Lesson Plan for Implementing
NETS•S—Template I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name
Jennifer Kadien
Position
SpEd teacher
School/District
McEachern High School
E-mail
Jennifer.Kadien@cobbk12.org
Phone
518-528-3087
Grade Level(s)
10th grade
Content Area
English
Time line
7 or 8 class periods (90 minutes each) – approx. a week and a half
Standards
Content Standards
ELACC9-10SL1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues
ELACC9-10SL2 - Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source
ELACC9-10SL5 - Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive
elements) in
presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest
ELACC9-10RL6 - 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
ELACC9-10RL9 - Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work
Page 1 of 6
ISTE NETS-S Standards
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes
using technology. Students:
a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or groups expression
2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a
distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media
3. Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information form a variety of
sources and media
c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific
tasks
5. Digital Citizenship
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to
technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and
productivity
c. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,
systems, and operations. Students:
a. Understand and use technology systems
b. Select and use applications effectively and productively
c. Troubleshoot systems and applications
Page 2 of 6
Overview
This unit focuses on increasing students’ research and evaluative skills in the context of constructing knowledge regarding
Greek mythology and the elements of Classical literature.
It begins with a foundational lesson and corresponding assignment (the Greek mythology research project) to ensure
students have self-constructed the appropriate background knowledge required for reading and understanding The Iliad.
A handout corresponding to the requirements of the research project will be used to formatively assess student’s
understanding.
Next, students will be exposed to a visual interpretation of the literature (by watching and discussing the film Troy). A
formative assessment of comprehension will occur in the form of guided video questions.
Continuing on, students will then complete research on general classical elements of Greek literature (epithet activity).
Students will have a formative assessment requiring them to construct their own epithets and then share/submit them via
Edmodo.
Next, students will complete research an assigned specific god or goddess, and present their findings in a visual
presentation including narration which will be submitted via Edmodo. Students will have a choice of producing their
presentation within Microsoft Photostory or using the open-source software on Slideshare.net. Additionally, students will
practice evaluating digital tools as they will be required to assess websites during the research phase.
Student will then read and discuss Book 1 of The Iliad in class.
Finally, students will collaborate with each other and provide valuable feedback to their peers by evaluating each other’s
Photostory/Slideshare presentations through their pre-assigned small groups within Edmodo.
Essential Questions
EQs: What are the essential elements of classical literature? What is an epithet?
skills?
How can I strengthen my research
Some students will already have knowledge of The Odyssey (having read it in 9th grade), which is closely related to The
Iliad. Others will not have been exposed to The Odyssey, but will know of some of the Greek Gods & Goddesses and their
legends. Some will have seen the movie Clash of the Titans or read some of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians
series. Noting these related films and books will help spark interest in the unit and activate prior knowledge and
associations.
Some questions to hook students in and get them thinking about the topic include:
- How did Nike get its brand name? Why would Nike be a good fit for advertising sports equipment?
- What is the significance of the gum brand name Trident? How does a trident relate to selling gum?
- Why are they called the Olympics? To what does this term refer?
After a brief discussion, show them this Slideshare presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/staceylbaker/greek-mythology-in-modern-world.
The presentation covers Greek mythology and its uses in modern advertising as well as common references. Additionally,
It gives the students a good example of what their final Slideshare presentations should look like.
Page 3 of 6
Assessment
Students will produce several formative assessments indicating their understanding of the topics/acquisition
assignments (Greek mythology research handout, Troy video viewing guide, epithet activity submitted via
Edmodo, Percy Jackson posts/discussion on Edmodo). Students will generate new knowledge when they create
unique epithets.
Summative assessments will include a Photostory/Slideshare presentation on an assigned god or goddess, a
completed website evaluation rubric, as well as a standard unit test. The unit test will consist of multiple choice
questions on historical background, critical plot elements within The Iliad, a cold reading comprehension
passage, and a constructed response section based on epitaphs/epithets. The Photostory/Slideshare project will
be reviewed and evaluated by their peers (via same rubric the teacher will use to evaluate the final product).
Differentiation: The students can choose to create their final products with Photostory or Slideshare; or, if so
inclined, students could choose to make a screencast or YouTube video to demonstrate their learning. If
students really struggle with content or utilizing new digital tools, they could consider creating a Prezi or a
PowerPoint project to present their learning.
Resources
Throughout this unit, technology, multimedia, and digital tools will be utilized by students and the teacher to
support student skill acquisition and application, evaluation, and creation.
Digital & multimedia tools utilized throughout the unit to help students gain content knowledge:
- interactive readings on the Ancient Greeks (provided by the BBC)
- Photostory/Slideshare
- Edmodo
- Quizlet
- general Internet research (about.com, dictionary.com, Britannica.com, Sparknotes.com, Wikipedia,
- film (Troy and Percy Jackson)
Students should be able to use the internet, have experience with creating visual presentations, as well as be
able to use and upload content to the class Edmodo site. At this point in the semester, students have already
commented and submitted work via Edmodo.
Instructional Plan
Preparation
I will determine if student have the required knowledge during my activating activities (discussion of The Odyssey,
the Clash of the Titans, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, questions on modern references to Greek mythology).
Students may have difficulty pronouncing unfamiliar names or relating to aspects of life during antiquity. I will help
head off these problems by pronouncing the names for the class as they come up, and helping students interpret
the short legends included in the model Slideshare presentation.
Page 4 of 6
Management
Students will be in assigned seats in the computer lab or when they are in class when using laptops to maintain
focus. Frequent monitoring by the teacher will occur throughout computer use time.
Students will work in whole group when discussing the activating questions, and watching and responding to the
films. Students will work individually on their internet research, epithet creation, website evaluation, and
god/goddess presentation creation. Students will work in small groups to review and critique each other’s
presentations via pre-assigned Edmodo groups.
If issues with equitable access arise, we can have students rotate into the computers as others finish, since many
of the students work at varying paces. In addition, students can access Edmodo via their mobile phones,
allowing students to utilize BYOD technology in the classroom.
By checking out the prescribed internet resources prior to giving them out to the students, we will know of any
possible adjustments we might need to make due to websites that have moved or are no longer functioning.
Additionally, students may have difficulty accessing the appropriate web content or software due to issues with
software updates (such as Adobe, Flash, etc.). Contacting the school technology specialist prior to completing
the unit to ensure access is allowed to all required websites and appropriate updates have been conducted on
computers to be used could head these problems off before they even arise.
Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities
I will incorporate multimedia presentation in addition to lecture, helping support different student learning
styles and rates. The heart of the lesson will be centered on constructivist learning (students construct their own
understanding of Greek mythology through guided discovery exercises). Modeling, checks for understanding,
and scaffolding will be provided throughout implementation. Additionally, students will collaborate (students
will work in small groups to rate each other’s work/give feedback). The role of teacher will be facilitator and
guide. The students will be explorers, teachers, and producers. Higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy and higher
order thinking skills will be required when creating their own epithets, producing visual presentations, and
evaluating each other work.
Differentiation
The students can choose to create their final products with Photostory or Slideshare; or, if so inclined, students
could choose to make a screencast or YouTube video to demonstrate their learning. If students struggle really
struggle with content or utilizing new digital tools, they could consider creating a Prezi or a PowerPoint project
to present their learning.
Visual and verbal learning activities will be incorporated throughout the unit. Any work students cannot finish in
class they can continue to work on for homework, allowing students to work at their own pace. Struggling
students or SWD may be assigned the same god/goddess and seated near each other to provide peer support
and to bounce ideas off of. Additionally, Zoomtext will be provided for visually impaired students, and the Snap
& Read screen reader tool for students with reading disabilities. Advanced students will be given more obscure
god/goddesses and/or be required to create a more extensive, in-depth product to showcase their deeper
understanding of the content.
Page 5 of 6
Reflection
Students will reflect on their work while critiquing the value of their peers work. Students can feel free to
provide feedback regarding the assignment via the class Edmodo page (teacher will post a survey to address
efficacy, meaningfulness, and overall impression of the lesson).
Results from implementation by Mrs. Voakes:
- test scores went up an average of 4 points over last semester (they did not use this activity last semester)
- ability to evaluate and research/verify information increased
- there were a few kids who rushed through their work and missed elements of the evaluation rubric
(information about author’s credibility)
Closure:
I would recommend that other teachers experiment with adding additional collaborative aspects to this unit.
Many students could work on a combined visual presentation on one assigned god/goddess (so effectively
utilize limited computer resources and/or time). Or, students could connect with students across the world by
posting their work for consumption by a larger audience (instead of just via or Edmodo classroom page).
Link to Screencast describing lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je-9QrxDr6A
Page 6 of 6