Unit and Webquest

Prefatory Statement:

This unit is primarily focused around women in world mythology. Student will be able to study in-depth how women roles are important to myth making and different culture. Many modern authors and writers use mythology to express and /or parallel their reality through a variety of texts and genres of writing. This unit will give students a chance to explore mythology beyond the basics they may have had in the past and give them a multi-faceted view of how mythology is seen today through a feminist, economic and historic(al) world view. For instance, the unit will also allow students to find their own personal meaning in creating their own retelling of myth within their multi-genre research paper on a goddess/god of their choice. The major projects are the mulit-genre research paper and storytelling to younger students in the area. The students will also be creating a visual representation of their choice goddess with help from the art department. The students will have ongoing writing workshops, journaling Do Now's and discussions about the cultures being explored.

I have created a student survey for this unit to tap the students' prior knowledge and find out their interests, questions and assumptions about the topic of women in world myth or myth in general. Before surveying the students, I would survey/research fellow teachers in the high school and middle in the district and get a sense of what lessons in mythology as well as the different genres have been taught to the majority of students. Then tailor the lessons to connect with what students remember and/or how they would best relate to myth/culture. The units assessment will be most authentic with the use of journals, discussions, projects rather than quizzes and tests.

Class Specification:

The unit is appropriate for 12th or 11th grade students who have had at least one exposed to mythology or who are currently taking an mythology elective course in high school. The texts and materials vary in reading level. I include scholarly sources to challenge students, and bridge the gap between high school and college research. I am allowing students choice in a multi-genre paper that may lead the students to view partially nude historical statues of gods and goddesses for which all students under the age of 17 will need a permission slip signed by an parental guardian. Because the unit is based on prior knowledge, students of a lower socioeconomic groups or transfer students may need additional background information add to the unit. Although, most class specifications should be tailored for every classroom and those variations are located throughout the unit

Significant Assumptions:

I assume classes/students have individual and community needs within and outside of the classroom that need to be addressed by the teacher. I believe students learn best when making connections with their prior knowledge and building upon that.
Computer lab time is limited in class, so I assume students will make arrangements to get their multi-genre research paper typed upon final draft. I believe learning can and should connect to the outside world. I assume in the design of this unit that students have been exposed to the male perspective of myth. Computer lab time is limited in class, so I assume students will make arrangements to get their multi-genre research paper typed. I also assume that students will have had experience in navigating the internet and the necessary skills to differentiate a creditable source from a questionable source.

Desired Outcomes/Standards/Objectives to be Met:

Students will learn:
1. Read, analyze and evaluate a variety of mythology/folklore of literary merit from civilizations and countries around the world, and explaining its cultural significance.
2. Evaluate a literary selection from several critical perspectives.
3. Use print, electronic databases and online resources to access information, organize ideas and develop writing.
4.Cite sources of information using a standard method of documentation, such as a style sheet from Modern Language Association (MLA) or from the American Psychological Association (APA).

Possible standards for 7-8th graders
1. Formulate questions, collect, organize and synthesize relevant information from a variety of sources, including print and electronic media.
2. Participate effectively in group meetings.

Whole-Class Activities:

Discussing and comparing texts
Experiencing a storyteller/museum/art gallery
Creating a classroom multi-genre (art) gallery
Have a story telling hour where the students share the myths with the younger students or the community.

Small-Group Activities:

Writing groups (processing/rewriting)
Pre-discussing texts
Role-playing myths
Webquest

Individual Activities:

Writing a multi-genre paper
Daily Do-Now journaling questions
Creating a visual representation of a god/goddess
Webquest

Ongoing activities

Students will have a day each week for there writing workshop to have peer revising and feedback on their writing process for their multi-genre research paper. Students will be given time to work on their webquest in there writing workshop, as well as writing time during there webquest days. Almost every day students will have a Do-Now journaling question to focus and prepare the students for the activities for the day. There are several purposes of the daily Do-Now journal questions/quotes. First, these questions are for input for the teacher, to check in with the students and find out what the students are struggling with, what they are "getting," and how to adjust to their current/future needs. The Do-Now's provide a connection/dialogue between student and teacher by, which to get to know your students, too. Also, the Do Now's can launch into an activity and/or support the genre/research the students are doing. Do Now's are collected daily and are kept in a folder/notebook that the students can keep and refer to. The Do Now's are meant to be given and the beginning of class each day followed by an activity or task. Each Tuesday and Thursday are Writing group or Webquest days. Each Monday is an introduction to a new culture and mythology. Each Friday will introduce another myth to compare to the previous myth read in the week or another myth from a previous week and/or a text based in historical, feminist and economical theory. The archetypes of women (maiden/mother/crone) within each mythos will be highlighted and define per week.

Student Resources:

Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Publishing Group, 1994.( I would recommend this as a textbook, if possible)

Selected short stories/articles from:
Larrington, Carolyne. The Feminist Companion to Mythology. Hammersmith, London: Pandora, 1992.

Ragen, Kathleen. Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from around the World. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998.

Swamm, Brian. Coming to Light: Contemporary Translations of Native Literatures of North
America. New York: Vintage Books, 1994.

Selected poetry from:
Northrup, Jim. Walking the Rez Road. Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 1993.

Computers/Internet access
Webquest
Suggested resources for student research:
See the resource page on the webquest.

Middle School Alternative Resources (as textbooks)
Tales From Here and There. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Health and Company, 1995.
Tell me a Tale. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Health and Company, 1995.

Unit Launch/Anticipatory set/Set Induction:

All students will complete a unit survey to get input into the students interest and an actuate idea of their prior knowledge base. The teacher will put together a slide show or powerpoint of different goddesses from around the world with the help of the art teacher or art historian. This will give them a taste for what cultures are available to them. See Student Survey.

Organization of the unit:

Overview:

The organization of this unit will depend upon your students prior knowledge and exposed to mythology, upon the multi-genre papers and the genres chosen, upon the interdisciplinary connections (ideally with art and civic history classes) and upon the approaches to literary criticism (such as economical and feminist theory) that you choose. After polling/surveying students for interest and prior knowledge, the teacher will choose at least six weeks of mythology study giving a week for each genre and culture being studied in class. There is a sample three weeks of lesson topics.

Week 1

The first week in the unit should begin with the mythology that a majority of students have a background in like Greek/Roman Mythology, Norse Mythology, or Native American Myth, depending on the student survey. Each week thereafter would reflect the students' interests, ethnic backgrounds and/or lack thereof .

Greek Myth

Example: The abduction of Kore-Persphone myth (feminist view) compare and to the common version and possibly look at modern retellings in poetry of the myth that compares the myth to rape/assault. The mother/daughter relationship in the myth could also be related to the students lives. What if the sex roles were reversed and a boy was abducted by a woman? How would the myth be different?

Layout the gods and goddesses in a visual family tree. Question the husbands/wife relationships. Use students archetypes of the gods/goddesses and debunk/question the text(s). For example, Hera as the jealous wife of Zeus.

Please make the students aware that their are hundreds of Native American tribes in North American and be specific about which tribe the class is being exploring or try focusing on local tribes.

What does the word storyteller mean to you? Who is a storyteller in your family? Among your friends? Write down one story you remember this person telling you.

"It"s never too late-in literature or life-to revise."-Nancy Thayer. Write your response to the above quotation. What does it say about the importance of revisions? What does it say about the privilege of revisions?

There are many overused and tried-some words even some would say dead-words. Such words have been used so often that they no longer hold any real meaning. How many overused words can you list? A few words to get started like great and nice.

Write a few lines of dialogue that reveal what someone you know is like. For example, your best friend, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunt or uncle. Don't use the person's name. You may want to include expressions that person often uses and subjects that person is interested in and likely to really talk about. Than share your dialogue with a partner. Ask her or him to tell you what kind of person your character seems to be. Did your partner understand what you were trying to show.

After the prewriting steps of the writing process, it is time to write your first draft. Write your definition of first draft below. Then tell what your goal is in a first draft.

The word revise means literally "to look at again."When you revise a draft of an essay or composition, what kinds of things do you look for?

When you revise, you look at your work with a fresh eye. Besides rereading, how else can you check your work for things that need to be changed?

You may have heard of the writing process. Do you remember the steps? Write them down. Then explain what each step involves. Do you follow the writing process for all your writing, or just certain types of writing? Explain.

Write a motto or slogan for your goddess's culture. Try to capture something unique or interesting about her in your motto.

Write a sentence using an allusion. Your reference may be to persons, things, or events from the Bible, mythology, literature , or history, or it may be an allusion to something familiar to you and your classmates, such as a school event.

Personification is a literary device that gives human attributes to a nonhuman object. For example, the wind whined in the leafless trees is personification. The wind does not really whine; people do. Using personification makes nonhuman things seem as through they have the abilities and will that people have, giving a strong image of what the writer is describing. Describe something using personification. Then share your sentence with a partner to get feedback on your image.

Here are a few alternatives:

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." -Maya Angelou, in Daily News. How do you feel about this quotation? Do you feel that strongly about writing or about anything else?

Make a list of all the words you think of when you hear the word -----. Then write a paragraph, using some of those words, describing your associations with -----. For example, replace -----with myth, folklore, grades, writing, reading, Halloween, Thanksgiving, holiday, family, etc.

Handouts

A character sketch handout (Adobe file)
Student Prior Knowledge survey
Skit Rubric
Narration Rubric

Discussion Questions:

See African Myth & Oral Tradition Lesson for specific discussion questions.

Assessment Task:

The product of the webquest will be a multi-genre research paper of five different genres out of seven with two visual representations of their god/goddess. Students will be self evaluating themselves on the their multi-genre paper through a reflective writing assignment .Writing group with evaluate their team working skills along with the teacher, too.

Grades:

The webquest assessment will be a contract grade that will be based on the students development in the classroom and the goal set between the student and the teacher. Each grade level must complete a number of tasks. An "A" multigenre paper is the completion of five different genres out of seven pieces of written work, two visual representations, a table of contents, a Works Cited page and the intro (paper proposal). A "B" multigenre paper is the completion of four different genres out of seven pieces of written work, one visual representations, a table of contents, a Works Cited page and the intro (paper proposal). All work must be proofread, typed and show the best to the student's ability.