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__Lesson Title__: Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon…3 brothers, 3 roles —An introduction to the Olympian gods/goddesses.

__Subject__: 6th grade Social Studies

__Class Time__: 75 minutes

__Pacing of Unit__: Day 8 of 15

__Location__: Greece

__Instructor__: Ms. Wiehler

__Rationale__: Greece, located in southeastern Europe, and home of Mount Olympus, was the center of classical civilizations in Europe. To rewind back more than two thousand years, Ancient Greeks began the advancements in government, architecture, and philosophy. Additionally, Ancient Greeks valued a religion that today is represented in Greek mythology. The Greek gods/ goddesses that were appreciated long ago remain a critical element in the culture of Greece today.

North Carolina Standard Course of Study: (4.03) Examine key ethical ideas and values deriving from religious, artistic, political, economic, and educational traditions, as well as their diffusion over time, and assess their influence on the development of selected societies in Europe.

__Goals__ 1) Define polytheism and monotheism. 2) View images of Greek Art in relation to the gods/goddesses. 3) Identify the Olympian gods/goddesses and their roles.

__Materials:__ -Smart board

-Film that introduces the Olympian gods/goddesses. [] (something similar to this video, and around 7-8 minutes long)

-Images of Greek art

- Construction Paper

-Tape, glue, scissors, crayons, markers

__Procedures__:

1. **Opening**: Learning Log entry (5-6 minutes) -Students will be asked the following question: How would you describe Greek Architecture in three words? (This question is based on a previous lesson)

2. **Introduction**: Teacher-Centered Lecture (20-22 minutes) -The lecture will cover polytheism vs. monotheism. -Also, the lecture will introduce the Olympian gods/goddesses (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Hera, Hermes, Apollo, Aphrodite, Artemis, Ares, Hestia, Hephaestus, and Hera) and their importance in Greek Mythology.

3. **Film Clip** (6-7 minutes) - Students will be asked to identify four important points that the clip emphasized about the Greek gods and goddesses.

4. **Film Analysis** (5-6 minutes) - Students will be asked to discuss the important points that they found based on the film clip.

Key points to cover : 1) What is a myth? 2) Were the Olympian gods/goddesses real? Or, are they a myth?

5. **Greek Art** (5-7 minutes) - Students will view images of Greek art in a slide show. Additionally, students will discuss any key features in the art that they found unique.

Key points to cover : 1) What is the common media of Greek art? 2) How are the sculptures presented?

6. **Gods/Goddesses Table** (25 minutes) - Students will use construction paper to create a table of the gods/goddesses and their roles. The students will draw images or construct representations of the roles of the gods/goddesses. In addition, students will need to represent the relation of the gods/goddesses to one another using a diagram map. Here is an example of the map and table that the students will be asked to draw:

Example: Diagram Map

Example: Gods/Goddesses Table
 * Zeus || Poseidon || Hades || Athena || Hera || Hermes || Apollo || Aphrodite || Artemis || Hestia ||
 * drawing ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||

7. **Exit Slip** (2 minutes) - Students will be required to write one sentence that explains the meaning of polytheism.(review of today's lesson)

8. **Homework**: Students will be asked to complete their table and diagram map. (20 points)

__Assessment:__ The system that I will be using is the point scale. The students receive points for their class work, homework, learning logs, and exit slips. In today’s lesson, the students will be receiving twenty points for their table and diagram map as well as two points for the completion of exit slips. The learning logs that are completed at the beginning of class are collected after ten learning log entries. In order to determine if the students learned the material in the lesson, they are asked to explain the meaning of polytheism. This explanation will be turned in as an exit slip to complete the class period.

Lesson Narrative
So far this semester, I have been observing lessons on the five themes of geography, and now Ancient Greece. Although I will not be teaching this unit, I found this unit interesting and wanted to develop a lesson that I would implement in a 6th grade social studies classroom. I have little knowledge about Greece except for the basics that I learned several years ago. However, I find it essential that in order to teach Ancient Greece in 6th grade social studies, I need to know more than just the basics. I am pleased to say that while completing this lesson, I learned an extensive amount of information about the Olympian gods/goddesses. I feel confident about teaching this topic in the social studies classroom.

I am lucky to be given 75 minutes of instructional time in the classroom. I plan to use every last minute of this time for this lesson that reflects the North Carolina Standard Course of Study objective 4.03. My goals for this lesson are to define polytheism and monotheism. I want students to know that polytheism is the belief of multiple gods/beings also known as deities. In contrast, monotheism is the belief of one god, or deity. Additionally, I want students to identify the Olympian gods/goddesses in Greek Mythology. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Hera, Hermes, Apollo, Aphrodite, Artemis, Ares, Hestia, and Hephaestus are the twelve gods that will be mentioned in lecture. One last goal that this lesson will cover will be students viewing several images of Greek art (sculptures of the gods/goddesses). Furthermore, the materials for this lesson are simple items. Fortunately, the classroom is equipped with a smart board. I will use the smart board for the lecture, as well as showing the film. I will also use the smart board for viewing images of Greek art. The five to seven minute film that I will be showing introduces the Olympian gods/goddesses. In addition to the smart board, I will need to acquire images of Greek art for a brief slide show. Finally, I need to organize an area where students can pick up construction paper, tape, glue, crayons, and markers for their gods/goddesses table.

Following this further, I plan to begin class with a learning log entry. Each day the students begin class by completing an entry in their learning log. Today, students will recap what they learned from the previous class on Greek architecture. The students were to draw a building that represented Greek ideals in architecture. This drawing was to be completed for homework. The students will be asked the question: How would you describe Greek architecture in three words? They will be allowed five to six minutes to complete this task. Next, there will be a teacher centered lecture that covers polytheism vs. monotheism, and an introduction to the Olympian gods/goddesses. This lecture should last approximately twenty to twenty-two minutes. After the lecture, I will show a brief film clip that follows along with the introduction on the twelve gods/goddesses. The students will be asked to take diligent notes on the film, as well as finding two important points that the clip emphasized about Greek mythology and the ancient gods/goddesses. The film clip should last between five to six minutes. Then, there will be a short analysis of the film. I will ask the students a couple of questions about the key points that were discussed in the film. Here is one question the students will be asked: Were the Olympian gods/goddesses real? Or, are they a myth? Following the film clip analysis, I will quickly shift to the topic of Greek art with gods/goddesses. Students will need to discuss key features in the art that they found interesting, or unexpected. Most of the images will include the gods/goddesses. Furthermore, I will use a convergent knowledge expression activity that will allow students to identify the roles of the twelve ancient gods/goddesses in Greek mythology. The students will be asked to create a table where they will include the name of the god/goddess, and a description of their role. The description of the role can be a drawing, or a representation of the role created from construction paper. There will be an example of the table that I will post on the white board for viewing. In addition to the table, students will compose a diagram map that reflects the relationship of the gods/goddesses to each other. Again, there will be an example of the map provided for viewing. Finally, after today’s lesson, students will complete a short exit slip in which they will reflect on what the students learned in class. The students will write one sentence that explains the meaning of polytheism. The only homework the students have will be to finish their table and diagram map that will be due for grading in the next class.

Lastly, I will grade material for my class by a point scale system. The students receive points for their class work, homework, learning logs, and exit slips. The gods/goddesses table will be graded out of twenty points. Additionally, the exit slips are all worth two points each. The learning log entries are collected after five entries and are five points each. In order to determine if the students learned the material in the lesson, they are asked to explain the meaning of polytheism. This explanation will be turned in as an exit slip to complete the class period.

Because of formatting issues, I have attached word documents of the Lesson Outline and the Lesson Narrative.