythology to examine how it has influenced modern culture in the arts and commerce.
Tasks:
- Research a Greek/Roman mythological character
- Write an autobiographical narrative about a mythological character
- Identify mythological allusions in modern life
- Write a persuasive business letter and technical instructions
- Deliver a focused and coherent presentation about a mythological character.
Product:
Students will prepare an oral presentation and create
a scrapbook based on their assigned mythological character.
They will share theirr research with the class through an organized presentation
(3-5 minutes) as the character. They will use the scrapbook as a
visual aid. Students will include the following sections in the scrapbook:
1. Character information
Family tree
Symbols
Autobiographical narrative
"Good Human" lessons
2. Literary allusions - 3 required*
Passage quoted and source
documented (MLA format)
Explanatory paragraph
3. Commercial/advertising allusions - 2 required*
Written/graphic ad or descriptive
paragraph of commercial
Documentation (MLA format)
Explanatory caption
4. Artistic (music, art, dance, film) interpretations
- 2 required*
Picture, quoted material,
or descriptive paragraph of artwork
Documentation (MLA
format)
Explanatory caption
5. Product creation
Product design
and name/slogan
Instructions/
technical writing
Business letter
to sales company
6. Bibliography
MLA format: Works
Cited and Works Consulted
Minimum of 10 sources
Variety (3) of sources
7. Scrapbook elements
Cover, title, binding,
appearance, "fluff"
* number of allusions can be adjusted with consent of the teacher.
See Student Handout.
Standards:
The following California 9th Grade Reading/Language Arts Framework standards are addressed in this lesson:
Reading Standard
1.3 Identify Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology and use the knowledge
to understand the origin and meaning of new words.
Writing Standard
1.2 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate
modifiers, and the active rather than the passive voice.
1.3 Use clear research questions and suitable research methods (e.g.,
library, electronic media, personal interview) to elicit and present evidence
from primary and secondary sources.
1.4 Develop the main ideas within the body of the composition through
supporting evidence.
1.5 Synthesize information from multiple sources and identify complexities
and discrepancies in the information and the different perspectives found
in each medium.
1.7 Use appropriate conventions for documentation in the text, notes,
and bibliographies by adhering to those in style manuals.
2.1 Write biographical or autobiographical narratives or short stories.
2.5 Write business letters.
2.6 Write technical documents.
Written and Oral English Conventions Students
write and speak with a command of stand English conventions.
1.3 Demonstrate an understanding of proper English usage and control
of grammar, paragraph and sentence structure, diction and syntax.
1.4 Produce legible work that shows accurate spelling and correct
use of the conventions of punctuation and capitalization.
Speaking
1.0 Students formulate adroit judgments about oral communication.
They deliver focused and coherent presentations of their own that convey
clear and distinct perspectives and solid reasoning. They use gestures,
tone and vocabulary tailored to the audience and purpose.
2.1 Using speaking strategies in Standard 1.0, students deliver
narrative presentations.
Technology Standards
2. Students will use technology responsibly and ethically.
4. Students will use technology as a communication tool.
5. Students will use technology as a research tool.
Resources: Web sites, reference, books, periodicals (print or electronic), people
Print:
292 ASI Asimov, Isaac. Words from the myths. HOUGHTON, 1961.
292 BEN Benson, Sally. Stories of the gods and heroes. DIAL, 1940.
292 COL Colum, Padraic. The Golden Fleece and the heroes who lived before Achilles. MACMILLAN, 1949.
292 CON Connolly, Peter. The legend of Odysseus. OXFORD UNIVERSITY,1988.
292 COO Coolidge, Olivia. Greek myths. HOUGHTON MIFFLIN, 1949.
292 COO Coolidge, Olivia E. Hercules and other tales from Greek Myths. SCHOLASTIC, 1960.
292 D'A D'Aulaire, Ingri. D'Aulaire's book of Greek myths. Doubleday, 1962.
292 DOD Dodd, E. F. Stories from Homer. MACMILLAN, 1955.
292 EVS Evslin, Bernard. The adventures of Ulysses. SCHOLASTIC, 1969.
292 EVS Evslin, Bernard. Amycus. CHELSEA, 1989.
292 EVS Evslin, Bernard. Heroes, gods and monsters of the Greek myths. FOUR WINDS, 1967.
292 GAT Gates, Doris. Lord of the sky: Zeus. VIKING, 1972.
292 GAT Gates, Doris. The warrior goddess: Athena. Viking, 1972.
292 GRA Grant, Michael. Myths of the Greeks and Romans. NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY, 1962.
292 GRA Graves, Robert. Greek gods and heroes. DOUBLEDAY, 1960.
292 GRA Graves, Robert. The Greek myths. George Braziller, Inc., 1955.
292 GRE Green, Margery. Wonder tales from Greece. MACMILLAN, 1961.
292 GRE Green, Roger. Heroes of Greece and Troy; retold from the ancient authors. WALCK, 1960.
292 GUE Guerber, Helne Adeline. Myths of Greece and Rome. GEORGE G. HARRAP & CO, 1965.
292 HAM Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. LITTLE BROWN, 1942.
292 HAW Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Tanglewood tales. DUTTON, 1955.
292 HAW Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Wonder-book and Tanglewood Tales. HOUGHTON, 1951.
292 JOH Johnston, Norma. Strangers dark and gold. ATHENEUM, 1975.
292 MAC Macpherson, Jay. Four ages of man; the classical myths. ST. MARTIN'S, 1962.
292 PHI Philip, Neil. The adventures of Odysseus. 1st American ed. New York : Orchard Books, 1997.
292 ROU Rouse,
William Henry Denham. Gods, heroes, and men of ancient Greece.
New American
Library, 1957.
292 SUT Sutcliff, Rosemary. The wanderings of Odysseus. DELACORTE, 1995.
292 SUT Sutcliff, Rosemary. Black ships before Troy : the story of the Iliad. New York : Delacorte, 1993.
292 SWI Switzer, Ellen. Greek myths; gods, heroes, and monsters. ATHENEUM, 1988.
292 WHI White, Anne Terry. The Golden treasury of myths and legends. GOLDEN, 1959.
292.03 ZIM Zimmerman, John Edward. Dictionary of classical mythology. BANTAM, 1966.
292.13 RIC Richardson, I. The return of Odysseus. TROLL, 1984.
398.2 FLE Fleischman, Paul. Dateline : Troy. 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 1996.
883 EVS Evslin,
Bernard. Greeks bearing gifts : the epics of Achilles and Ulysses.
New York : Four Winds
Press, 1976.
Ref 291 EVA Evans, Bergen. Dictionary of mythology, mainly classical. CENTENNIAL, 1970.
Ref 291 PAL Palmer, Robin. A dictionary of mythical places. WALCK, 1975.
Ref 292.03 TRI Tripp, Edward. Crowell's
Handbook of classical mythology. CROWELL, 1970.
Internet:
Ancient Greek and Roman Myths Index
http://www.abcgallery.com/mythindex.html
Provides brief identification of over 100 characters
from mythology with a ink to at least one painting by an important artist.
Classical Myth: The Ancient Sources
http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/
Links to "ancient texts and images available on the
Web concerning the major figures of Greek and Roman mythology." A
list of Attributes in Iconography shows how the gods can be identified.
Time Line of Greek History and Literature gives a brief overview of Greek
history and dating conventions.
Classical Mythology
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/myths.html&edu=high
Lists the Greek deities and their Roman counterparts.
Provides a brief description along with an artistic rendition.
An Etymological Dictionary of Classical Mythology
http://www.kl.oakland.edu/kraemer/edcm/preface.html
Navigate to the bottom of the page to access the Table
of Contents and appendix. The appendices include: Influences on Astronomy,
Influences on Calendar Terms, Influences on Personal Names, Influences
on Phrases and Conversation, and Influences on Pop Culture.
Greek and Roman Mythology
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0197622.html
Information is given under the Greek name; the name
in parentheses is the Roman equivalent. Links are provided to uses of the
diety in astronomy, art, etc.
Greek Mythology
http://www.greekmythology.com/
A rudimentary hyperlinked guide to major gods, myths,
and creatures.
Greek Mythology
http://www.messagenet.com/myths/
From Aphrodite to Zeus, this site covers the
immortals of Greek mythology with brief bios and a pronunciation key.
Greek mythology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_mythology
A general hyperlinked guide to the gods, stories,
locations, and creatures of Greek mythology.
Greek Mythology Today: Myth Man
http://mythman.com/
With 200 reference pages, Myth Man's Homework Help
section is huge. It includes an illustration gallery, two printable
(non-interactive) quizzes, Mythology in Modern Culture, and biographies
of major and minor Olympians.
Myths About Gods Of Olden Cultures
http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/roman/index.htm
On this site students read about Roman gods and the naming
of the solar system.
Mythology, Legend, Folklore, & Ghosts
http://www.teacheroz.com/myth-legend.htm
A comprehensive list of links to mythology sites.
Mythmedia - Mythology in Western Art
http://www-lib.haifa.ac.il/www/art/mythology_westart.html
This collection consists of scanned images from various periods
of Western art which depict the deities, and heroes mentioned in Homer. The
images are organized according to the names of the various deities and heroes
and then by scene represented, with name of artist, title, and date.
Mythography
http://www.loggia.com/myth/content.html
Explore Greek mythology through the eye of the artist
Mythology
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/classics/mythology/home.html
Introduces major figures. Includes some images and
brief bibliographies.
Mythology in Modern Society
http://www.thanasis.com/modern/
Covers companies and groups, words and expressions,
pop culture and planets and constellations with mythological allusions
Mythweb
http://www.mythweb.com/
Here are appealing and colorful cartoon depictions
of the world of Greek gods and heroes. Also included is an Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology that contains detailed definitions, as
well as cross-references from the Latin names of the deities.
Roman Mythology
http://www.pantheon/areas/mythology/europe/roman/articles.html
A short overview of hundreds of characters in Roman
mythology with links to items of interest.
Song Lyrics with Mythical Allusions
http://sites.google.com/site/mythologysongs/
Here is a list of songs containing mythological references with a link to the lyrics for each song on the Web site. All of the songs contain the keywords in black: Sirens, Achilles, Artemis, Adonis, Aphrodite, etc.
Theoi Project
http://www.theoi.com
A guide to the Ancient Greek Pantheon of GOds ("Theoi"),.. Spirits ("Daimones") and Monsters ("Theres").
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
http://www.uspto.gov
You may want to consult this page to create a trademark for
your product/invention. Look on the left for the listing for trademarks.
You can search the trademarks for similar products to get an idea.
Winged Sandals
http://www.wingedsandals.com
Produced by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, this site provides a tour of the gods, heroes and monstsers of mythology
World Myths and Legends in Art
http://www.artsmia.org/world-myths/artbyculture/greek.html
This collection of images brings together 26 works of art in the collection of The Minneapolis Institute of Arts inspired by mythology around the world.
Points for each section of the project are as follows:
1. Character information (35 pts.)
2. Literary allusions (15 pts.)
3. Commercial/advertising allusions (10 pts.)
4. Artistic (music, art, dance, film) interpretations (10 pts.)
5. Product creation (15 pts.)
6. Bibliography (10 pts.)
7. Scrapbook elements (10 pts.)
8. Oral presentation (20 pts.) See rubric
for oral presentation.