Scott Wilson

Lesson: Mythology
Date: Thursday-Friday, May 6th 7th, 2016
Religion
6th Grade, 20-25 Students, 40 Minutes
1. Lesson Rationale
a. This lesson will teach the students about the religion of ancient Greece and
their beliefs about life, nature, and society. This lesson will also tie in aspects
of how their beliefs affected our modern society, stories, and popular culture
(i.e. Percy Jackson, Disneys Hercules, Marvel Comics, and Clash of the
Titans)
2. Essential Question
a. How did Greek mythology affect the Greek daily life?
b. To what extent has Greek mythology affected our modern society?
c. How did Greeks use religion to explain events in nature and life?
3. Standard:
a. NJ Social Studies Standards 6.2.8.B.3.b
i. Explain how geography and the availability of natural resources led to
both the development of Greek city-states and to their decline.
b. NJ Social Studies Standards 6.2.8.B.2.a
i. Determine the extent to which geography influenced settlement, the
development of trade networks, technological innovations, and the
sustainability of early river valley civilizations.
c. NJ Social Studies Standards 6.2.8.B.2.b
i. Compare and contrast physical and political maps of early river valley
civilizations and their modern counterparts (i.e., Mesopotamia and
Iraq; Ancient Egypt and Modern Egypt; Indus River Valley and Modern
Pakistan/India; Ancient China and Modern China), and determine the
geopolitical impact of these civilizations, then and now
4. Objectives: Students Will Be Able To (SWBAT):
a. Comprehend, apply, and analyze the religion of the ancient Greeks and how
it connected people of the Greek mainland, and surrounding area.
b. Determine and analyze the use of Greek gods and goddesses to explain the
workings of nature and aspects of the universe that they could not explain.
5. Lesson Opener
a. Mythology Explanation: Why does Mr. Wilson dislike the word mythology?
Explain that the root word of mythology, myth inherently disregards belief
and assumes these are just stories and are no more than fairy tales.
Elaborate and emphasize that these myths are deep rooted religious
beliefs that ancient Greeks lived and died for and still affects us in our daily
lives. Drawing comparisons: also state how if you refer to a modern religious
texts as mythology, it can come off as insulting to someone who believes in
that religion. If you begin to use terms like Judeo-Christian Mythology, Hindu

Mythology, or Muslim Mythology, it inherently sounds like you are

disregarding their belief as a fable.
6. Procedure Day #1 What Is Mythology?
a. Step #1 5 Minutes
i. Why does Mr. Wilson dislike the word mythology"
b. Step #2 5 Minutes
i. Vocabulary Check: using a pre-made Powerpoint slideshow, review
previous major terms involved with Mythology (Mythology, Olympics,
demigod, epic) by asking the students the definitions and examples of
these terms.
c. Step #3 10 Minutes
i. Have student hand out worksheet packet to be used for the current
and next day. As a class, work together to learn the basics of gods,
goddesses, heroes by answering Part 1 of the worksheet.
d. Step #4 10 minutes
i. Students are given ten minutes to think creatively and work with their
seating partner to fill out Part 2 of their sheet by creating a Brooklawn
god/goddess
e. Step #5 8 minutes
i. Students come back together to share their Brooklawn god or goddess
with the class with details about them they have discussed with their
partner.
f. Step #6 2 Minutes
i. Explain Homework: Each student is randomly assigned one of the
twelve Olympian gods (plus Hades). Introduce students to website
www.godsofc19.weebly.com (Created by teacher) and have them write
down the website***. The students will go home and use whatever
method they can to connect to the internet (desktop, laptop,
smartphone, tablet, etc.) to access this website and navigate to the
page based on the god they were assigned. They will use the
information provided on this page to fill out the section of the chart on
Part 3 and then draw a picture of their god or goddess on the final
sheet they were provided.
7. Procedure Day #2: Who are the gods?
a. Step #1 35 Minutes
i. A god or goddess is picked from the chart at random.
ii. The student(s) assigned to that god/goddess verbally present the
information they discovered about their deity while the other students
fill out the rest of their chart based on the deity being presented.
iii. Students are free to ask questions to create a dialogue and deeper
understanding based on the god/goddess
iv. If students are confident in their artistic abilities and willing to, they
may present the image they created of their assigned deity. This is
optional if a student does not want to present their artwork, it is their
decision

b. Step #2- 5 Minutes

i. Exit Pass: Now that the students have learned about thirteen of the
major Greek gods and goddesses, on an index card students must list
the gods in order of importance in their opinion.
ii. With any extra time ask students who they felt the most and least
important god/goddess was and to defend their answer.
8. Assignment
a. Greek God Assignment: Part 3
9. Assessment
a. Future Exams, Teacher Observations, Question and Answer, Participation,
Verbal Presentation
10.

Materials
a. Whiteboard/chalkboard, marker/chalk, projector, colored pencils, rulers,
Mythology Assignment, slideshow, Website: www.godsofc19.weebly.com

11.

Extra Information The Flipped Jigsaw

a. The website used in this lesson www.godsofc19.weebly.com was created by
Scott Wilson specifically for this lesson and can still be accessed and
analyzed.
b. This lesson integrates the ideas of a flipped classroom by allowing the
students to research and receive the information at home that they can bring
into class to discuss. It also brings in aspects of a jigsaw lesson where
student or group of students each have a piece of the information that they
bring in to present to the class so the students each eventually gain all of the
information. The students in the class have deemed this combination of
techniques THE FLIPPED JIGSAW

Name:

Date:

Period:

6th Grade Social Studies: Ancient Civilizations

Unit #7: Ancient Greece
Mr. Wilson
Essential Questions: Why did people first settle in ancient Greece? What role did religion have on the culture of the
people of Greece? What was the impact of government on the people living in Ancient Greece? How did technology
improve the lives of the people of Ancient Greece?

Objectives: Determine how geographical characteristics were ideal for development of a civilization in
Ancient Greece. Determine physical and political features of Ancient Greece. Describe how people living in
Greece used technology and trade to improve their lives.
Assignment #11: Godly Basics of Greek Religion
Part 1: Basic Comprehension
Directions: Fill out the following descriptions of Greek Religion
1. All Greek gods are said to control ideas of: _________________________________________________
2. The ancient Greeks considered these gods to be: _____________________
3. Many of these gods are said to live on: ___________
4. For these deities, Greeks performed ____________________________
5. One of these festivals, held every 4 years in honor of Zeus is called:
6. Gods often are associated with many different: _________________
7. Sometimes these gods fall in love and have children with humans called: ________
8. Name three of these special children and what they did to become Greek heroes:
a. ______________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________

Part 2: Critical Thinking

Directions: Create a god/goddess for Brooklawn Middle School

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What is the name of your Brooklawn god? _________________________________________________

What is your gods Brooklawn-based domain (powers)? ______________________________________
What is your gods symbols of power? ____________________________________________________
If your god came down from Mt. Parsippany, they would take the form of ________________________
Draw an image of the god that you created:

Part 3: Evaluation
Directions: Using the given website, fill out the information on the god that you have been assigned.

Website:

Name

Domain

Symbol

Form (animals)

Zeus
Poseidon
Hera
Athena
Aphrodite
Apollo
Ares
Hestia
Hermes
Demeter
Hephaestus
Artemis
HADES

Directions: Draw your own image of the god that you were assigned with their name and their form/symbols
that they represent below.