ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2

Write to Inform: Compare and Contrast Text and Film of The Lightning Thief

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In Unit 2, students will continue to read excerpts from The Lightning Thief. They will also analyze the Greek myths highlighted in the novel and compare themes and topics in the Greek myths with those evident in The Lightning Thief. In the second half of the unit, students write a literary analysis essay using the Painted Essay® structure comparing and contrasting watching parts of The Lightning Thief movie with reading about the same events in the novel.

Please note: For the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum, there are Teaching Notes for each unit that contain helpful information for supporting English language learners. These overview notes complement the more specific English language learner supports and differentiated materials within each lesson. You will find the Teaching Notes in the Unit download below.

CCS Standards

Reading—Literature

RL.6.1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.6.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RL.6.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
RL.6.7: Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.
RL.6.9: Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.
RL.6.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Writing

W.6.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
W.6.2a: Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.6.2b: Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
W.6.2c: Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
W.6.2d: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
W.6.2e: Establish and maintain a formal style.
W.6.2f: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.
W.6.4: 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.)
W.6.5: 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.)
W.6.6: 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.
W.6.9a: Apply Grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics").
W.6.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Language

L.6.2b: Spell correctly.
L.6.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.6.4a: Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
L.6.4b: Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
L.6.4c: Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
L.6.4d: Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
L.6.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

The Four Ts

Topic: Greek Mythology
Task:

Read several Greek myths featured in the anchor and identify their themes; compare and contrast select scenes from the film version of the The Lightning Thief to the novel (mid-unit assessment).
Compose an informational essay using a compare and contrast structure; follow a peer critique protocol to revise writing (end of unit assessment).

Targets: RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.4, RL.6.7, RL.6.9, RL.6.10, W.6.2, W.6.4, W.6.5, W.6.6, W.6.9a, W.6.10, L.6.2b, L.6.4, L.6.6
Texts: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan; Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (DVD), 20th Century Fox; Greek Myths: "Theseus and the Minotaur," "Cronus," "Medusa," and "Hestia"

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.

Download this Unit's Assessments

Habits of Character/Social-Emotional Learning Focus

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on "habits of character" and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

In this unit, students focus on the habits of character of respect and compassion as they respond to one another's ideas and skills in written work and in discussions. Also, students focus on integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. As they track progress on their assessments, they take responsibility for their own learning.

Unit-at-a-Glance

Each unit is made up of a sequence of between 10-18 lessons. The Unit-at-a-Glance charts, available on the grade-level landing pages, break down each unit's lessons, showing CCS standards, agenda breakdown, daily learning targets, and ongoing assessments. The charts also indicate which lessons include mid- and end of unit assessments and the performance task.

View the unit-at-a-glance chart

Texts and Resources to Buy

Texts and resources that need to be procured. Please download the Required Trade Books and Resources Procurement List for procurement guidance.

Text or Resource	Quantity	ISBNs
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (DVD) by Chris Columbus (director)	one per classroom	ISBN: 024543668824
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan	one per student	ISBN: 9780786838653

Preparation and Materials

Ensure that families are aware of the sensitive content of The Lightning Thief, and prepare students who may be affected by this content in advance.

The following materials are introduced in this unit and referenced throughout both the module and the school year:

Criteria for an Effective Summary anchor chart
Criteria for an Effective Informative Essay anchor chart
Peer Critique Protocol anchor chart

CCS Standards

Reading—Literature

Writing

Language

The Four Ts

Assessment

Habits of Character/Social-Emotional Learning Focus

Unit-at-a-Glance

Texts and Resources to Buy

Preparation and Materials

Lessons

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L1

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L2

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L3

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L4

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L5

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L6

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L7

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L8

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L9

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L10

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L11

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L12

ELA 2019 G6:M1:U2:L14

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