Topic: Greek world of gods and heroes

Author of the script: Katarzyna Kuczyńska

Target group

5th grade students of an elementary school.

Core curriculum

I. Ancient civilizations. Student:

1) localizes civilizations (...) of the Ancient Greece in time and space.

2) characterizes (...) the belief system in (...) Greece (...) (…), explains the difference between polytheism and monotheism;

3) characterizes the most important achievements of material and spiritual culture of the ancient world in various fields: (...) architecture, art, literature;

General aim of education

The student gets acquainted with the world of beliefs of ancient Greeks.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• learning to learn;

• social and civic competences.

Lesson objectives

Student:

• tells about selected characters from among the Greek mythological gods and heroes;

• explains selected Greek myths and their characters;

• gives the meanings of selected mythological symbols in the modern world, is able to give examples and explain them.

Methods/techniques

• programmed methods: using e‑textbook;

• problematic and activating methods: discussion, preparation of poster, independent search for information, written assignment;

• practical methods: working with text, text exercises;

• exposing methods: comments and explanations from the teacher.

Forms of work

• collective activity;

• activity in groups;

• individual activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/ felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• colored cards and colored cardboards.

Before classes

Before the classes, the teacher asks the students to look for institutions, objects, undertakings, etc. having names of Greek gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Aphrodite, Themis, Apollo in their area or on the Internet. Each student prepares 3 to 5 examples, briefly describing them on separate cards. The individual names of the gods are assigned a specific card color (e.g. Zeus - blue; Hera - yellow, etc.).

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the students the topic and purpose of the classes as well as the criteria for success.

2. The teacher asks the students to fulfill Instruction 1 and then discusses the names of gods along with their attributes (the teacher may use an extract from the e‑textbook “Great god family”) and asks the students to perform Exercise 1. Talking to students about Greek mythology, the teacher adds that it is not only a world of gods and heroes, but also a world of mythical creatures. Students learn about mythical creatures of Greek mythology using an interactive illustration.

Realization

1. Students present the results of their homework - on 8 colored cardboards (colors of which correspond to the colors of the cards with the names of gods) they hang the cards with examples of the names of institutions, objects and undertakings. The teacher and the students check whether the nature, type, and function of these institutions, objects, and undertakings correspond to the areas cared for by the Greek gods. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and gives feedback. Then, the teacher initiates a short discussion by asking the following questions: “Do contemporary people believe in the existence of Greek gods?”, “Why do they name the things they invent and create today after Greek gods?”. (8 min)

2. The teacher asks the students to fulfill Instruction 2. Students perform Exercise 2 - connect mythical heroes with their attributes. The teacher asks the students a question: “Who do we call heroes today?”, “When can an ordinary person become a hero?”.

3. Students read the text “Trojan War” in the e‑textbook.

4. In groups of several people, the students prepare a poster entitled “Trojan Horse at School”. They try to recall a trick they thought up themselves, or a trick they fell victim to and symbolically depict it. The teacher should explain the task in such a way that the students use symbols appropriate to their situation - for example, if a colleague offers them chewing gum and then expects their homework to be made available in return, the picture may show a large chewing gum in which someone is trapped writing in school notebooks. After completing the task and presenting the posters to the whole class, the students jointly indicate the main features of the trick (e.g. it seems to be something very attractive to the addressee, and in fact it does not serve him/her, but the author of the trick). The teacher may also refer to the instructions assigned to this text in the e‑textbook.

Summary

1. The teacher summarizes the lesson (he/she may use the tasks summarizing the lesson in e‑textbook). The teacher gives homework: “Answer to the following question in writing (at least 4 sentences): Is it worth inviting mythological heroes to the contemporary world?”.

Summary of the most important contents of the lesson

1. Familiarizing the students with selected gods and heroes of Greek mythology: Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon, Themis, Aphrodite, Hades, Odysseus and Heracles.

2. Recognizing the meaning of selected mythological symbols in the contemporary world.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Mythical past – the world of gods and heroes

Ancient Greeks believed in many deities. Just as the people living in Mesopotamia and Egypt, they built temples for their gods and made offerings. The Hellenes believed that their gods look like humans, but are immortal, powerful and beautiful. Mount Olympus was believed to be the home of the Greek gods. Zeus, the thunder god, was the king of the gods of Mount Olympus. Apollo and Athena were also important Olympian deities. Divine heroes or demigods were the offspring of a god and a mortal. The exploits of gods and half‑gods were described in traditional stories called myths. Most popular myths told the stories of Heracles and Odysseus.