Lesson Overview:
The visual arts offer aesthetic, perceptual, creative, and intellectual opportunities. By creating and painting mythological characters, students will improve their ability to analyze, reorganize, critique, and create. Students will also gain insight into Greek culture through the exploration of Greek mythology.
Length of Lesson:
Four 45-minute periods
Notes:
This lesson is particularly suitable for grade 5.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- be able to express their creation in a culminating group forum activity verbally and in writing.
- be able to identify their character's special abilities and verbally express what they mean to him/her in a group presentation forum.
- create, illustrate, and write about their own mythical characters.
- create watercolor illustrations, write short stories about their created character, and relate it to a specific element of mythology.
- look at other archetypal heroes and compare and contrast.
- respond to in-class group readings and individual research of Greek mythology.
- use the Internet, library, and in-class resources to discover basic elements of Greek mythology.
share verbally what they have learned about Greek mythology in a guided-question group discussion.
Supplies:
- Large watercolor paper, paint, and brushes for every student.
- Water jugs/cans for brush cleaning.
- Encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Instructional Plan:
Vocabulary
Begin by reviewing the following terms with students:
Myth: comes from the Greek word "mythos," which originally meant "speech" or"discourse" but which later came to mean "fable" or "legend."
Mythology: refers to a collection of myths that together form a mythological system.
Demigod: a half god or an inferior deity; a fabulous hero, the offspring of a deity and a mortal.
Attributes: that which is attributed; a quality that is considered as belonging to, or inherent in a person or thing; an essential or necessary property or characteristic.
Symbol: something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention.
Introduction
After a group reading of Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire, students will engage in open questioning and guided discussion of what they think about the reading. After generating some ideas, introduce the terms and objectives of the assignment. Provide a sample of the assignment geared toward appropriate developmental ability. Using the Mythweb.com Web site, discuss various archetypal characters.
Teacher Sequence
Motivational sequence
Gather students close together on the floor. Refer students to the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Greek and Roman Art Web site and discuss. Ask the following questions:
- What do you think of this picture/s?
- What first came into your mind when you first saw the picture/s?
- Who created this piece and why?
- When was this art created?
- What do you think the picture means; what does it represent?
While displaying the pictures, read about a Greek god from the Book of Greek Myths. Ask questions again. Give students time to explore the questions. Use examples of what was just read to introduce key terms (see "Vocabulary" section on the Instructional Plan).
Research Activity
Introduce and explain the lesson. Students will be broken up into groups of four to research and develop their mythological characters. Distribute the Mythological Characters Chart worksheet and read and discuss; check for understanding. Go over the terms and write the definitions for attribute, symbol and myth on the board.
Have students answer specific questions from the Web research and adjust their time on the computers so that all students will have ample time at the computer. Answers to the handout can be found in classroom encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other in-class literature.
After students answer the questions on the handout, get together and discuss what they discovered.
Written Activity
Introduce the creative writing/art assignment. Students are to create their own mythological character that has one symbol and at least one attribute. Have students use their handout as a reference for examples related to the assignment. They must use complete sentences and punctuation. Encourage creativity by reminding students that the components of their writing should be important to them.
Creative Art Activity: Watercolor
Have students illustrate the key points in the written activity in a watercolor art project. Review the key points: one character, one symbol, one attribute, and a verbal explanation of how their creation is meaningful to the student. Encourage students to be creative and unique; they should be limited only by the three objectives stated above.
While students work on the activity, discuss how color and depict mood and tone. Display any pictures you have, in addition to the ones shown in the introduction, and point out different ways the colors and shapes are used in each picture.
Circle the room, commenting on aspects of the assignment and on the student creations. Ask for explanations of what the students are painting while encouraging responses to provoke deeper thought, such as: Your symbol is very interesting. What does it mean to you? I can tell by the detail in your character you have given it a lot of thought. Why does he have that expression? Why did you use those colors? Do they relate to your character in any specific way? Could they?
Student Activity Sequence
After the introduction and discussion, introduce and explain lesson. Students will be broken up into groups of four to research mythological characters. Rotate groups periodically so all groups get a chance to use all available resources:
- Research: After completing the worksheet and in-group discussion, students will share what they learned, connecting what they have learned with cultural and historical context. Who created the mythological gods? When were they created? Where were they created? Why were they created? All students should participate at some level.
- Written activity: Breaking back into groups of four, students are to create their own mythological character that has one symbol and one attribute, and which is accompanied by an explanation of what meaningful significance their character has. Using complete sentences, they will write one page. Students will use their handout as a reference for examples related to the assignment. They can discuss as they work, but only about the activity.
- Creative Art Activity: While viewing and critiquing art and reflecting on the written assignment, students will create their mythological characters in watercolor activity. Students will illustrate the key points of their written assignment in a watercolor art project. Review key points: one character, one symbol, one attribute, and meaningful significance. Ask students to consider using colors that reflect the attribute, symbol, mood, tone, or emotion that their character represents.
- In groups of four, have students in each group do different tasks to begin. One student gets paper for their group, one gets paint, one gets brushes, and the last gets water jugs/cans for cleaning the brushes.
- At end of activity, students will individually share his/her art with the teacher. Students will identify their characters, explain the attribute and symbol and what it means to them. Make sure students have signed their art.
Closure:
Have students gather in forum in big circle on floor with their written and painted activities. Begin by reviewing the vocabulary terms introduced at the beginning of the lesson.
Ask the following questions:
- What is a myth?
- How do myths help us understand ourselves and others?
- How are myths reflected in culture?
Restate the assignment and ask for volunteers to share either their stories or an explanation of the three components in their mythological creations. Have students ask the presenter questions. Each student must participate. Then, ask students as a group the following questions, rotating around the circle from student to student:
- Which of the characters that we studied did you find most interesting? Why?
- Did you have any problems with this assignment? If any, what were they?
- What did you like most about these activities? What did you like the least?
Adding any other questions that are generated during discussion, gauge when discussion has been exhausted, then wrap up the discussion with a summary of everything the students accomplished and learned. Note their research, writing, and art and appropriately highlight problems that occurred and how they were resolved. Congratulate all students on a job well done in an appropriate fashion. Display all art in one area of the room (if possible).
Clean-up:
Creative art portion only (10 minutes): One person per group of four students is designated to collect and clean brushes, one to collect and clean the counters,
one to return all other materials to the correct place, and one to collect everyone's art, checking to see that all pieces have been signed and handed in per teacher's instruction. One student should be assigned to clean up remaining tissue pieces from the group and another student should wipe down the desks with wet paper towels after the desks are cleared.
Assessment:
Use the Assessment Rubric to assist with evaluating the students in conjunction with the following methods:
Written evaluation:
Students will be evaluated in written form by their completion of the worksheet and short stories. Worksheet evaluated on accuracy.
Stories must contain an imaginary mythical character with an explanation of what that character means to the students as well as a symbol and attribute also stated in the writing. Student must use complete sentences. There should be about one page worth of writing. Length should not be more important than the main elements of the writing.
Oral Evaluation:
Student must answer an oral quiz by the teacher at the end of the art activity. Student must be able to identify and explain his/her created mythological character and its personal meaning or significance. Student will identify at least one Greek mythological character and attribute.
Group presentation and participation:
Students will be assessed on their group presentation. Did they identify their character, symbol, and attribute? Were they able to share with the group what was meaningful to them about their character?
In group participation, were they able to make meaningful connections with other students' work or their own? Did they develop or gain meaningful connections between the activities and their historical contexts? Did students identify the age and location of the subjects they studied?
Sources:
Print:
- Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology. New York: Anvel Books, 1978.
- D' Aulaire, Ingri, and Edgar. Book of Greek Myths. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1962. Children's Literature.
Web:
Authors:
-
Charles Nickerson, Teacher
Chico State
Chico, CA
