The Question
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Meet the Olympians!
In Greek mythology, this family of
gods and goddesses lived high atop
Mount Olympus. From there they
watched (and often meddled in)
the affairs of humans below.
The Olympians had come to power
after their leader, Zeus,
overthrew his father, Kronos,
The Olympians, by Gordon Dean. Copyright MythWeb, 1998.
leader of the Titans.
In their myths, the ancient Greeks gave their gods and goddesses immortality,
amazing powers and very human personalities. In this lesson, you will really
get to know the Olympians! First, you will research a god or goddess and
create a visual aid to share your findings with the class. Then, you will
evaluate how well these gods and goddesses have been characterized in the
novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief to answer the
essential question:
How well did the author characterize the Greek gods and goddesses
in the novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief?
Information Sources
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You will use 2-3 of these sources to locate specific
information about one Olympian god or goddess and
complete the Student Activity on Slide 3.
Preview the Web sites to select the 2-3 best sources of
information about your topic.
Ancient Greek Gods for Kids
Ancient Greece: Gods and Goddesses
Olympian Gods and Goddesses
The Olympians
Do a keyword search on the name of your selected god or goddess in:
World Book Kids or
World Book Student
Reading Levels:
= Basic
= Intermediate
= Challenging
The Student Activity
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Gather information about a Greek god or
goddess from the Sources on Slide 2
to take notes on this note-taking chart.
Use the information in your research notes to create a Poster,
Trading card, or Bookmark introducing your god or goddess to the
class, and for reference during your reading of The Lightning Thief.
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Open the template and SAVE AS to your DOCUMENTS folder with
FILE NAME: YourLastName – God/GoddessName
(for example: Jones-Aphrodite)
Include a picture of your god or goddess!
Present your research project to the class.
As classmates introduce the gods and goddesses they researched,
take notes to summarize the information on this presentation chart.
• Your teacher may use this scoring tool to assess your project.
The Assessment Activity
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Evaluate the author’s characterization of the god or goddess you researched
in the novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
Use details and examples from your research to support your reasoning.
How well did the author characterize this god or goddess in the
novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief?
Respond using one of these formats as directed by your teacher:
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Type in the text box below and save this file to your class folder on the Students drive
Type your response on a Microsoft word document and save or print out
Write your response on a sheet of notebook paper
Post your response on a Voice Thread or Padlet wall created by your teacher
Enrichment Activities
Expand your knowledge of the major
Greek gods and goddesses by
completing one of these FUN
activities!
• Take the quiz! How well do you know your
mythology? (From National Geographic
Kids.)
• Watch the BrainPop video Greek Gods,
and then take the Quiz or try one of
these Activities or Related Features:
– Name that God Family Tree
– Experiment Q & A FYI
– BCPS Username and Password are needed
for home access to Brain Pop; see your
Library Media Specialist for these.
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Teacher Resources
Lesson Objective: Students will predict a character’s role in the myths
and novel they will be reading by researching a Greek god or
goddess.
MSC Standards:
1.E.2 Use strategies to prepare for reading (before reading)
b. Set a purpose for reading the text
c. Make predictions and ask questions about the text
d. Make connections to the text from prior knowledge and
experiences
AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner:
1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format
(e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences
and gather meaning.
1.1.8 Demonstrate mastery of technology tools for accessing
information and pursuing inquiry.
1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.
MD Technology Literacy Standards for Students:
3.B.1.a. Use technology tools to work collaboratively within the school
community.
4.D.1.b. Present ideas and information in formats such as electronic
presentations, web pages, graphic organizers, or
spreadsheets that are appropriate to a specific audience.
5.A.1.a. Select relevant information from appropriate technology
resources.
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Time Management:
Two 50-minute periods in the computer lab
Differentiation Strategies:
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Group students heterogeneously by reading
ability
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Direct students to resources appropriate to
their reading levels as labeled on Slide 2.
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Allow students to choose from the suggested
digital formats for sharing their learning.
Learning Preferences/Styles:
Field dependent, visual, auditory, tactile, active,
reflective, global, sequential.
Notes to the Teacher
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Collaborate with your school’s Library Media
Specialist to implement this Slam Dunk Lesson.
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If a computer lab is not available, this lesson
may be implemented in the classroom or
Library using print resources and printouts of
the linked digital resources and lesson
materials.
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For more information about digital formats and
Web 2.0 tools, see the BCPS Office of Library
Information Services Resource Wiki for
Software, Assistive Technologies, Web 2.0
Tools, Digital Content, and Resources; scroll
down to the Presenting/Sharing section.
Created by Kelly Ray, Library Media Specialist, updated July 2013
BCPS Slam Dunk Model, Copyright 2013, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD, all rights reserved. The models may be used for educational, non-profit school
use only. All other uses, transmissions, and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly. This lesson is based on Dr. Jamie McKenzie’s
Slam Dunk Lesson module available at http://questioning.org/module2/quick.html.