Unit Portfolio Presentation Jason Lobdell

Students conduct research that leads to an understanding of the mythological 12 Olympians and of connections between these archetypal characters and contemporary characters. Students utilize written texts (like Hamilton’s Mythology), online texts, and “pop culture” for research. They work in teams to create an illustrative monologue for one of the 12 Olympian gods AND for a contemporary character who exhibits characteristics of this god. They publish their monologues via a “talking picture” (created at Blabberize.com), and they discuss each other’s work on a class blog. Blabberize.com Finally, students’ knowledge of all 12 Olympian gods is assessed objectively via a standard paper/pencil quiz at the end of the unit.

Essential Questions What does it mean to be a hero? What does it mean to be a monster? What does it mean to be human?

Unit Questions What were some of the characteristics that the Greeks thought made a god (or a man) strong or weak—or heroic? What were the ideas the Greeks valued so highly (like marriage, or truth, or civilization, etc.) that they created gods or goddesses to embody them? How do we today feel about these Greek ideals, and who are some contemporary characters that embody them?

Content Questions For each of the 12 Olympian gods, students should know/be able to describe: By what names (Greek and Latin) the god was known To whom the god was related (significant immortal and mortal relations) What powers and/or areas of responsibility the god had The god’s personality At least one incident from the god’s history that illustrates the god’s personality, responsibilities, etc. At least one contemporary character (from film, TV, video games, etc.) who is like the god in essential ways—ways that further illustrate important aspects of the god’s character

By creating this unit, I hope to: Help students explore the connections between timeless archetypes, ancient literature and culture, and contemporary culture Use media (internet, pop culture) with which my students are already familiar to engage them in learning During this unit, I want my students to: Learn about archetypal connections between classic literature and contemporary culture Use technology to communicate with different audiences Engage with each other in discussions about both ancient literature and contemporary culture

As my students work on this project, they Connect archetypes and ancient literature to the contemporary world Collaborate with peers Create a product that shows what they’ve learned Share their learning with a real audience

Students will develop higher-order and 21st century skills in this unit as they Use the Essential and Unit Questions to guide their analysis of ancient gods and goddesses and contemporary/pop-culture characters Communicate their ideas to a community audience using online media Reflect on their reading, writing, research, and thinking strategies, and modify and adapt them as necessary Use project assessments to self-assess their work and give feedback to their peers using both traditional and technological means

Use Assessments & CFQs to learn Students’ background knowledge of the better-known Olympians Students’ ideas about characteristics of humans and heroes, gods and monsters Assess 21st Century skills Ability to see common elements in ancient and contemporary literature/culture Ability to use a variety of means, from traditional to technological, to communicate with their peers

I can use information from assessments to Guide students to learning that addresses ingoing misperceptions or information needs Guide students to contemplate contemporary connections that help them better understand underlying archetypes Students can use information from these assessments to Guide their own learning in terms of depth and direction Establish a knowledge base for future units Hone their communication skills for authentic audiences

Need tools for assessing team/group work that fairly assesses the work (or lack thereof) of individual members