22 minute read
Lesson 3
FOCUSING QUESTION: LESSONS 1–7
What are myths, and why do people create them?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Lesson 3
TEXTS
“Secrets of the Parthenon,” PBS Nova (http://witeng.link/0461) Understanding Greek Myths, Natalie Hyde Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words & Wisdom from Greek & Roman Mythology,
Lise Lunge-Larsen
Lesson 3: At a Glance
AGENDA Welcome (5 min.)
View Video
Launch (10 min.) Learn (50 min.)
Analyze “Pandora’s Box” (20 min.)
Support Ideas with Information (20 min.)
Experiment with Evidence (10 min.)
Land (8 min.)
Answer the Content Framing Question
Wrap (2 min.)
Assign Homework
Vocabulary Deep Dive: Morphology Lesson: Prefixes poly–, a–, and mono– and Root theos (15 min.) STANDARDS ADDRESSED
The full text of ELA Standards can be found in the Module Overview.
Reading
RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RF.4.4
Writing
W.4.2.a, W.4.8
Speaking and Listening
SL.4.1
Language
L.4.4.a, L.4.4.b
MATERIALS
Student copies of Gifts from the
Gods
Student copies of Understanding
Greek Myths
Handout 3A: “Pandora’s Box”
Organizer
Handout 3B: Evidence Organizer
Handout 3C: Pandora’s Box
Glossary
Handout 2C: Fluency Homework
Parthenon history fact strips
Handout 3D: Morphology
Flashcards
Learning Goals
Explain the polytheistic beliefs of the ancient Greeks. (RL.4.1, RL.4.2, RI.4.1, RI.4.2, SL.4.1)
Complete a graphic organizer about Pandora’s Box, then support ideas with factual details from Understanding Greek Myths.
Determine the context needed to most effectively explain Greek myths. (RL.4.1, RI.4.1, W.4.8)
Complete the first column of an evidence organizer to respond to the focusing question task.
Use the root theos and prefixes poly–, a–, and mono– to define content vocabulary. (L.4.4.a, L.4.4.b)
Exit Ticket. “Based on context and on the parts of each word (the prefixes and roots of each word), determine the meaning of several words. Explain how you know.”
Prepare
FOCUSING QUESTION: Lessons 1–7
What are myths, and why do people create them?
CONTENT FRAMING QUESTION: Lesson 3
Reveal: What does a deeper exploration of myths reveal about the beliefs of the ancient Greeks?
CRAFT QUESTION: Lesson 3
Experiment: How do I choose the strongest evidence?
Students begin the lesson by taking a final look at the Parthenon and discuss how it reflects Greek beliefs. Next, the class reads “Pandora’s Box” in Gifts from the Gods, a story that will come up repeatedly in this module, then analyze it to explain its purpose in Greek culture. Students continue to develop their knowledge of ancient Greek culture and mythology by reading Understanding Greek Myths. In the craft section of the lesson, students begin to organize evidence to help them prepare to write an explanatory paragraph about Greek mythology.
Welcome 5 MIN.
VIEW VIDEO
Play the PBS Nova video “The Secrets of the Parthenon” (approximately 2:34–5:00) to show how the Parthenon might have originally appeared (http://witeng.link/0461).
TEACHER NOTE
Earlier in the video, before the clip indicated (first minute), there is a shot of a male nude sculpture.
Students discuss how the Parthenon may have looked when it was new. Ask: “How would ancient Greeks have felt looking at it for the first time?”
Launch 10 MIN.
Pause the video at 4:37. Point out that the top of the building was originally adorned with many sculptures depicting both Athenians and their gods and goddesses.
Introduce the term pediment as a triangular upper part of the front of a building, doorway, window or similar structure.
Point out the triangular pediment and note that the sculptures were originally colored with a wax-based paint, giving them a more vivid, life-like appearance. Explain that the eastern pediment depicts the birth of Athena from Zeus’s head and the western pediment shows Athena and Poseidon battling for the honor of being the patron of the city. Many of the original sculptures have been discovered and preserved in museums in London and Athens. If time allows, view a few individual sculptures from the east pediment or west pediment.
Ask: “Why would later cultures want to use this architecture? Why has it been copied so many times?”
The columns look strong and solid. It shows the strength of the nation. The building looks tough and hard to penetrate. Maybe that’s why so many banks look like this. The shape is easy to look at and beautiful. Maybe architects wanted to show that. To honor the Greek culture and origins of democracy.
Share the history of the Parthenon by distributing one of the following facts to each small group of students. Call out each of the following question words: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. Small groups determine which question word their fact answers and stand up to share their fact in response. Consider the text complexity of each fact, and assign facts strategically to differentiate instruction.
The Parthenon is located in Athens, Greece.
It is situated among other ancient sacred buildings on the Acropolis, a hill in the center of the city. The temple was built between 447 and 432 BCE. It was built to honor the city’s patron goddess, Athena, for whom the city is named. A colossal ivory and gold statue of Athena (approximately forty feet tall) stood in the inner chamber (cella) of the building, reflected in a tranquil shallow pool. Researchers have found evidence that the city’s prized treasures were housed and protected in the Parthenon as well.
The Parthenon represents the height of ancient Greek architecture. Centuries of architects and artists have gained inspiration from this monumental structure.
The building is a triumph of mathematics, engineering, sculpture, and design; the architects aimed to create a balanced, harmonious work of architecture and used advanced mathematics and construction processes to design and build the structure. As a consequence of time and human destruction, the Parthenon that we see today is only a part of the complete structure.
TEACHER NOTE
This is an excellent opportunity to coordinate with your school’s history and art teacher to extend and deepen the instruction on Greek art and culture.
Display the content framing question for this lesson.
Ask: “What is our focus for this lesson? How does it connect to our focusing question?”
I can tell from the question that we’ll be focusing on what the ancient Greek believed. We can understand why people created myths if we know what they believed in.
Ask: “How does the Parthenon reveal what the ancient Greeks believed?”
The Parthenon was a place to honor the goddess Athena, so she was very important to the city of
Athens. There were sculptures of the gods and goddesses all over the Parthenon, so gods and goddesses were important to the Greeks. The ancient Greeks believed in and worshipped many gods and goddesses.
Explain to students that they will read “Pandora’s Box” to understand how a Greek myth can reveal the beliefs of the ancient Greeks. Then students will read more information in Understanding Greek Myths to learn about many of the different gods and goddesses in Greek mythology. Through the readings, students should focus on the mysteries that the myths explain.
Learn 50 MIN.
ANALYZE “PANDORA’S BOX” 20 MIN.
Pairs
Distribute partner copies of Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words and Wisdom from Greek and Roman Mythology. Pairs turn to page 59 in the book and read aloud the definition for Pandora’s Box in a choral reading.
Ask: “What questions does that definition raise for you?” Give students a couple of minutes to think and jot down questions in their Response Journals.
Use Equity Sticks to call on students to share their questions.
Remind students that good detectives start with questions they want to investigate. Students have taken the first steps in a new investigation to learn about Pandora’s Box and all the mystery it holds!
Distribute Handout 3A: “Pandora’s Box” Organizer and read the directions to the students. Also distribute Handout 3C: “Pandora’s Box” Glossary for students to refer to as they read the story. Have pairs of students work together to read the myth and complete the left-hand side of the handout to solve the mysteries surrounding “Pandora’s Box.”
G4 M4 Handout 3A • WIT & WISDOM™
Name:
Date:
Handout 3A: “Pandora’s Box” Organizer
Directions:
• Read the myth, “Pandora’s Box,” in Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words & Wisdom from Greek & Roman Mythology. • Record answers to the questions about the myth in the boxes on the left. • Read pages 10–15 in Understanding Greek Myths. • Record details from the text that support your answers about “Pandora’s Box.”
1. What role did the gods play?
“Pandora’s Box” Understanding Greek Myths
Copyright © 2017 Great Minds® Page 1 of 3
G4 M4 Handout 3C • WIT & WISDOM™
Name:
Date:
Handout 3C: “Pandora’s Box” Glossary
Directions: Use this glossary to understand the meanings of some of the words in the story of “ Pandora’s Box” in Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words & Wisdom from Greek & Roman Mythology.
Word Definition
infused Mixed together.
Example
The athlete’s talent was infused with strength and skill.
insatiable Can’t be satisfied or fulfilled. The bear had an insatiable hunger for fish.
bestowed To be given something. The child was bestowed with special gifts on her birthday.
quarrel To fight or argue.
endure To work through, or deal with, a difficult challenge or event. The kids had a quarrel about who would be the team captains.
She endured the difficult math homework because she knew it would help her on her test.
Copyright © 2017 Great Minds®
When pairs finish, bring the whole group back together to discuss “Pandora’s Box.”
Ask: “What was the problem in this myth?”
Pandora was curious and could not control her desire to open the box. She opened the box that Zeus gave her, even though she wasn’t supposed to. Bad things flew out, like pain and greed. Luckily hope stayed in the box, so humans can still have hope even though there are bad things in the world.
Ask: “How was this problem resolved?”
Hope remained in the box that Pandora opened. Hope helps us deal with difficult situations.
Ask: “What role did the Greek gods play in this story?”
They created Pandora. They made the first human woman.
Each god gave her a special gift. Zeus gave her curiosity. Zeus wanted to punish Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to the humans, so he tricked him by giving his brother Pandora.
Ask: “What idea does this myth explain?”
The myth explains why there are evils in the world like sickness and despair. It also explains that humans caused the release of these evils. The myth also explains that we have hope to help us through difficult times.
Ask: “What can we learn about the beliefs of the ancient Greeks from this story? How does this myth relate to our vocabulary word moral?”
The gods created humans, so the ancient Greeks worshipped them. People will be punished for their bad behavior or for disobeying the gods. This myth showed the Greeks believed that the gods wanted people to behave a certain way.
SUPPORT IDEAS WITH INFORMATION 20 MIN.
Pairs
Explain that students will learn more about the beliefs of the ancient Greeks by reading a section of Understanding Greek Myths. Remind students that good detectives dig deeper into information looking for facts that can support their case, and that is what they are going to do as they read a section in Understanding Greek Myths.
Have students read pages 10–15 in Understanding Greek Myths and think about how the information supports what they learned when reading “Pandora’s Box.”
Pairs work together to record notes on the right-hand side of Handout 3A to support their ideas about “Pandora’s Box” on the left.
Once students have finished recording information in their charts, students discuss the text they read. If necessary, use the following TDQs to help guide the conversation:
1 Describe the main Greek gods. What role did they play in Greek life?
Zeus was the king of the gods. He had control over other gods. Poseidon ruled the sea and Hades ruled the underworld—where people went when they were dead. There were other gods too that controlled different things like music or hunting, but they didn’t have as much power as the major gods, like Zeus. They looked like humans and had emotions like jealousy.
2 What evidence supports the point that the gods controlled life on Earth?
Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. Zeus wanted to punish Prometheus. Pandora was a gift, but she was really a punishment. Offerings were made to different gods to ask for help. Gods shared their gifts with people.
3 Why were the creation myths important to the Ancient Greeks?
They were important because they helped explain how the world and universe was made. The text says that it helped the Greeks make sense out of their world. The myths explain how everything around us, from plants to animals, and even feelings like love, were created.
4 Why were morality myths important to the ancient Greeks?
They taught people how to behave properly. They explained consequences for certain actions.
Say: “Now that we’ve read some myths and informational text about Greek mythology, let’s create an anchor chart that tells us what makes a myth a myth.” Call on volunteers to share ideas and record these on a new chart titled, What Makes a Myth a Myth?
Myths include gods and goddesses. Myths include heroes and monsters. Creation myths explain how things came to be in nature. Morality myths teach people how to behave and what will happen if they misbehave.
Discuss the word polytheistic. Explain that poly means more than one. The ancient Greeks were polytheistic because they believed in more than one god. There are religions today that are polytheistic as well. Students add polytheistic to their Vocabulary Journals.
Word
polytheistic (adj.)
Meaning Other parts of speech
Believing in more than one god. polytheism (n.)
EXPERIMENT WITH EVIDENCE 10 MIN.
Small Groups
Draw students’ attention to the focusing question task for this arc: What are myths, and why do people create them?
To connect the reading to the writing in this lesson, explain to students that their hard detective work has paid off because now they understand what myths are and why the Greeks created them. Students will use that knowledge to respond to the focusing question task in the next few lessons.
Distribute Handout 3B: Evidence Organizer. Read the prompt aloud to students.
Drawing on the knowledge they gathered during the previous lesson, as well as today’s lesson, students will complete the focus statement and the first column of Handout 3B using the anchor chart they just created. They will work on the evidence and elaboration sections during the next lesson.
Copyright © 2017 Great Minds ® Handout 3B: Evidence Organizer
Directions: Choose the strongest evidence to support your focus statement. Write brief notes in the boxes. Follow the prompts at the top of the chart. Remember to only write notes that support your focus statement.
Prompt: For an audience who might be interested in learning more about myths and why people created them, write a well-developed paragraph in which you explain what a myth is and why the Greeks created them. Develop your ideas with evidence and examples from pages 6–23 of Understanding Greek Myths and from the book Gifts from the Gods.
Focus Statement:
Context Evidence
What are the characteristics of myths?
Include gods and goddesses.
List details from the text that support your focus statement. Be sure to use quotations and paraphrasing. Source Elaboration/Explanation
Where did this information come from? List title and page number. Why is this important? What does this help us understand?
G4 M4 Handout 3B • WIT & WISDOM ™
Date: Name:
Scaffold
Provide students with a sentence frame to write the focus statement if more structure is needed.
Myths are stories that , and the ancient Greeks create myths to
See Appendix C for a complete answer key for handout 3B. Students will continue to complete the second, third, and fourth columns in future lessons.
Have pairs discuss what they feel will be the strongest evidence they can use to support each item in the first column.
The introduction in Understanding Greek Myths explains what makes a myth a myth. I can find strong evidence here to support my points. The Greeks were polytheistic and believed the gods controlled everything in their lives. The Greeks had myths that explained nature and how people should behave. We can take examples from specific myths to prove these points.
Collect Handout 3A to review before the next lesson.
Land 8 MIN.
ANSWER THE CONTENT FRAMING QUESTION
Return to the content framing question for the lesson: What does a deeper exploration of myths reveal about the beliefs of the ancient Greeks?
Distribute two small strips of writing paper to each student. Students write down two things they learned about the beliefs of the ancient Greeks. Then, they stand up and participate in a “give one, get one” protocol, sharing their learning with their classmates.
Wrap 2 MIN.
ASSIGN HOMEWORK
On this second night of fluency homework, students read the passage on Handout 2C three to five times, focusing on reading with appropriate phrasing and pausing.
Analyze
Context and Alignment
Students complete an evidence organizer to explain their understanding of what makes a myth and why the Greeks created myths (RI.4.1, RI.4.2). Check for the following success criteria:
Provide appropriate context for their explanations including knowledge that the Greeks were polytheistic. Distinguish between the purpose of Creation Myths and Morality Myths. Begin to identify strong beliefs and values of the ancient Greeks, like fate and generosity, that will show up in many myths and stories in the module. Understand that Zeus was the “king” of gods and that gods and goddess had different levels of control and purpose. Understand that gods and goddess including Zeus were not “all” powerful. They could not control the “fates” and had human-like strengths and weaknesses.
Next Steps
In order to understand Greek mythology and the individual myths included in this module, students need to have a strong grasp of the information provided on pages 10–15 of Understanding Greek Myths. This is an information dense chapter with many abstract, sophisticated ideas and words. There are many text features to support readers, but they may actually create more confusion as readers build understanding of what a myth is and why the Ancient Greeks created myths.
To support readers who are struggling with the above success criteria, organize a small guided comprehension group. Before you read the section with students, you might provide some framing questions like: Why did the Ancient Greeks believe in so many gods and goddesses? How did the gods and goddess affect everyday life for the Ancient Greeks?
Read the text aloud to students and dissect the text in short bits, distinguishing between main ideas and details. While reading, pay close attention to academic and content specific vocabulary and provide student-friendly definitions to help them understand the ideas. Also have students identify unknown words and provide them with quick usable definitions. Have students paraphrase main ideas frequently and record their main ideas on a main idea chart.
LESSON 3 DEEP DIVE: VOCABULARY
Morphology Lesson: Prefixes poly–, a–, and mono– and Root theos
Time: 15 min.
Text: Understanding Greek Myths, Natalie Hyde; Gifts from the Gods, Lise Lunge-Larsen Vocabulary Learning Goal: Use the root theos and prefixes poly–, a–, and mono– to define content vocabulary. (L.4.4.a, L.4.4.b)
Launch
Read the following sentence from page 10 of Understanding Greek Myths with students:
“The Ancient Greeks followed polytheism—they believed in many gods and goddesses.”
Remind students that sometimes we can figure out what words mean by taking words apart or by piecing their parts together.
Have students Think-Pair-Share, and ask: “What do you think the prefix poly– means? What do you think theos means?” Have a few pairs share.
Since the sentence mentions “many” gods and goddesses, poly might mean “many.” Since the sentence mentions that the Greeks believed in gods and goddesses, theos might have something to do with gods and goddesses.
Ask students, “If polytheism means ‘a belief in many gods and goddesses,’ can you figure out what monotheism or atheism means?” Tell students to read the following sentences to help them understand the words.
Display the following sentences:
She was a monotheist, and believed that Hera was the only one of the gods that was real. Though the Greeks had many shrines to different gods, a nearby village of monotheists had only one shrine for their only god. The atheist thought that none of the Greek gods were real, and did not believe that any other gods existed, either. She was not afraid of Zeus or Hades because she was an atheist; she thought that all of the gods were just stories.
Call on student volunteers to share their definitions.
A monotheist might only believe in a single god or goddess, instead of many gods and goddesses. An atheist might not believe in any gods or goddesses at all.
Tell students to take out their Vocabulary Journals, and record the definition of theos in the morphology section: “relating to a god, gods, or deities.”
Learn
Using the table below, discuss what the three prefixes mean. Check for student understanding by asking students if they need further clarification or explanation for any of the prefixes.
Display the following chart:
Prefix
poly–
mono–
a–
Meaning
many
one
without
Examples
Polytheism = belief in many gods
The Greeks followed polytheism.
Polygon = a closed figure that has many angles
Triangles and quadrilaterals are polygons.
Monotheism = belief in one god
The Catholic Church follows monotheism.
Monorail = a track for train cards with only one rail
We rode the monorail throughout the theme park.
Monotone = a speech in which every word has one tone
The speaker was hard to listen to because he used a monotone voice
Atheism – without a belief in gods
He claimed to follow atheism.
Amoral = without morals
Their horrific actions were amoral.
Asymmetrical = without being symmetrical
The style of the dress was asymmetrical.
While reviewing the table, have students jot down each prefix and its meaning in their Vocabulary Journals. Have them pick one word using the prefix that will help them remember what the prefix means, and jot that word and its definition down in their journals as well.
Prefix
poly–
mono-
a-
Meaning
many
one
without
Word
polytheism = belief in many gods
monotheism = belief in one god
atheism = without a belief in gods
Distribute shuffled cards from Handout 3D: Morphology Flashcards to students. Give one group the words and another the definitions, and have students work to find their “match.”
Remind students to reference their Vocabulary Journals as needed for the prefixes poly–, mono–, and a–.
Display the following chart while students are working to guide them as needed:
1 Chrom – Color 2 Oculus – Eye 3 Logos – Speech 4 Poly – Many, or a large amount 5 Gon – Angle 6 Path – Feelings 7 Byssos – Depth, bottom 8 Ology – Study
G4 M4 Handout 3D • WIT & WISDOM™
Name:
Date:
Handout 3D: Morphology Flashcards
Directions: Cut out the cards and shuffl e them. Match each word to its defi nition.
monochrome
polychrome
monocle
monologue
monopoly
polygon
apathy
amoral
abyss
theology having one color
having many colors
eyeglass for one eye
a long speech given by one person
when one company controls most of a product or service
a shape with many angles
without feelings about something
without morals
without a bottom like a bottomless pit
the study of god or gods
Copyright © 2017 Great Minds®
After partners are found, have each pair explain their rationale for matching the word to its definition, using what word parts they know. Clear up any misconceptions. Talk through the word parts and meanings for striving learners.
Students complete an Exit Ticket. Ask: “Based on context and on the parts of each word (the prefixes and roots of each word), determine the meaning of several words. Explain how you know.”
Display the following sentences:
1 Because the town was a theocracy, the high priest of Zeus was also the town’s leader. 2 She was afraid to ride on the monorail because she thought the cars might fall off of the track. 3 Because he was a polymath, he knew a lot about history, literature, mathematics, biology, and other subjects. 4 When he was a toddler, Timothy was asocial; he did not want to play with other children.
Theo– means “having to do with a god or gods.” Because the sentence mentions the leader of a town, I think a theocracy is something that is run by people relating to a god or gods, like priests. Mono– means “one.” The word has a root I recognize, too: rail. It also mentions cars. I think that monorail means a track for cars with one rail. Poly– means “many.” Because the sentence is about a person who knows a lot about different subjects,
I think a polymath is a person who knows a lot about many subjects. A– means without. I also recognize the rest of this word, social, as being about people. Also, the rest of the sentence mentions someone who does not play nicely with others. I think asocial means “someone who wants to be without people, or without the skills to get along with people.”
Land
Have students Think-Pair-Share, and ask: “Which of the following terms best describes the mythology of the Greeks: atheism, monotheism, or polytheism? Why?”
The best term for describing the mythology of the ancient Greeks is polytheism. This is because they believed in many gods, like Zeus, Athena, Hades, Poseidon, and Demeter. In monotheism, there is only one god, and in atheism, there are no gods. Neither describes the ancient Greeks, who believed in many gods.
