Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L4

Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.9

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • RL.6.4, RL.6.10, W.6.10, L.6.4
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can demonstrate understanding of the excerpt from chapter 15 of The Lightning Thief. (RL.6.1)
  • I can compare and contrast the approach to similar themes in The Lightning Thief and Greek myths. (RL.6.9)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket (RL.6.1, RL.6.2, W.6.10)
  • Work Time A: Gist on sticky notes
  • Work Time B: Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher (RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.9, RL.6.10, W.6.10)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RL.6.2 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Read The Lightning Thief, Chapter 15 Excerpt - RL.6.1 (20 minutes)

B. Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief - RL.6.9 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflect on Habits of Character (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RL.6.1 – Work Time A: Students read the next chapter of the text and find the gist. Students also unpack unfamiliar vocabulary and answer comprehension questions using inferences and evidence from text.
  • RL.6.1 – Work Time B: Students cite specific textual evidence that supports their analysis of themes in The Lightning Thief and in other Greek myths they have read.
  • RL.6.2 – Work Time B: Students determine the theme(s) present in the texts they have read.
  • RL.6.9 – Work Time B: Students draw connections among the themes they discover. They synthesize their understanding of theme by bringing together materials and learning from multiple lessons.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • To strengthen writing and speaking skills, invite students to rewrite their assigned Greek myth as Readers Theater and perform it for the class.
  • Challenge students to generate questions about the texts before asking the prepared questions.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In the previous lesson, students were gradually released to apply the close reading skills they learned in Lesson 2 to a new myth in a smaller group setting. In this lesson, students use their knowledge of the myths they have been reading to compare their themes with the anchor text.

Support All Students

  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher used in Work Time B in the supporting materials download. ▲
  • Students may struggle to identify similarities and differences across Greek myths and The Lightning Thief. Think about ways to make sure that the terms compare and contrast are very clear (e.g. visuals, examples, quick discussion, etc.). Pre-annotate the myths to draw students’ attention to areas that hint at a theme. ▲
  • Be thoughtful when strategically grouping students to compare and contrast themes. The Compare and Contrast Themes note-catcher may be challenging for some ELLs to fill out, so grouping high- and low-proficiency students may be helpful. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Differentiate by assigning “Theseus and the Minotaur” to more proficient readers, as it is the longer text of the two analyzed in this lesson.
  • Monitor to ensure that students are able to first, identify a common theme; next, select relevant text evidence from two different texts; and finally, synthesize their findings as they compare and contrast the two texts. They will need to do this independently in the next lesson for the mid-unit assessment.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will complete the Mid-Unit 2 Assessment, in which they read a new Greek myth and compare the themes of the new text to The Lightning Thief. Students will also share their research reading thus far.

In Advance

  • Strategically decide how students will accomplish the reading for today's class. Be mindful of and balance variety with students' needs and their desire for choice while planning for the reading time during the lessons.
  • Review the student tasks and example answers to get familiar with what students will be required to do in the lesson (see Materials list).
  • Preread chapter 15 in The Lightning Thief to identify words or plot points that may challenge students.
  • Prepare copies of handouts for students, including entrance ticket (see Materials list).
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Input all gist statements from the novel so far into a word cloud generator, such as http://eled.org/0123. Use the results to determine common ideas that might give a hint as to the theme of the novel.
  • Work Time B: Utilize a tool such as http://eled.org/0124 to make collaboration and comparison of themes more visual and interactive.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 6.I.B.5, 6.I.B.6, and 6.II.C.6.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson teaches students strategies for comparing and contrasting texts, which they will apply to both the mid-unit and end of unit assessments.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to compare and contrast themes from Greek myths and The Lightning Thief, as this requires integrating a number of distinct skills (e.g., differentiating between main ideas and theme, interpreting evidence from multiple texts). Help students move one step at a time through the differentiated Compare and Contrast Theme: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher ▲. Point out that the differentiated note-catcher provides scaffolds that ease some of the writing load for students.

Vocabulary

  • initiative (A)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Text Guide: The Lightning Thief (for teacher reference) (from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Gist Record: The Lightning Thief anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (one to display; from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one to display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one to display; from Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Academic word wall (one to display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (one per student; text; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Homework: Lesson 2: Compare and Contrast Themes: "Theseus and the Minotaur" and The Lightning Thief (homework from Unit 2, Lesson 2)
  • Close Reading Culminating Task: "Theseus and the Minotaur" (one per student; from Unit 2, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • Close Reading Jigsaw: Greek Myths note-catcher (one per student; from Unit 2, Lesson 3, Work Time B)
  • Homework: Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief (homework from Unit 2, Lesson 3)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (for teacher reference)
  • Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4 (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (one per student)
  • Synopsis: The Lightning Thief, Chapter 15 (one per student; one to display)
  • Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher (one per student)
  • Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher ▲

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RL.6.2 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as previous lessons to distribute and review Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as previous lessons.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you think you will be doing in this lesson based on these learning targets?" (reading the next chapter in The Lightning Thief and looking for common themes between the novel and the Greek myths we have been reading)

"Why are we doing this? How is it meaningful to you? How will it help you to be successful?" (We are strengthening our skills as readers by drawing connections between texts and looking for universal themes that we might apply in our personal lives.)

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Read The Lightning Thief, Chapter 15 Excerpt - RL.6.1 (20 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Read aloud the selected excerpt, using Text Guide: The Lightning Thief (for teacher reference) for comprehension and vocabulary questions as needed. Students continue to record the gist on sticky notes, unpack and record unfamiliar vocabulary, and reflect on their reading as they choose. Refer to the following resources as appropriate to support this section of the lesson: Gist Record: The Lightning Thief anchor chart (example for teacher reference), vocabulary logs, chapter synopsis, and Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • Excerpts:
    • Starting at page 226 "Then it struck me . . ." to page 229 ". . . Don't disappoint me."
    • Starting at page 231 "We continued searching . . . " to page 239 ". . . rocketed through the darkness."
  • Gist: The trio meet Ares, the god of war, who offers them a ride to LA if Percy can retrieve Ares's shield from a local water park. It turns out to be a trap set by Aphrodite's jealous husband, Hephaestus, trying to catch her cheating with Ares.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

B. Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief – RL.6.9 (15 minutes)

  • Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can compare and contrast the approach to similar themes in The Lightning Thief and Greek Myths.”

  • Distribute and display Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher or Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher ▲. Read the directions aloud, and clarify any questions.
  • Have students retrieve and refer to the following to help them complete this task:
    • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 4
    • Compare and Contrast Themes: “Theseus and the Minotaur” and The Lightning Thief (homework from Unit 2, Lesson 2)
    • Close Reading Culminating Task: “Theseus and the Minotaur”
    • Close Reading Jigsaw: Greek Myths note-catcher
    • Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief (homework from Lesson 3)
  • Have students move into preassigned pairs and complete the Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher. Refer to Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as needed. If appropriate, assign particular pairs to complete particular themes.
  • After 10 minutes, cold call pairs to share out one piece of evidence they recorded.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  •  Before Work Time B, challenge students to review aloud the difference between main ideas and theme. Invite ELLs who need lighter support to generate examples of main ideas and themes. These examples can be shared with ELLs who need heavier support for further reference or practice. 

For Heavier Support

  •  If time allows, give students two to three minutes to read the Compare and Contrast Theme : Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher ▲ before moving them into pairs to complete it. This will allow students some needed processing time to prepare for a challenging task.

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Reflect on Habits of Character (5 minutes)

  • Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart. Explain that it says at the top that effective learners are people who develop the mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life.
  • Read aloud the habit of character recorded:

“I take initiative. This means I notice what needs to be done and do it.”

  • Invite students to Turn and Talk to a partner. Then cold call students to share:

“What does initiative look like? What might you see when someone is showing initiative?” (See Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart [example for teacher reference].)

“What does initiative sound like? What might you hear when someone is showing initiative?” (See Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart [example for teacher reference].)

  • As students share, record their responses in the appropriate column on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart.
  • Ask:

“How did you show initiative during today’s lesson?” (Possible response: While working in groups on the Compare and Contrast Themes: Greek Myths and The Lightning Thief note-catcher, I showed initiative by staying on task and getting the work done.)

  • Record initiative on the academic word wall. Invite students to add translations of the words in their home languages in a different color next to the target vocabulary. ▲

Homework

Homework

A. Independent Research Reading

  • Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

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