CCTT Lesson Plan

Mythology Mystery Mania, Task 4

Developed by Jennifer Levine

Grade 9Timeframe: 30-60 minutes
Created: UnknownLast Modified: 11/19/1999
Part of Curriculum Unit:Mythology Mystery Mania

Abstract help

Congratulations! You are about to embark on a two-week scavenger hunt via the exciting realm of the World Wide Web!
Your mission is to complete 10 Internet adventures related to Greek Mythology. By the time you are finished, you will
have a personal email account, proficiency in internet research, and a wealth of knowledge about ancient Greece, the
Gods and Goddesses, and various myths. In addition to knowledge of the aforementioned topics, students will also
become proficient in saving images to files, emailing attachments, and various aspects of internet research.

National Standards help

Language Arts Standards:
1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to
build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of
the cultures of the United States and the world; to
acquire new information; to respond to the needs and
demands of society and the workplace; and for personal
fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction,
classic and contemporary works.--> STUDENTS READ SELECTIONS
FROM A TEXT ON MYTHOLOGY, AS WELL AS VARIOUS WEBPAGES ON
MYTHOLOGY, ANCIENT GREECE, THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS, ETC.
STUDENTS WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF
ANCIENT GREECE.

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to
comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
They draw on their prior experience, their interactions
with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word
meaning and of other texts, their word identification
strategies, and their understanding of textual features
(e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure,
context, graphics).

5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write
and use different writing process elements appropriately
to communicate with different audiencees for a variety of
purposes.
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by
generating ideas and questions, and by posing
problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data
from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts,
artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in
ways that suit their purpose and audience. --> STUDENTS
CONDUCT AN INTERNET RESEARCH PROJECT IN ORDER TO GAIN
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF MYTHOLOGY AND THE THEMES WITHIN
THE MYTHS IN ORDER TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE
UNIVERSALITY OF THESE THEMES.

8. Students use a variety of technological and information
resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks,
video) to gather and synthesize information and to
create and communicate knowledge. --> STUDENTS CONDUCT
THEIR RESEARCH BY USING LITERATURE AND THE INTERNET.

Pre-requisite Skills help

Students should have basic computer skills and a working knowledge of Internet navigation, although this unit provides
further instruction in both of these areas.

Teacher Information help

1. Before beginning their first Task Cards, Teacher divides students into groups of 2. It helps to pair lower-level students
with someone who can help guide them through this project.
2. Teacher must review the "Mythology Mystery Mania" instruction sheet with the class prior to beginning the first
Task
Card.
3. Teacher roams the room during the project to answer questions and guide the students.
4. If there are enough computers for each students, Teacher must insist that group members must ALWAYS be on the
SAME website at the SAME time.

HERE IS THE INSTRUCTION SHEET TO BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS BEFORE BEGINNING THE PROJECT:
[NOTE--> These were my instructions. You'll probably want to personalize them for your class.
MYTHOLOGY MYSTERY MANIA
Congratulations! You are about to embark on a two-week scavenger hunt via the exciting realm of the World Wide Web!
Your mission is to complete 7 Internet adventures related to Macbeth. By the time you are finished, you will have a
personal email account, proficiency in internet research, and a wealth of knowledge about ancient Greece, the
Gods and Goddesses, and various myths.

Partners:
1. You will be divided into groups of 2 by your teacher. There will be NO changes made to the groups unless you can
find a real job where you work by yourself and you never talk to/deal with/see anyone else.
2. Each member of the group is responsible for participating in each task. Translation: Partner #1 reads the instructions
and writes the answers down while Partner #2 navigates the web as directed in the tasks.
3. Partners must take turns either during each task or when a new task is begun, so that each partner has the opportunity
to use the Internet and write responses.
4. Partners will turn in one set of answers, unless specified in the task. Translation: Some activities require that each
partner submit his/her own work. Tasks that require individual responses will have a ____.

Task Cards:
1. There are 7 green colored cards located on the Teacher Table.
2. Each card has a list of activities that must be completed to be eligible for credit.
3. When all activities on the task card are completed, return the card (and your written work) to the Teacher Table and
choose another Task card.
4. If there are no other Task cards available, your group has three options: read your Accelerated Reader book, take an
Accelerated Reader quiz, or work on your portfolio. NOTE: You cannot work on your portfolios unless you have already
earned your weekly points for Accelerated Reader. In addition, as soon as another Task card becomes available, you
must work on that.

Written Work Requirements:
1. Write both partner's names on each piece of paper submitted to me. Each task requires a new paper.
2. Clearly label the top of your paper by writing TASK #__.
3. If the activity is entirely computer-related, write the words [Computer based-Completed] next to the number for that
activity when it is completed.
4. When answering questions on your paper, please make sure you include the corresponding letter for that question.
5. Do NOT write the questions down. Instead, restate the questions to begin your answers. That way you'll always be
sure to use complete sentences.
6. For answers shared by the partners, only ONE partner needs to record the answer on his/her paper. The other partner
writes "See (partner's name)'s paper."

Grading: In order to be eligible for credit, the following criteria must be met:
1. All activities within each task are completed.
2. All questions within each task are answered.
3. All work must be written NEATLY in INK.
4. Everything is written in complete sentences with proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.<

Student Activity help

TASK 4 --> WHAT WERE THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES LIKE?
1) Answer these questions: What is your favorite sport? Why?
2) To find out about the sports played by the Ancient Greeks, go to http://library.advanced.org/17709/sports/index.htm . Read the paragraph and then click ANCIENT OLYMPICS. Answer these questions: a) Today boxers fight other boxers who are similar in size and weight. How were opponents selected in ancient Greece? b) What is pankration? c) During ancient Olympics wrestlers were allowed to break what part of the body during the match?
3) Until recently, we used the card catalog in the library to find books on whatever subjects we chose. When using the Internet, however, we use a "search engine," which is almost like an electronic card catalog. Instead of flipping through index cards to find our subject, we type in the subject we want to find and the search engine finds all the websites (rather than books) about our subject. Yahoo (www.yahoo.com ), Excite (www.excite.com) , Infoseek (www.infoseek.com ), and Searchopolis (www.searchopolis.com ) are several search engines you can use on the Internet to research any subject you want. Do you want to try using a search engine? Of course you do! Go to one of the search engines just mentioned.
4) In the SEARCH box, type in the name of your favorite sport, sports team, or athlete. When you see your results, these search engines usually tell you how many "hits" (websites) were found that mentioned your favorite athlete/sport/sports team. Answer this: How many "hits" did your search find?
5) Choose one of the websites you found by completing your search and click the title of it to go to that site. Explore the site for several minutes [WARNING: Don't stay here forever, even though you're probably enjoying yourself right now.] Answer these questions: a) What is the address of the website (also called the URL)? b) Who created this site? c) Who is the intended audience of this site? d) When was the site last updated? e) Did you learn anything? If so, what?

Assessment help

TASK 4 ANSWERS: WHAT WERE THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES LIKE?
1) Answers will vary. Personal response to: What is your favorite sport? Why?
2) The answers are:
a) Opponents were selected randomly since there were no weight classes.
b) Pankration was a grueling combination of boxing and wrestling.
c) Wrestlers were allowed to break their opponents' fingers during a match.
3) Completed
4) Answers will vary. Response to: How many "hits" did you find for search for your favorite sport/team/athlete?
5) Answers will vary. Responses to the following questions:
a) What is the address of the website (also called the URL)?
b) Who created this site?
c) Who is the intended audience of this site?
d) When was the site last updated?
e) Did you learn anything? If so, what?

Written Work Requirements:
1. Write both partner's names on each piece of paper submitted to me. Each task requires a new paper.
2. Clearly label the top of your paper by writing TASK #__.
3. If the activity is entirely computer-related, write the words [Computer based-Completed] next to the number for that
activity when it is completed.
4. When answering questions on your paper, please make sure you include the corresponding letter for that question.
5. Do NOT write the questions down. Instead, restate the questions to begin your answers. That way you'll always be
sure to use complete sentences.
6. For answers shared by the partners, only ONE partner needs to record the answer on his/her paper. The other partner
writes "See (partner's name)'s paper."

Grading: In order to be eligible for credit, the following criteria must be met:
1. All activities within each task are completed.
2. All questions within each task are answered.
3. All work must be written NEATLY in INK.
4. Everything is written in complete sentences with proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
5. There is evidence that both partners participated in every task, and both partners took turns using the internet and
recording the responses.
6. On individual activities, the answers of the partners do NOT match. There must be evidence that each partner
completed the activity on his/her own and used his/her own ideas.
7. Each question is worth 2 points. 1 point = correct answer. 1 point = correct mechanics

Technology Requirements/Integration help

1. Internet access.
2. Personal email accounts.
3. Saving jpg and gif files to disks.
4. Attach files to email documents.

Associated URLs help