Creative Mythology Informative Essay

Lesson Plan Template WCSD Writing Program Teacher’s name: Kira Temple Teacher’s school: McQueen High School

Writing Type/Genre: Explanatory Writing (9th-10th) Lesson Title: Mythology Explanatory Essay Standards-based Outcomes:  Introduce a topic with a preview of what is to follow.  Organize the writing to make important connections and distinctions among ideas or concepts.  Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and other examples appropriate to audience’s knowledge of the topic.  Provide a concluding statement or section that supports the explanation.

Student Outcomes:  Students will be able to write an informational paper using creativity as a vehicle.  Students will present their writing to an audience conveying the tone they have written in.

Audience and Purpose for Lesson: The primary purpose is to inform; students will choose a secondary purpose for their writing. The audience will primarily be the student’s peers and teacher, however, the students will choose a pretend audience to write for as well. This lesson is excellent at the beginning of the year for 9th or 10th graders to learn research writing. This lesson takes approximately 400 minutes, with very little research and writing done as homework.

Pre-requisite Skills/Background Knowledge: Students need have basic background knowledge about the topics they will be researching and explaining in their writing. For example, when I teach this lesson, students have been taught about 60 minutes of Greek Mythology.

Resources/Supplies Needed: Several graphic organizers and student samples are attached to this lesson. Access to a library and/or computer lab is important, as is access to enough books on the topic for class library days. Lined paper.

Mentor Text(s): Student samples are attached to this lesson. I teach this lesson with The Odyssey.

Brief Overview of Lesson: Students will research a Greek god, goddess, or mythical creature and then inform the audience about their topic using R.A.F.T.S. R.A.F.T.S. means students choose their Role, Audience, Format, Topic, and Strong Verb (or purpose). To do so, students will research online and from library books. Notes, prewriting and a first draft will be completed as well as a works cited list.

Students will also get to review a peer’s work before turning in a final draft.

Steps in Implementation: 1. Choosing a topic: This lesson begins with instructions in great detail. The first steps in writing are the most important. Alter the instructions as fits your teaching style.

After a day or two introducing basic Greek Mythology, tell students how excited you are for each of them to become an expert on a particular character in the mythology. Hold up a basket. In the basket will be at least 40 large slips of paper, each with a Greek god, goddess, mortal, or creature name on it. You may have repeats in the basket. Here is a suggestion for a list. You can adapt as you see fit.      

Zeus Hades Poseidon Cronus Aphrodite Hephaestus

     

Hera Athena Apollo Ares Hermes Eros

     

Orpheus Hercules Pegasus Minotaur Persephone Medusa

(See Connections and Extensions below for ideas to suit another unit other than Greek Mythology; the steps in the lesson can remain essentially the same for any curriculum.)

Call students up to take a single slip of paper. It usually is chaotic for all students to come up at once, so try breaking them into small sections, like, “All the gentlemen come up and select a slip of paper” or “Student wearing shoes with laces come up and quickly and carefully choose your paper.”

I like to make students choose their topic without looking in the basket.

Too often, students will choose a topic they already know a lot about if they get to choose for themselves. I always say this after students have chosen their initial slip of paper: “Thank you for moving quickly to choose your topic. If you are not happy with your choice, you have 90 seconds to come back up, replace your paper in the basket and choose a different slip. You are stuck with what

you get, so think carefully before you decide to forfeit your first choice.”

Students who were unhappy with their first topic can come up to you, put the unsatisfactory paper back into the basket and draw again. They must stick with what they draw the second time. It is important for you to be firm in the initial steps of this lesson.

As students are trading topics, this is also a good time to have students who are less-skilled writers show you their topics. Some topics lend themselves better to students who have fewer reading/writing/behavior skills. For example, some students might struggle with Cronus or the Minotaur as their mythology is more abstract than that of say, Hermes or Medusa. Use this time to just check on those students who you want to make sure have a strong start with an appropriate topic.

Again, it is good to have repeats in the basket. I usually put three of each topic in the basket. Before the end of the lesson, ask students to find out if there are any other students in the classroom who have the same topic. Once students have chosen their final topic and are seated, quiet, and with eyes on you, say “I bet some of you already know a little or a lot about your topic. Is that true?” Pause. Hopefully a few will nod. “And I also bet that some of you know hardly anything about your topic, maybe you don’t even know how to say the name, right?” Pause. Usually some kid tries, unsuccessfully, to pronounce Hephaestus. “You have the last three minutes of class to see if anyone else in the room has the same topic as you. You are not going to do this project in groups. You are going to write this essay on your own, but I want you to meet the people who will have the same challenges as you will have. They will be like your helpers. At the bell, I’m going to stand at the door. On your way out the door, walk with the people who have the same topic as you, your helpers. Tell me what you all already know about your topic. If no one has the same topic as you, then you can still tell me what you already know. Ready? Go find your helpers.”

Circulate once or twice around the room to get a sense of what the students know and don’t know. Compliment kids who seem to have background already and reassure those who don’t. Get to the doorway before the bell and insist that students walk with their helpers and tell you what they know.

A verbal “ticket out” at this point reinforces students that this project is important to you. Having students talk to their helpers also gives them an additional person to go to if they have questions throughout the process.

2. Guided online research: Today, students will go to the library or computer lab, go to a specific website and take notes on their topics.

Hand out the Window Notes: Website handout (attached). Tell students that they will spend 30 minutes in the computer lab/library. They will use this page to complete notes on the website. First, show them how to use it.

Show students how to use the source by explaining that good readers don’t just collect facts when they read, but also their own ideas and questions related to the text. Remind them that writing that contains only fact is boring.

The writer’s own ideas and questions create tone and make the audience interested. Using the Window Notes ensures that the writing will be more interesting to read. Lastly, students use the labeled area on the bottom of the Graphic Organizer to write down MLA citation information. Luckily, website, pantheon.org, gives a complete MLA citation, which students can copy on the bottom of the page.

You, as the teacher, need to help your students realize that the Window Notes helps them break up new learning into meaningful sets of information and is a way to help them pay attention to the inner workings of their own minds.

Set up an expectation before going to the library/computer lab. For 30 minute in the computer lab, I can expect to have students show me the completed Window Notes Handout.

Once you are in the computer lab/library, heave each student sit at his/her own computer, open the Internet, take out the Window Notes and a pencil and wait for instructions. Once they are seated, on the Internet, and listening, give the following instructions: a. Go to Pantheon.org b. Click on “Greek Mythology” on the left c. In the Search box, type in the topic d. Click on the first article that pops up in the search results. e. This is the article the students will take notes on. But first, show them how to copy the MLA citation. i. Click on “Cite” in the little blue box on the top LH side. ii. Click on “MLA style” iii. Copy the citation exactly, paying attention to capitals, punctuation, and spelling. f. Students may begin to take notes AFTER the MLA citation has been copied correctly.

At the end of the lesson, I like to check students individually (again, this makes for a good ticket-out) to see they have the notes complete: The source is cited, there are lots of facts, plus a few questions and ideas written down. Give yourself at least ten minutes to do this. It is important to document how much research the student is doing through a grade or check-off. Students who do not research well generally are not going to complete the assignment, so curtail that as early and as effectively as you can. There are student samples attached.

3. Guided book research: Be sure you have reserved library time in advance; also, communicate with your librarian that you would like cart of books on Greek Mythology pulled for your class. You want at least one book for each student. Finally, brush up on

your MLA citation style for books and encyclopedias. You will need to teach that today.

Today, students will go to the library, find a book they can take notes on, cite it, and take notes on their topic. Hand out the Window Notes Book handout (attached). Tell students that they will spend X minutes in the library. They will use this page to complete notes on their book. But first, you need two students to explain how the Window Notes work. Ask students to think quietly for 30 seconds about how they would explain the Window Notes to a new student.

Then ask for two volunteers to explain how to take notes on Window Notes.

Once this is done, the class is ready to learn how to cite a book.

Say “Right! I’m delighted that you remember. Before we leave, you get to learn how to cite a book. This is very important for college.” Guide them through an example or two. First, identify all of the citation information at the top of the page (author, publisher, year, etc.), then put it in the MLA style order and punctuate. The students have a guide at the bottom of the page. Once this is done, the students walk quickly and quietly to the library.

Students take books from the cart, sit down and take notes. Circulate a lot during this time. (I always want to chit chat with the librarian, but students end up not being successful!) Help students find books. Show them where the encyclopedias area and how to use them. Constantly check their citations and help them, especially with encyclopedias, which are cited a little differently than regular books. The one-on-one instruction during this time is crucial.

At the end of the lesson, I like to check students individually (again, this makes for a good ticket-out) to see they have the notes complete: The source is cited, there are lots of facts, plus a few questions and ideas written down. It is important to document how much research the student is doing through a grade or check-off. Students who do not research well generally are not going to complete the assignment, so curtail that as early and as effectively as you can.

4. Drafting the MLA Works Cited List: Back in class, students take out both notes sheets. Today they will learn how to make a Works Cited list. I like to tell them that this is the first step towards getting ahead in college writing.

I find that younger grades, especially 9th graders, focus better if they can stand up and walk a little during the lesson. Handouts and supplies are a good time to do this, and it is possible to train them to all come up, get their supplies, and sit down in about a minute. So, if you don’t want to walk around the class and give out a sheet of paper to each student, call up boys first, then girls, to get a lined piece of paper.

Once all of the students have a piece of lined paper, say, “In the top right corner, in small handwriting, write these instructions: size 12, centered, all caps, no underline, no bold, only the title does these things.” Then have them write

“WORKS CITED” on their page following these instructions. Use your projector as you teach this, if you have one.

Then say, “under your title, in small writing write this: no more caps, no more center, mind spelling and punctuation, reverse indentation, ABC order.”

Guide the students through writing their two sources in a works cited list. It may be a good idea to show a sample, then write a second sample calling on volunteers, then ask students to work independently for a few minutes. Student sample attached.

Students show you their Works Cited list before the end of class. Correct anything you see wrong, especially big formatting issues: reverse indentation, alphabetical order, capitalization issues, etc.

Once everyone has been checked off, and before the bell rings, have a short discussion with the class: Why do research papers require a Works Cited List? What’s the point? Possible responses: To show the writing is credible, that the writer knows what he/she is talking about, to show where someone can get more information, etc. Citations are difficult to teach, but if students can see the bigger picture, they are more motivated to get the details right.

5. Choosing a R.A.F.T.S. Ask the students if the Works Cited page is creative writing or not.

Hopefully, they will all say, No, it is not creative writing. Ask students if the Works Cited page was very much fun. Kids always say, No, it was not much fun.

Let the class know that today will be a lot more fun, but they have to get ready to be creative.

Students get the RAFTS Handout and you project a blank RAFTS handout up on the board. Say, “Today you are going to decide what your research paper will look like. The fun part of this essay is that nobody’s research paper will actually look like a research paper. How is that possible?” Tell students to double check the spelling of their topic. Ask them to please write their topic on the top line “My mythological being I will research is _______” and in the middle of the page, “Which god/goddess/being is your topic? _________.” Say, “this is the only part of your research project I get to boss you around on. The rest you get to decide for yourself. You get to decide what your role is, that is who will be speaking through your writing. Then you get to decide who your audience is, that is, who is reading your writing. You will choose the format of your writing – remember it is not to look like a research paper! And finally, you get to choose a strong verb which will be the reason you are writing. Let’s look at an example.”

At this point, the best way to help students is to ask them to talk through an example. Show a student sample, for instance, Student C 3rd draft (attached).

Ask a female student to read the letter. Then ask the class who is speaking through the writing? Aphrodite is the role. Who is the letter being spoken to?

Hephaestus is the audience. What is the format? The format is a letter. What is the topic? The topic is Hephaestus – note, the topic does NOT have to be the

role. What is the strong verb, that is, why is this letter being written? The strong verb could be To Defend herself, to Divorce, to Blame, etc.

Once students have seen an example, they can begin to fill out the handout. I usually guide them through a second example before letting them work independently. You can ask kids to share their thoughts, too: “Who thinks they have a creative idea for a format? If your topic is Zeus, who could your role and audience be?” etc.

As students start to fill out the handout, it is a good idea to circulate and in a loud voice say the good ideas you see, “Christian has Aphrodite as his role – how juicy! JayJay’s strong verb is to advertise, I can’t wait to read that. Cathy is going to write a TV interview with Opera, oh my gosh that will be funny!”

Before moving on the to next step, students need to have this paper complete. If not, students undoubtedly stall out.

6. Purpose, Audience, and Tone Notes: Today, students will leave class knowing the purpose, audience, tone for their writing.

Students each get a copy of the Graphic Organizer Purpose, Audience, and Tone. Start by showing the Teacher Sample of the RAFTS handout to the class. Review with the students: The role is a mommy, her audience is the nanny up for hire, her format is letter offering the nanny a job, her topic is Eros, and her strong verb is to convince the nanny to take the job.

Say, “Before I can start to write my letter, I need to get some more details about why I am writing, who I am writing to, and what my writing will sound like. I want you to help me figure this out.” Then, go step by step through Purpose, Audience, and Tone, eliciting the answers from the students to fill in the Teacher Sample Graphic Organizer Purpose, Audience, and Tone. Once this is done, show the students that now you have a much better idea of what details will be in your letter, the kind of vocabulary you might use, and the main points of the letter.

Even though an example has been shown, Purpose, Audience, and Tone is still a pretty abstract concept, so now is a good time to group students together. You can group many ways, but one way is to group students by similar topics: Gods in one group, Goddesses in another group, mortals, and then monsters. You can decide how you want to group students. Let students work together for 10-15 minutes.

As students work, stop in at each group and ask individuals to share a good example and find those students who need a little one-on-one instruction to get moving. Maybe pair those students who finish early up with students who can’t quite imagine their own Purpose, Audience and Tone.

When it is about ten minutes before the end of class, ask students to go back to their own seats. Say, “My job is to teach you Purpose, Audience, and Tone in writing. The rectangle on the bottom of the page is there for you to

prove to me that you can define what Purpose, Audience, and Tone are in writing. Please write a general definition for each word in the box.” Collect these papers as students leave. Glance over them. For the few students who did not fill it in, meet with them during your extended learning time, or meet with them as students write the first draft, which is the next step in the lesson.

They may not be abstract thinkers yet and need individualized instruction.

7. Writing a First Draft: This is a relatively quiet and calm day for you. Students will write a first draft, get feedback from you, and give you a chance to re-teach students who have fallen behind. Today, your feedback will center on the introduction. CCSS explanatory writing tells us to build our students’ proficiency in creating effective explanatory introductions.

At the beginning of class, you want to set a quiet, productive tone for the day. You might do that by saying, “There are lots of kind of students. Some students work well by learning as a whole class, and other students learn best by working in small groups. There are also students, several in this class, who learn best by working quietly and independently. We are going to honor that kind of learning today.”

Each student gets a blank sheet of paper. Ask students to get out their Purpose, Audience and Tone notes, the RAFTS handout, and both Window Notes. Once all students are as prepared as possible, and are looking at you, give these instructions: Students will each write at least one full page today of their research writing. As they write, they will show their Purpose, Audience, and Tone in their writing. They will also include as much research as fits gracefully into the writing. Once they have written an entire page, then they have earned the chance to move around. They will bring their one page up to you, and you will give them feedback. You are anticipating strong first drafts!

Students get to work. As they work, you call up students who have fallen behind and do your best to get them back on track. You probably have about fifteen minutes before first drafts start coming up to you.

Reading the first drafts should be a time when you tell students the strengths you see. It is not a time to nit-pick about comma-splices, capitals, etc.

You are looking to compliment global strengths, like a clear purpose, a creative and consistent tone, well-incorporated facts, excellent word choice and style, smart organization, etc. As you give compliments, let your voice carry just a little so students who are still working can hear the positive remarks their peers are getting. Again, this is a time to find the strengths and build confidence. Any critique and suggestions for change should help students create an effective introduction. Set aside excellent introductions and share them with the class as they write.

At about ten minutes before the end of class, remind students who have not yet finished that you need to see a full page by the end of class. Follow through with this.

8. Writing a Second Draft: Reserve the computer lab in advance so that your class can use the computers to type a second draft today.

Prepare your students for a typing day by having them get out what they will need and putting these papers on top of their desks: first drafts, works cited first drafts, window notes, and Purpose, Audience and Tone handout. For fun, say, “We are going to be doing a lot of typing today, and I am worried about your fingers. Let’s do some warm ups so that your fingers do not cramp once we are in the computer lab.” Proceed to lead them through some silly and quick finger stretches and exercises.

Let your students know what you expect from them by the end of the day: You expect every student to turn in a typed, proofread first draft with a typed Works Cited list stapled behind it. You expect to read every students’ conclusion help them with is. If they do not complete it, they will be spending lunchtime in the computer lab. Have arrangements for this, or a similar solution, ready ahead of time.

In the computer lab, visit with as many students as possible. Help with Works Cited formatting; encourage them to make changes to their first drafts, etc. Each student will have a different challenge for you to help him/her with; some may have illogical organization, others will be lacking facts. Be like a coach and find that student’s weakness and help him/her overcome it.

In addition, check each student’s conclusion. Help them make the conclusion unique and noteworthy.

Collect papers before the bell, and deal with student who did not finish accordingly.

9. Revising the Second Draft: Have the Revision Gradesheet (attached) copied onto bright paper.

Revise as necessary for your class. Today you will model what you think as you read an essay and grade it. Then, students will try and think like you in order to give helpful feedback to a peer.

Before class, lay out the second drafts on several desks. Spread them out as you want the different formats to be visible to students as they walk by. As students come in the door, ask them to find a second draft that belongs to someone they do not know very well, and give each student a colored Revision Gradesheet.

Tell students that all they need on their desks is a Revision Gradesheet, another student’s paper, and something to write with. To move on, students need to show that they have done this. Circulate around the room, checking to make sure that best friends and worst enemies do not have one another’s papers.

Have a sample essay on the board and a blank gradesheet. Go through the sample and talk aloud, slowly, how you would grade it. Here is what you might say if you were grading Student D 2nd draft (attached): “Before I grade a student’s writing, I read it all the way through and pay attention to what I am reading (read the letter aloud, slowly and with fun emotion). That was pretty good, but I do see areas of improvement; if you think the paper in front of you is perfect, think again. Everyone’s job is to help a student get better. The first item on the grade sheet is ‘purpose is clear.’ Let’ s see. This student has a clear purpose, and it is at the end of the article. It says ‘This article was not meant to frighten the public, or to cause panic, but to make you aware.’ There, it says the purpose is to make the public aware. That is a pretty clear purpose. I’m going to give this student full points (circle the box that says 15 points). What next, Ok, ‘Audience and tone are clear’ Hmm… Well, where do you see him name his audience? Yes, right there at the top: ‘Readers of the Reno Gazette Journal.’ So his audience is clear, but I’m not crazy about his tone. Seems like he needs to use better vocabulary and have sentences that do not say ‘he’ quite so much. His Tone does not quite sound like a newspaper. I’m going to give him a 12/15 (circle the box) and tell him that he needs to rewrite some of his sentences.” Write, “rewrite simplistic and repetitive sentences” under Comments….and so forth. Continue to narrate to the class the rest of your grading.

You have used the first draft to focus on introductions, the day in the computer lab to focus on conclusions. Today, focus on how many/what kind/when facts are used. In the student sample on the board, compliment when facts are incorporated effectively, when facts are correct, but seem out of place, and places the writing needs more facts. Reinforce to your students, that the skill they are learning is writing to inform an audience, and to show off their research.

Once you are done showing your students how you think when you grade their writing, they will have a better understanding of how to be successful. Ask them to help their peers be successful by grading their drafts like a teacher would. They will work in pairs. For each paper, each pair needs to 1) circle the score box for each category and 2) write several suggestions under comments.

3) write the score in the blank.

Give students plenty of time to do this, and give yourself plenty of time to get around to each group and look at each draft for a minute or so. Help each group with facts.

To help students make judgments about when facts and examples are relevant and appropriate in their writing, ask questions like: “Where are the facts in this writing?”

“Does this writing need more facts?”

“Do the facts make sense?”

“Does the audience want to know more about this?”

“What else do you think the reader will want to know?”

“Does this fact make sense here?”

“Do you want another example?”

“How would an example help the reader?”

As you circulate, look for groups who finish too early. Go back into the draft with them and read it with them, showing them again how you, as a teacher read and think as you assess writing. Help students think of suggestions.

Remember, you have to teach your students to edit and peer review, don’t just expect them to know automatically. This is also the time for you to glance at each Works Cited list and fix any problems for them. If this is the first time your students have written a Works Cited list, so make corrections extra clear.

Ten minutes before the end of class, groups return 2nd drafts to the original owners and go back to assigned seating. Once everyone is quiet and settled, say, “I’m so impressed by your editing skills. Please don’t let all of this excellent editing go to waste. Type up your final draft. Think like a teacher as you proofread it, and have it ready on the due date: X.” As students leave, let each one know how excited you are to read the final draft. Remind them to also have a final draft of the Works Cited List.

10. Turning in the Essay: Hopefully, students will be trying to turn in their papers before the bell to start class even rings. This is a good sign. Get everyone settled, however, before anyone turns in any work.

Students staple all of their papers together in this order: Revision Gradesheet, 3rd draft of both the writing and Works Cited list, 2nd drafts, 1st drafts, Purpose, Audience and Tone Handout, RAFTS Handout, and Window Notes. You don’t need to grade the entire packet; rather, if a student falls unusually short, you can go back through his/her process and see where the students needs remediation.

Call up students one at a time. Have passes ready to send students to the computer lab to finish the assignment if it is not done. Shake hands with kids who have completed the work on-time.

When you grade the work, it is up to you to decide several things; my own practices are in italics:  Will I attach a new copy of the Revison Gradesheet or write my comments over the old sheet? I write over the old gradesheet comments. I like to have students see how they have improved.  How many comments will I write on the papers? I do not write comments on papers that will not be revised again.  How will I deal with students who have not met the standards? I meet with these students during our extended learning time or send them to a tutor who comes to school twice a week and ask the student to revise for more points. I (or the tutor) give the students specifics to revise for.



To what extent will I grade for spelling, mechanics, usage, etc? I expect reasonably edited copies; if the student clearly has not proofread, I do not give a grade until I see that student make a best effort at proofreading. I give 5 points and tell the student they need to finish proofreading for the rest of the points. I allow students to edit on the 3rd draft during class so that the points are redeemed the same day.

If you wish, students may present their writing to the class aloud. I make this worth a few points of extra credit if they read the writing in a way that conveys their tone.

Revision Strategy: See steps 7-10 above.

Rubric: See the attachment “RAFTS Gradesheet” Student Samples: There are several student samples attached.

Universal Access: For some students, an additional step outlining is necessary. Going from the R.A.F.T.S. handout to a first draft can be a leap for students. I help students meet this challenge during our extended learning time. If a class has more than a few emerging writers, outlining may need to be inserted into the lesson steps as the teacher sees fit.

Also, for students who complete all of the steps, but do not produce an essay that meets the standards, I like to meet with that student during our school’s extended learning time for one-on-one tutoring, and then ask that student to revise for a higher grade.

Connections/Extensions: This assignment works beautifully in a Social Studies classroom or a Science classroom. For example, a World History teacher might choose to limit student topics to impactful personalities in the Renaissance, and create a list of 15-30 historical figures. The assignment could also be adapted to science classroom: Scientists who made significant contributions to human biology, for example.

Additional Resources: Burke, J. (2002). Tools for thought: graphic organizers for your classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Silver, H., Strong, R., & Perini, M. (2007). The strategic teacher: selecting the right research-based strategy for every lesson. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Credit: Graphic Organizers were adapted from these sources, as well as some of my intructions: Burke, J. (2002). Tools for thought: graphic organizers for your classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Silver, H., Strong, R., & Perini, M. (2007). The strategic teacher: selecting the right research-based strategy for every lesson. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Greek Mythology RAFTS Rubric 5 Purpose is clear.

Audience and Tone are clear.

The purpose is not clear, or the writing drifts away from the purpose.

The audience is not clear, nor is the tone; or, the tone is inappropriate for the audience.

Introduction and Conclusion

The introduction and conclusion are either missing, incomplete, or minimally effective.

Facts and Voice

The writer is either lacking facts or the facts are not incorporated well.

Writing that sounds like an encyclopedia is not appropriate for this assignment.

The Works Cited list is either incomplete or poorly formatted.

This writer did not proofread effectively.

Works Cited Editing

10

Your score __________/ 75

12

15 It is clear that the writer has a clear purpose in mind and the writing achieves that purpose.

It is clear that the writer knows how to write for this audience through the tone the writer chooses to use.

Introduction gives a preview of what is to follow in a unique manner that grabs the audiences’ attention.

The conclusion leaves the reader with a thoughtful residual message.

The writer uses many relevant facts and examples from his/her research and incorporates them into the writing.

The writing maintaining an appropriate voice.

Works Cited list is well formatted and complete.

Few to no errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage, etc.

Comments:

Name____ Period_____

My mythological being I will research is ________.

Here is what I know about him/her/it so far:

What is your role? ______________ God/Goddess, Odysseus, Homer, citizen of ancient Greek city/state, fan, teacher, political party, famous person, President, leader of another country, newspaper publisher, foreigner, scientist, religious leader, etc.

Who is your audience?

God/goddess, Odysseus, Homer, citizen of ancient Greek city/state, fan, teacher, political party, famous person, President, leader of another country, newspaper publisher, foreigner, scientist, religious leader, etc.

What is your format? _______________ Letter, emails, collection of songs/poems, journals, interview, commercial, brochure, news article, obituary, etc

Which god/goddess/being is your topic?_______________  What is the roman name for your god/goddess/being?  How does he/she/it look and how does his/her physical appearance show what he/she represents?  Where does this god/goddess/being hang out and why? Are there any specific places associated with this god/goddess?  What objects/animals/weather/etc. are symbols for this being, and how do they show what he/she/it represents?

ďƒž What is his/her/its relationship with other gods/goddesses? What is his/her relationship with mortals? ďƒž What is your opinion/reaction to what you have learned about this god/goddess/being?

What is your strong verb? ________________ Persuade, defend, admire, convince, inspire, investigate, argue, judge, describe, advertize, evaluate, analyze, support, etc.

AUTHOR(s): EDITOR: TITLE: CITY OF PUBLICATION: PUBLICATION COMPANY: PUBLICATION DATE: PAGE NUMBERS CONSULTED:

Research: Window Notes

Instructions: Use one page of Window Notes for each source. Fill in applicable citation information for your WORKS CITED list. As you take notes – also write down opinions, questions, prior knowledge, and/or ideas.

As you write your essay, weave the three windows together (use at least 50% facts. This will make your paper more interesting, and easier to write.

QUESTIONS

OPINIONS/IDEAS

FACTS

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year. Page numbers consulted.

Works Cited Entry:

AUTHOR(s): EDITOR: TITLE OF WEBSITE: TITLE OF ARTICLE IN WEBSITE: SPONSORING ORGANIZATION: LAST UPDATED/PUBLICATION DATE: DATE CONSULTED: URL:

Research: Window Notes

Instructions: Use one page of Window Notes for each source. Fill in applicable citation information for your WORKS CITED list. As you take notes – also write down opinions, questions, prior knowledge, and/or ideas.

As you write your essay, weave the three windows together (use at least 50% facts. This will make your paper more interesting, and easier to write.

QUESTIONS

OPINIONS/IDEAS

FACTS

Author or Editor Last Name, First Name. Title of Website. “Title of Article in Website.” Sponsoring organization.

Date consulted. Date last updated/published. <url>.

Works Cited Entry: