Reading is Fun!- Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Topic Presentation for Class Project LTEC 4100.031 Katie Ray - Feb. 7, 2011 The Plan Simply, I want to teach and cover works of literature in a way that makes reading fun rather than hard work. A vehicle for this will be the use of technology. In this particular case, I want to use a book called “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.” This is part of a bigger unit that will also serve as part of an intro into Greek mythology for 6th or 7th graders. Lesson Examples The book will be read both independently by the students and as a group in class. While still reading the novel and afterward, there will be discussions, comprehension questions, and journaling. The students will complete a powerpoint presentation on the Greek gods as a group. The research for this will be done on the Internet and to aid them there will be a memorization activity beforehand. A 1-2 page, typed essay will be due towards the end of unit. The topic will fairly open to the student’s choice. Essential and Unit Questions What similarities make us all human? -What knowledge about Greek mythology can be applied to modern times? -How did the belief in the Greek pantheon impact the ancient Greek culture and how is this similar to our own culture? TEKS- ELAR Grade 7- 110.19. (1) Reading/Fluency. Students read grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. Students are expected to adjust fluency when reading aloud grade-level text based on the reading purpose and the nature of the text. (3) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to: (B) describe conventions in myths and epic tales (e.g., extended simile, the quest, the hero's tasks, circle stories); and TEKS, contd. (C) analyze how place and time influence the theme or message of a literary work. (6) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to: (A) explain the influence of the setting on plot development; TA TEKS (2) Foundations. The student uses data input skills appropriate to the task. The student is expected to: (B) demonstrate keyboarding proficiency in technique and posture while building speed; (C) use digital keyboarding standards for data input such as one space after punctuation, the use of em/en dashes, and smart quotation marks (7) Solving problems. The student uses appropriate computer-based productivity tools to create and modify solutions to problems. The student is expected to: (A) plan, create, and edit documents created with a word processor using readable fonts, alignment, page setup, tabs, and ruler settings; Sources Rick Riordan’s websitehttp://www.rickriordan.com/mybooks/percy-jackson/resources/teachersguide.aspx Scholastic’s Teacher Book Wizard Pagehttp://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/vi ewWorkDetail.do?workId=4674 Texas Education Agency websitehttp://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id =6148