Subject Area: Social Studies, Ancient Greece
Grade Level: 6th
Unit Title: Greece
Lesson Title: The Gods of Olympia
Overview: Students will research one God from the Greek Olympians. Students will utilize source location, source evaluation and note taking skills. Students will work in group to synthesize information about the modern legacy of the Olympian God of their choice.
Connection to the Curriculum: In sixth grade, students study world history and geography, specifically ancient civilizations.
Connection to Standards: History Social-Science Content Standards for California, Grade Six, Standard 6.4.4: Explain the significance of Greek mythology to the everyday life of people in the region and how Greek literature continues to permeate our literature and language today, drawing from Greek mythology and epics, such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and from Aesop's Fables.
California Model Library Standards:
Standard 1: Students access information
Standard 2: Students evaluate information
Standard 3: Students use information
Time: Approximately 3 hours.
Materials/Equipment Required: Students will need access to iWork Pages or Microsoft Word for word processing (both programs are available at school). Students will also need at least 2 sources of print or digital information about Greek mythology. Print sources are available in the school library and the teacher and librarian will suggest web sources.
Objectives: Students will learn how the ancient Greeks used mythology to explain the world around them. Students will also gain experience locating, accessing, evaluating and using multiple sources of information. Students will learn to correctly cite source information.
Suggested Procedure: Students should spend about 1 hour gathering information, citing information and taking notes. Students will then meet in groups to compare and share information about their Olympian God. Each group will write a blog entry about their group’s specific God. Students will wrap up the lesson by reading each other’s blog entries.
Opening: Teacher will introduce the assignment by sharing the book Zeus: King of the Gods (book review available at http://picturebooksforbigkids.blogspot.com/2011/07/zeus-king-of-gods.html) by George O’Connor. Teacher will use a document camera to project the graphic illustrations on a large screen for the students to see. Teacher will share the portion of the story where Zeus receives his birthright from his grandmother, Gaea (p.46). Teacher will explain how the King of the Gods “hurling a thunderbolt,” (p. 68) is how the Greeks explained the reason for lightning storms.
Development: Teacher librarian will teach students how to cite sources, as well as introduce print and digital source recommendations. Students will select the Olympian God of their choice and conduct research to find out that God’s Greek and Roman names, the meaning of the name, any special attributes and details about how that particular God or Goddess helped the ancient Greeks understand their world.
Closing: Students form groups based on Gods and Goddesses (the Zeus group, the Poseidon group, the Hera group, etc.). Students share their research notes and together, write a blog entry about their Olympian in which they include examples of any modern day legacies from their Olympian. Teacher will share examples at the time groups form. Example: today, we have the Olympic Games every four years, which began in ancient Greece and were held every four years to honor Zeus.
Student Assessment: Group blogs will be read by all students and the teacher will use the blogs to assess student learning, specifically looking at research findings and students’ ability to synthesize information and apply concept of historical legacy, as well as understanding of origins of Greek mythology.
Extending the Lesson: Students might hold a Greek banquet or their own Olympics.
Additional Resources:
Aliki. (2008). The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. Paw Prints.
D'Aulaire, I., & D'Aulaire, E. P. (2003). Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire's book of Greek myths. New York: Delacorte.
Smith, C. R., & Russell, P. C. (2009). The mighty 12: Superheroes of Greek myth. New York: Little, Brown.
Vinge, J. D., & Sherman, O. (1999). The Random House book of Greek myths. New York: Random House.
