Tag Archive for online learning experience

Greek Mythology: Pandora and Narcissus

May 18, 2020 / / No comments

Goals for the Week:

  1. Read and understand the stories of Pandora and Narcissus.
  2. Finalize all work for the semester!
  3. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!

Today’s Checklist:

  1. Go through the Nearpod Lesson on Pandora and Narcissus
  2. Read and understand the stories of Pandora and Narcissus.
  3. Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the two stories.

Today’s Lesson!

Standard:

  • ELAGSE9-10RL3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Learning Target: 

I can read and understand the myths of Pandora and Narcissus so that I can write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the two.

Activator: 

Check out the “What’s in the box?” video embedded in the Nearpod lesson below! 🙂

Work Session: 

Closing Session: 

Complete the paragraph writing activity in the Nearpod lesson. And…that’s it! You’re done!!

 

Looking Ahead: Have a great summer!

Congratulations, you have completed the strangest semester I have ever had the pleasure to teach! I hope everyone stays safe and sane, and I cannot WAIT until this is all over and we can return to school as normal – hopefully in August!

Please come by and see me next year!! I’ll miss you all 🙂

 

Greek Mythology: The Odyssey, Day 4

May 14, 2020 / / No comments

Goals for the Week:

  1. Understand the mythology of the Olympian gods/goddesses.
  2. Understand the plot and characters of Homer’s The Odyssey.
  3. Create a myth for an original Greek god/goddess.

Today’s Checklist:

  1. Watch a video clip from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? showcasing the sirens from Greek mythology and The Odyssey.
  2. Read Book 12 from The Odyssey.
  3. Utilize the OPTIC strategy to analyze two different artworks that represent the sirens from The Odyssey.

Today’s Lesson!

* The Odyssey is a very large epic poem. Because of time constraints, we will be reading a couple of books from The Wanderings (journey) of Odysseus, as opposed to the entire text.

Standard:

  • ELAGSE9-10RL6: Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
  • ELAGSE9-10RL7: Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums (e.g., Auden’s poem “Musée de Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus), including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.

Learning Target: 

I can read and analyze Book 12 of The Odyssey, so that I can comprehend the nature of the sirens. I can consider various interpretations of the sirens from Greek mythology so that I can analyze their prevalence in literature, history, and film.

Activator: 

Odysseus encounters the sirens in Book 12 of The Odyssey. According to Greek mythology, sirens were female creatures (often sea nymphs) that lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of their song. Check out this modern interpretation in a video clip from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (The film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is loosely based on Homer’s The Odyssey). Disclaimer: The clip is slightly suggestive, but you won’t see anything inappropriate.

Work Session: 

* Book 12 focuses on Odysseus’s interactions with the sirens and two different sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. *

  • Read Book 12 of The Odyssey. Holt Literature Textbook, The Odyssey, Book 12
  • Take a look at these two paintings! Use the OPTIC chart below the paintings to analyze what’s going on here. (Click the pictures to see them bigger.)
Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse (1891) Ulysses and the Sirens by Herbert James Draper (1909)
  • Fill in this chart (recreate it on your own paper) with your observations on each painting:
Overview: What do you see in this picture? What is your overall impression?
Parts: What different parts of the picture do you see? Consider characters, foreground, background, frame, etc.
Title: What is the title of this painting? How does the title relate to what is going on in the painting?
Interrelationships: How do the parts and title relate to the overall picture? Why are some things in the background? Why is there an owl flying around?
Conclusions: What conclusions can you draw from this painting?

Closing Session: 

  • Check out these videos over Scylla and Charybdis.
    • Scylla:

    • Charybdis:

  • Continue to work on your original Greek myth. The assignment is due tomorrow, Friday, May 15th by 11:59 pm. Submit to your teacher via email or however he/she wants you to turn your assignments in. Message your teacher if you have questions. Original Greek Myth
  • Greek Mythology Chart

Looking Ahead: Tomorrow’s Checklist

If you want to get ahead on things, here is what we’re going to be doing tomorrow!

  1. There are no new lessons for tomorrow. Just remember to submit your original Greek myth by 11:59 pm on Friday, May 15th.
  2. Next week, we’ll wrap up our Greek mythology unit!

 

Greek Mythology: The Odyssey, Day 3

May 13, 2020 / / No comments

Goals for the Week:

  1. Understand the mythology of the Olympian gods/goddesses.
  2. Understand the plot and characters of Homer’s The Odyssey.
  3. Create a myth for an original Greek god/goddess.

Today’s Checklist:

  1. Watch a video clip from the film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief about the Land of the Lotus Eaters.
  2. Read Book 9 from The Odyssey.
  3. Fill out a Microsoft Form answering reading comprehension questions from Book 9.

Today’s Lesson!

* The Odyssey is a very large epic poem. Because of time constraints, we will be reading a couple of books from The Wanderings (journey) of Odysseus, as opposed to the entire text.

Standard:

  • ELAGSE9-10RL6: Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
  • ELAGSE9-10RL9: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).
  • ELAGSE9-10RL3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Learning Target: 

I can read and analyze Book 9 of The Odyssey, so that I can complete a Microsoft Form answering 8 reading comprehension questions, in order to demonstrate understanding of the text.

Activator: 

Homer describes the Land of the Lotus-Eaters in Book 9 The Odyssey. Lotus-Eaters eat the lotus plant, forget their heart’s desire, and never want to leave. Check out this modern interpretation in a video clip from the film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. 

Work Session: 

* Book 9 focuses on Odysseus’s interactions with the cyclops, Polyphemus, who is Poseidon’s son. Students usually find this to be one of the more interesting books from the The Odyssey due to its humor and action. *

  • Read Book 9 of The Odyssey.

Holt Literature Textbook, The Odyssey, Book 9

  • You can also listen to an audiobook of Book 9 from one of the versions of The Odyssey. 

Closing Session: 

Let’s wrap up what we read today with a brief video summary of Book 9 from The Odyssey. Check out this video by Course Hero.

Looking Ahead: Tomorrow’s Checklist

If you want to get ahead on things, here is what we’re going to be doing tomorrow!

  1. We’re going to read and analyze Book 12 from The Odyssey.
  2. We’re going to OPTIC strategy two depictions of sirens from The Odyssey.

 

 

Greek Mythology: The Iliad Day 2

May 5, 2020 / / No comments

Goals for the Week:

  1. Understand the mythology of the Trojan War.
  2. Understand the plot and characters of Homer’s Iliad.
  3. Complete the Iliad Character Research Prompt.

Today’s Checklist:

  1. Understand the plot of Homer’s Iliad
  2. Consider what’s history and what’s mythology
  3. Begin to grapple with the language of Homer

Your assignment for this week!

This week you will:

Today’s Lesson!

Standard:

  • ELAGSE9-10RL2 Determine a theme or central idea of text and closely analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Learning Target: 

I can understand a broad overview of The Iliad by reading summaries of the text so that I can look more in-depth at the most important parts of the text.

Activator: 

Let’s start today by talking about history!

So, whenever I teach The Iliad, the first question my students as is “Did this really happen?” and the answer is….well…maybe kinda?

It depends on what you’re asking.

  • Did a guy named Achilles really exist? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • Did the city of Troy really exist? yes!
  • Was there a Trojan War like Homer described it? There was probably a war, but we don’t know if it was like Homer described.
  • Was there a Trojan Horse? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We have a lot more questions than answers. But one thing we do know is where Troy is supposed to have been:

For more info on what’s history and what’s mythology, read this article, “The Fall of Troy: The Legend and The Facts”. And you can check out this short TedEd video on the archaeological pursuits to find Troy!

Work Session: 

The goal today is for you to get a basic understanding of the plot of The Iliad. To do that, I’m going to give you a few resources to look into. Choose one to read. The others? Give them a cursory glance. Skim them. At least look at the pictures.

Closing Session:

Let’s sum up what happens in The Iliad with a video, shall we? Check out this rendition from CLEAN Classics Summarized on YouTube!

PS – we will have a ZOOM MEETING on Thursday at 11am! This is optional, but we are looking forward to seeing your smiling face on the camera, so please try to come!

Looking Ahead: Tomorrow’s Checklist

  1. Understand Hector’s death in The Iliad
  2. Consider various interpretations of Hector’s death scene in various media.
  3. Prepare for Thursday’s Zoom meeting!

Short Stories: Character Development Review

April 30, 2020 / / No comments

 

Goals for the Week:

  1. Follow along with the daily readings of short stories.
  2. Complete your Choice Board project
  3. Continue to collaborate with teachers and classmates

Today’s Checklist:

  1. Watch video about character development (and take a quiz later)
  2. Complete a Nearpod lesson
  3. Identify dynamic characters in literature and film

Today’s Lesson!

Standard:

  • ELAGSE9-10RL3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Learning Target: 

I can analyze complex characters in short stories by completing a Nearpod lesson so that I can find examples of dynamic characters from movies and television.

Activator: 

Here’s a slightly silly duo explaining character development. Check out their video:

Work Session: 

Your assignment for this unit!

You will have one major assignment for this unit, and you get to choose it! Visit the choice board and select one project to complete about one story. In other words,

Today’s Story: No story! Today we are reviewing character development 🙂

Today we are doing another lesson through NearPod! The lesson should show up right below this text. If you need to sign in, use your school Office365 sign in – message your teacher if you don’t know your sign in info 🙂

Closing Session:

Take this 8-question quiz about Different Types of Characters. How did you do?

Examples of dynamic characters in literature:

  1. Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series
  2. Hamlet from Shakespeare’s titular play
  3. Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird
  4. Ponyboy from The Outsiders
  5. Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol

Can you think of other dynamic characters from literature? Write down as many as you can think of in thirty seconds. Share with a family member, a friend, or your teacher.

What about film? Here is an example of a dynamic character from a film. Can you think of any others? Share with someone you know!

Looking Ahead: NEXT UNIT!!!

This concludes our short stories unit! Remember, no new content on Friday. Please complete your Choice Board project and turn it in to your teacher by Friday, May 1, at 11:59pm 🙂

On Monday, we begin our FINAL UNIT of the semester: Greek Mythology!

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