This document contains an ASSURE lesson plan for teaching seventh grade students about Greek mythology. It analyzes the learners, who are mostly Caucasian with some knowledge of Ancient Greece and Greek mythology. The objectives are for students to describe common characteristics of myths, explain myths' role in Greek society, and create their own myth. Methods include whole group instruction, videos, maps, and computers. Students will participate through group activities, presentations, and assessments. The teacher will evaluate student achievement and the effectiveness of the media and methods used.
1. Kristin Hayes
CI 350
ASSURE Lesson Plan
5/4/14
Analyze Learners
General Characteristics
This lesson is designed for seventh grade students.
There are eighteen students, and the male students
outnumber the female students. Sixteen of the students
are Caucasian students while the remaining two
students are Asian-American. Most of the students
identify themselves as Protestants; however, there is
one Buddhist student as well as a few who identify
themselves as atheist or agnostic. Despite the makeup
of the classroom, the students generally get along and
practice respect for one another, but the middle school
students sometimes feel as if they are here to socialize
and not learn.
Entry Competencies
The seventh grade students have previous knowledge
about Ancient Greece; however, they do not feel like
their knowledge is extensive. Having a foundational
knowledge on the culture of Greece is crucial in
understanding mythology, so this needs to be taken into
consideration when creating the beginning lesson plan
of the unit. The students do have more previous
knowledge of Greek mythology than expected through
pop culture media such as a movies, books, and
television shows.
Learning Styles
Almost all of the students exhibit a desire to learn
through kinesthetic learning. After completing a
learning styles quiz at the beginning of the year, most of
the students are visual and auditory learners. One
student has displayed a musical learning style and has
verbalized that he is able to remember content through
song.
State objectives
These are the objectives for the lesson:
1. The seventh grade students will
________________________
2. The seventh grade students will describe the
common characteristics of Greek myths through
the reading of print and nonprint sources and
comparing and contrasting myths with a graphic
organizer with 100% accuracy.
3. The seventh grade students will explain the role
myths played within Greek society by creating a
myth to explain a natural phenomenon with
100% accuracy.
West Virginia CSO
SS.7.H.CL1.2 – Students will identify the contributions
and influences of ancient civilizations and categorize the
factors that led to their fall (e.g., philosophy,
2. architecture, civics, literature, the arts, science and
mathematics).
Select methods,
media, and materials
The method of instruction I will use is whole group
instruction alongside individual work. Students will
receive instruction on the foundations of mythology.
Glogster. I made a Glogster that has a chart, a
video, and a few introductory concepts of
mythology to introduce the topic. I will have it
up on the Smartboard when the classes first
arrive.
Maps. Students will use maps whether they are
on a PowerPoint, a handout, or given out as
tangible maps in the classroom. Because of the
vastness of Greece, it will be useful for the
students to have a map alongside instruction.
The physical maps are property of the school,
but I have one permanently in my room for the
school year. Any other maps included in
presentations will be found on the Internet or
scanned from personal books.
Computers. Students will spend time in the
school computer lab to type a myth explaining a
natural phenomenon. I have reserved
designated times for the class to use the
computers. I will also use my personal computer
to show videos and pictures in order to appeal to
both visual and auditory learners.
Projector. I will use the projector to show videos
and pictures in class. The classroom already has
a projector; therefore, projecting the media onto
the board will be the most efficient way to show
these mediums.
Poster Board. At the end of the lesson, the
students will participate in a class activity which
I term as “Post-It Note Knowledge”. I will create
a poster similar to the one below in which the
characteristics of a myth that is discussed in
class will be on the left hand side. I think this is
a good activity because it is a quick and easy
assessment. On the other hand, it also allows
students who are not very talkative to express
what they have learned.
3. Utilize media and
materials
Preview the Materials
The teacher previewed the videos and pictures to
ensure that they were appropriate for
instruction.
Prepare the Materials
The teacher draws the “Post-It Note Knowledge”
template and places a basket of pens as well as
Post-It notes by the poster. Next, she checks to
make sure that the projector and computer are
in working condition for the following day.
Finally, the teacher speaks with the school
librarian to ensure her classes still have the
computer lab reserved for the designated days.
Prepare the Environment
The teacher will arrange the seats in a U shape
so that the students will be able to look to the
board to observe media as well as one another
during classroom discussion. Also, the center of
the U will make a good area of students to
participate in kinesthetic activities. The teacher’s
podium has been moved out of the front of the
classroom so students can see the board and
other materials. The flip chart and map will be
on opposite sides of the room. The flip chart has
also been placed at the front of the room to the
left of the board because the teacher is right
handed and will need to write. The maps are to
the right of the board. On the days the students
go to the computer lab, the students will be
divided into the designated groups. Most small-
group work will be completed in the computer
lab. All of the equipment needed to show media
such as the projector and video camera has been
4. tested and is in working condition for
instruction.
Prepare the Learners
The teacher will introduce the unit and explain
specific objectives of the unit as well as the
different activities the teacher will be asking the
students to complete. The students will also be
made aware of any formal and informal
evaluations and upon what criteria they will be
graded on during these. A time for questions will
follow to ensure understanding.
Provide the Learning Experience
General Techniques. The screen which media
will be projected onto is a part of the white
board in the center of classroom. The teacher
will have a desk alongside the students in the
middle of the U shape of the desks where her
computer and projector will rest. If the desk was
in the actual middle of the students, the
teacher’s back would be to some of the students
which is not good for learning. The flip chart is
to the left of the board.
Projector. The projector will only be on when
the teacher is showing a video or a picture
otherwise the students may become distracted.
The teacher will also use a pointer and turn off
the lights to help the students better see the
media.
Flip Chart. The writing on the flip chart is in
large black letters in order for all students to
properly see and read the chart. Because this is a
visual aid, the lights must be on during
presentation, and the teacher must not block the
view of the flip chart while discussing it with the
students.
Video. While shooting the video, the teacher
must keep the lights on to provide adequate
lighting. The classroom must also be quiet in
order to hear the presentations.
Maps. The maps must be presented in a location
that all students can see which is to the right of
the board in this case. The lights must also be
left on in order to see the details of the map. The
teacher will use a pointer to point out specific
countries to the students during the
presentation.
5. Require student
participation
Large Group Activities
The teacher will begin by asking the students to
share any of the holiday traditions that they
celebrate with their family. After that discussion,
the teacher introduces the five holidays being
discussed throughout the unit and introduces
the three statements associated with the KWL
Chart—“What I Know, What I Want to Know,
What I Learned”. The teacher will then begin
lecturing where she incorporates videos and
pictures to help teach the holidays to the
students. Two of the videos are interactive,
meaning they ask the children to sing and/or
dance with traditional songs from some of the
holidays discussed. The teacher will also teach
the students the locations of the countries that
celebrate each holiday on a large map. The
students will then play a map game to help them
become familiar with the geographical locations
of the holidays celebrated. The Large Group
Activities will span over a five day period.
Small-Group Activities
The teacher will split the classroom into groups
of four for the small-group activities. Students
will have three days to conduct research
alongside his or her group for the presentation.
While the teacher will demonstrate an outline
for students to construct their speeches, the
students can be creative because they have
previously been made aware of the evaluation
process and criterion for the assignment. On the
fourth day, the students will meet with their
group to prepare for the presentation the
following day. The students are advised to do a
mock trial of their speeches to ensure success
the next day. The final day of the unit the
students will present their group projects to the
class, and the teacher will record the
presentations with a video camera. The teacher
will spend the weekend evaluating the students’
presentations. On Monday, the teacher will
individually meet with the student groups to
provide and receive feedback about the unit.
Evaluate and Revise
Assessment of Learner Achievement
Students will be evaluated on whether they met the
objectives outlined above. The material learned in large
group activities act as a base knowledge to the student’s
personal and small-group research. The objectives will
be tested by the evaluation of the student group
research presentations because the criteria for this
6. evaluation is directly reflected in the objectives.
Content (50 points)
Did your group include the common names
associated with the holiday?
Did your group identify the countries that
celebrate the holiday on the map?
Did your group explain the origin story of the
holiday?
Did your group explain the cultural traditions
associated with the holiday?
Research (25 points)
Did you consult Internet sources to collect the
data information?
Did you use trustworthy websites such as those
ending in .gov while conducting research?
Did you organize your research alongside of
your group’s research appropriately?
Presentation (25 points)
Did your group include all of the content
required?
Did your group speak loudly and clearly so all of
your classmates could hear you?
Did your group take turns presenting the
material so that all group members were
involved?
Evaluation of Media and Methods
The media and materials were all free and either
previously owned or rented from the school’s
Resource Center. This makes the unit very
efficient in terms of the costs of resources.
Student feedback was frequently utilized as a
tool of evaluation of the media and methods.
The teacher observed student reactions during
the media presentations and wrote them down
in a journal to refer to during the revision
process. After the large group instruction was
completed, the teacher conducted the first
informal evaluation. The students were given a
short survey about the media they encountered
during the first part of the unit. The survey was
composed of Likert scale questions as well as a
few open response questions. The second
informal evaluation was given after the
presentations were complete, and the teacher
met with the student groups. Students were first
personally interviewed by the teacher to
7. determine any struggles or successes they
encountered during the unit. The students were
also given an evaluation worksheet to assess
one’s group. This was anonymous and only
contained the number of the group in the top
right corner. This ensures that the students can
speak honestly about his or her experience with
the group to guarantee a fair experience for all.
Evaluation for Overall Instruction
The teacher gathers the formal evaluations from
the unit and calculates the student’s average.
However, this is only the feedback from the
formal evaluation. The teacher also uses the
informal evaluations (such as observations
made) to decide on what changes need to be
made to the lesson plan. The teacher is most
interested in the clarity of the objectives and
whether the students were successful with these.
Also, the informal evaluations will help the
teacher draw a conclusion on whether the
students enjoyed the media and activities in the
unit.