This lesson plan outlines a 3-part series of lessons on Greek mythology for a 6th grade class. In part 1, students will learn about Greek myths by listening to the story of Zeus' birth and completing a true/false quiz. They will then research Greek gods in small groups and create a family tree. Part 2 reviews what students remember from the previous class through a crossword puzzle. Students will then read different myths in groups and present what they learned. Part 3 focuses on the life of Hercules; students will complete a chart about him using an online webquest, then discuss a quote in relation to his story. The lessons incorporate listening, reading, research, group work and discussion to teach Greek mythology and related

1. Lesson plan #1
Trainee teachers: Nappi Daiana, Benedetti Ludmila
Class: 6th grade
Communicative goal: Learning about Greek Mythology
Grammar focus: simple past
Vocabulary focus: lightening, thunder, wisdom, justice, peace, civilization, etc
Recycled language: family relationships
Activation (3 min)
The teacher will ask students to brainstorm any information they might know about
Greece. If students cannot remember anything she will write some concepts (eg:
Democracy, Maths, Tragedy & Comedy, Olympic Games, etc) in order to prompt some
ideas.
Comprehension and clarification: (10 min)
The teacher will explain the origin of myths and then she will tell them the myth of the
birth of Zeus.
(The teacher will tell them an adaptation of the myth from the following site:
http://historylink102.com/greece2/creation.htm)
As they listen they will have to complete the following True or False
Are the following statements about the myth you hear true or false?
TRUE FALSE
1. From Mother Earth and Sky came Chaos
2. There were 6 Titans
3. Cyclopes have 50 heads and 100 arms
4. Cronos came to Gaia’s aid
5. Cronos married his sister Phoebe
6. Cronos had six children
7. Cronos swallowed all of his children
8. Zeus survived to defeat his father
Application (20 min)
Activity 1: Students will be organized into 6 groups. The teacher will have a bag with the
names of 12 Gods. Each group will pick 2 cards from the bag and they will have to look for
information about the Gods in those cards in web pages. Each group will read about their
Gods and later on retell this to the other groups.
Time allotted: 15 min

2. Activity 2: After having listened to everybody’s retelling of Greek Gods, the class as a
whole will create a family tree with all the Gods and Godesses mentioned.
Time allotted: 5 min
Reflection (2 min)
The teacher will read the cards with the names of the Gods and Godesses and students
will have to sit down when she names a God and stand up when she names a Goddess

3. Lesson plan #2
Trainee teachers: Nappi Daiana, Benedetti Ludmila
Class: 6th grade
Communicative goal: Learning about Greek Mythology
Grammar focus: simple past
Recycled language: lightening, thunder, wisdom, justice, peace, civilization, etc
Activation (5 min)
The teacher will ask students to tell her what they can remember about Greek Mythology
and characteristics of myths and Gods from the previous class.
The class as a whole will complete a Crossword in Hot Potatoes (JCross) about all the Gods
that they have discussed on the previous class
Application (30 min)
Activity 1: Students will be divided into 4 groups and each group will read a myth. They
will have to complete the following chart about the myth they read.
Time allotted: 10 min
Gods and Goddesses in the myth
Humans in the myth
Other creatures in the myth
What does the myth explain?
• Group 1: Zeus and Hera
http://library.thinkquest.org/18169/zeusmyth.htm
• Group 2: Poseidon and Athena
http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/poseidon/stories/poseidon-athena-contest/
• Group 3: Hades and Demeter
http://artfulalf.com/persephonemyth.html
• Group 4: Athena and Arachne
http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/athena/stories/athena-arachne/
Activity 2: Those groups will have to retell their classmates the myths they have read and
all the groups will have to complete the chart from Activity 1 with information about the
myths their classmates are telling them
Time allotted: 20 min

4. Lesson plan #3
Trainee teachers: Nappi Daiana, Benedetti Ludmila
Class: 6th grade
Communicative goal: learning about Hercules’s life
Grammar focus: ---------- revision
Vocabulary focus: abilities, personal information
Recycled language: can, age, Greek gods, etc.
ACTIVATION (3 min.)
The teacher will make them remember the stories they had been discussing about Greek
gods, and she will ask to the students, questions about them.
T: do you remember who Zeus was?
St: yes! He was the greatest god and the strongest!
T: yes that’s right!
Comprehension and clarification: (7 min)
The teacher will tell them that now they will have to find out about one of Zeus’s sons,
Hercules, and that they will have to complete a chart about his life using the internet.
She will present them the web quest and she will explain how to use it.
Application: 25 mins
Activity 1: the students will solve the webquest on their own and the teacher will monitor
and try to help them as much as she can.
http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=111459
While doing the webquest they will have to visit different websites provided by the
teacher and they will have to produce a chart with the information they collect on the
internet.
Activity 2:
The students will print the chart and they will discuss with the whole class. Then they will
send it by email to the teacher.
Activity 3: students will go to a special section of the web quest the “conclusion” and
there they will find a quote and some questions to discuss with the whole class:
Read the following phrase and think if you agree with it or not
"To look beyond the glory is the hardest part, for a hero's strength is measured by his
heart"

5. Do you agree?
Do you think that this can be related with Hercules’s story?