Unit Name/ Topic: The Greeks 6D

Anticipated Time Allotted for Unit: 14 Lessons; generally a couple weeks

Key Vocabulary:

Beard, aptitude, caprice, vaunting, tunic, decree, crouches, enlighten, penalty, infinitely, haunch, sustenance, smoldered, sputter, shackles

NYS Learning Standards:

Reading: RL.6.1,RL.6.2,RL.6.3,RL.6.4,RL.6.5,RL.6.6, RL.6.7, RL.6.9,RL.6.10

Writing: W.6.1,W.6.2,W.6.3,W.6.9,W.6.9.A,W.6.10

Speaking & Listening: SL.6.1,SL.6.1.A,SL.6.1.B,SL.6.2,SL.6.4

Language: L.6.4.C,L.6.4.D,L.6.5.C

Content/ Skills Taught:

The unit begins with a Quest, engaging students in the complex world of the Olympian gods and familiarizing them with the primary characters of Greek mythology. The unit then builds on these revelations in its remaining lessons, which focus on the rights and responsibilities of humans.

Skills & Content

• Topic & Theme: Man vs. gods in Ancient Greece
• Reading: Analyze what symbolic characters show about human nature
• Writing: Write about the development of a shared theme in two texts
• Activity Highlights: Myth World Quest, write original interpretations of Ancient Myths
• Text Features: Modern prose retellings of myths and translations of Ancient narrative poems

Areas for Differentiated Instruction:

The excerpts from Greek mythology used in this unit are often riddled with language that is archaic and difficult to decode; students having difficulty reading and ELL students may need additional support in order to understand the syntactical structure and word choice used in parts of the texts.

Performance-based activities are included in this unit. Extremely shy students or ELL students may not be comfortable with performing and having to speak up in class. These students may need extra support with preparing for a class presentation. You may choose to practice the performance in groups rather than the whole class in order to ease them into this style of activity.

Learning Activities:

Learning activities include a number of opportunities for students to work independently, as a whole group and in small groups. Each unit has subunits within, in those subunits are the mini lessons that then have lesson briefs. There are many parts to a lesson. We try to get through one lesson per day but sometimes go over the allotted time.

Students explore the Prometheus myth and consider whether or not humans deserved fire and Prometheus deserved to be punished for providing it. They read Odysseus’s description of meeting the Cyclops Polyphemus, then consider how these two tricksters treat one another and identify the character traits that define Odysseus. This unit thus provides students an overview of how storytellers have used literature for centuries to grapple with some of life’s great questions, and it underscores the importance of text as a way for readers to learn about themselves and their communities.

Assessments:

This unit uses both reading and writing assessments in a formative/summative way.

• There are solo’s that are available at the end of each unit.
• There are also exit tickets available within each lesson to test understanding
• Formative writing is available and 12 minute prompts for practice writing
• Students will take the final unit assessment at the end so that we can grab understanding and get a baseline for students.

Resources:Amplify Text

• Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greeks Myths: “Prometheus” Solo: “Daedalus” (1–9)
• Solo: Excerpts from The Odyssey: "The Cyclops" (16–20)
• Subunits 1,2 are completed
• Unit assessment will be given

For more detailed step by step information please reference below.

ELA Curriculum Map-6th