Crisis on Mount Olympus
Ms. McLaughlin
St. Francis of Assisi School
Introduction
|
|
There is a crisis on
Mount Olympus. Zeus has lost control. All the other gods and goddesses are fighting for control.
Within the next fourteen days, the council of Olympus will vote to
appoint a new Lord of Olympus. The gods and goddesses are gathering all
of their children from around the earth, the sky, the sea, and the
underworld to become supporters of their campaign to be appointed chief among
the gods. |
The Task
Even though you have
only recently discovered that you are a half-blood, you must become an expert
in --
·
Your mother or father's
special abilities
·
His or her contributions
to Western Civilization including architecture, vocabulary words, forms of
government, art, and connections to modern culture.
·
His or her major
conflicts with other gods or goddesses. All the reasons he or she
should be appointed the new Lord of Olympus.
Your very life depends on it!
You have a very limited
amount of time. The council convenes in two weeks. The best
way for you to research all this information is to use the internet. You
must record your findings in your demigod
journal. You have been grouped with your
half-brothers and half-sisters (other children of your father or
mother) so that you can work together to gather as much information as
possible using specially selected websites. Once you discover who your brothers
and sisters are you should open a word document and start your demigod journal
there. Remember to save it on the server
under all gradesàgrade 6àyour computer number.)
After you have gathered
all the key information and recorded it in your demigod journal, you will work
with your brothers and sisters to craft a conclusive argument in favor of your
mother or father being appointed as the new Chief of the gods.
Your group's argument
must consist of at least five points with evidence from your research to
support each one. Your group will also need to be prepared to answer
questions or challenges from other groups. You must defend the cause of
your mother or father!
The Process
|
In order to develop a
persuasive argument for your mother or father, you must follow a few key
steps. 1. This process begins
when you find out whose child you are.
2 .Once you have
determined who you are and to whom you belong, you must begin your research process. You should use the
following websites for your research: http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/religion/gods.htm http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/art/greekart.htm http://www.wingedsandals.com/default_lowband.htm http://greece.mrdonn.org/index.html http://www.desy.de/gna/interpedia/greek_myth/olympian.html http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071116192946AAjanrc http://www.ehow.com/how-to_4845374_basics-greek-mythology.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_in_ancient_Greece 3. Within your group,
you must decide who will research which websites. After each research
session, you must write in your demigod
journal to record your findings. 4. You will be given
four days to research your father or mother and record key facts.
During the second week, you must work with your group to craft your final
argument. Part 3. You will use
the five-step Public Policy Analyst to help you in your research: http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/intro5.html 1.
Define the problem using Worksheet #1.
2. Gather evidence of the problem using Worksheet #2. 3. Identify
causes of the problem using Worksheet #3.
4. Evaluate a public policy solution using Worksheet #4. 5. Do a
comparative analysis using Worksheet #5. Please remember:
5. At the end of the
second week, your group will be asked to present your argument at the Council
of Olympus. You may appoint a primary speaker, but questions can
be posed to any group member during the challenge portion of the council
meeting. Before the official Council meeting, review the evaluation rubric and make sure you have included all the important pieces. 7. After
the final decision is made, you must return to your demigod journal and discuss what you have learned, and the ways in which
this experience has changed your ideas. In your reflection, you should
--
|
Evaluation
|
Your participation in the demigod
debate will be graded based on the rubric provided below. The score for
each category will be multiplied by 5 which means
the whole project is worth 100 points.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conclusion
|
You should be proud of yourself! As a newly discovered
half-blood, you have done very well. You have learned all that you
can about your father or mother. You recognize the many ways that he or
she has contributed to our lives and our culture. You have learned
about the many complicated family relationships you may face in years to
come. And, you are ready to take the next steps. You need to make sure you are ready to face the Council.
The Council of Olympus meets very soon and you must be prepared. Good Luck! STANDARDS: Writing 1. Write arguments to support
claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the
reasons and evidence clearly. b.Support
claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and
demonstrating an understanding
of the topic or text. c.Use
words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons. d.Establish
and maintain a formal style. e.Provide
a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented. 4.Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3
above.) a. Produce text (print or nonprint) that explores a variety of cultures and
perspectives. 5.With some guidance and support
from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing
for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and
including grade 6 on page 53.) 6. Use technology, including the
Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and
collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to
type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting. 7.Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on
several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate. Language
1. Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 2. Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. |
|
|