Greek Gods, Updated for 2008

English 10/Mrs. Wantz

Greek Gods, Updated for 2008 Purpose: A great deal of western literature and poetry references the characters in Greek mythology, so it is very important to be aware of these stories and characters in order to understand literary allusions, vocabulary and references. Description: Students will learn about and teach each other the characteristics of the 12 gods comprising the Greek/Roman Pantheon by presenting a project that depicts the gods as they would be perceived in the 21st century if they were running for elected office. Students will sign up in pairs for one of the following projects:

 Campaign Poster (vote for me!)

 Ning Page (the 21st century networker)

 Blog journal (a week on the campaign trail)

 Video (campaign ad)

 Official biography picture booklet (as told from the eyes of a pet!)

Due Date: Students will present their projects to the class on September 11-12. The purpose of the presentation is to teach the class about the gods’ characteristics and histories, as well as to predict how they would respond to concerns and conditions in 2008. Steps: 1. Research your god. (http://www.pantheon.org/ is a great encyclopedia for myths). Find out his or her story and family connections. Learn his or her symbols and Roman alias. 2. Determine his or her key concerns/powers. 3. Imagine: How would these concerns be updated for today’s problems and conditions? Gather several specific examples. 4. Analyze your god’s attitude: What would your god want to change about society, the earth, people today? What would tick English 10/Mrs. Wantz

him off? What would make her pleased? What kind of folks would tend to vote for your god? 5. Predict: Why should people vote for your god rather than one of the others? 6. Plan and create your project. 7. Practice your presentation several times. You will have five minutes to present your god in his or her BEST LIGHT! (Both students need to present or to be shown in the video).

Scale for Grading:

_____ Your god’s alias should be mentioned or depicted more than once (think of the voting public as bilingual) (3-6 points)

_____ Family tree/connections explained clearly (3-6 points)

_____ Personal story or anecdotes summarized memorably (3-6 points)

_____ At least three primary concerns (your god’s campaign platform) identified and updated for modern times (3-6 points)

_____ Attention to detail, i.e. historic facts are accurate (3-5 points)

_____ Careful execution of project – not sloppy or obvious last minute or filled with informal language or slang (3-5 points)

_____ Creative design -- I will see 90 of these projects; how will yours be memorable? (3-6 points)

_____ Total (out of 40 possible) English 10/Mrs. Wantz

 English Standard: Reading 1.3: Identify Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology and use the knowledge to understand the origin and meaning of new words (e.g., the word narcissistic drawn from the myth of Narcissus and Echo).

 English Standard: Speaking 2.6: Deliver descriptive presentations.