Symbolism in Myths

BSU Lesson Plan
Graphic Outline | Intasc Reflections | Narrative Outline

Jessica Tarner	Section: 05
Due: 3/9/04	Teach date: March 2, 2004
Practicum Teacher: Walker	Grade Level: 5
Lesson Topic: Symbolism in myths	Subject: Reading and Technology

INTASC Principle #1- Understands Content: The professional educator understands the central concept tools of inquiry, and the structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experience that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

IN State Standard:

Reading: Literary Response and Analysis: Students read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature. They begin to find ways to clarify the ideas and make connections between literary works. The selections in the Indiana Reading List illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students.

Indiana State Indicator:

5.3.6 Evaluate the meaning of patterns and symbols that are found in myth and tradition by using literature from different eras and cultures.

Lesson Objective:

The student will identify symbolism in myths and explain what the symbolism represents.
The student will compare and contrast different myths in order to find patterns in myths.

Materials:

Internet site: http://mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/2_eng_myths.htm
Picture of music notes
Picture of a heart
Recycling symbol
Wheel Chair Symbol
Picture of a dove
Picture of a horseshoe
Picture of a lightening bolt
Musicians of the Sun by Gerald McDermott
Paper
Pencil
Group Guidelines Handout
Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

Motivation:

Attach all pictures and symbols from materials list to the chalkboard. “What might these things have in common? (They are all symbols.)” All around us we see symbols that represent something. What do you think some of the items on the board represent? What do these things make you think of? For instance what does this symbol represent? (Hold up a picture of the wheelchair symbol.) What could this lightening bolt be a symbol for? Why do we use symbols?

Goal for Learner:

Today we are going to discover how objects or people in books might represent something else. We are also going to try and find one major similarity within a variety of myths.

Procedure:

1.   New Information: Just like we use symbols to represent messages, books use symbolism. (Write on board :) Symbolism is the use of an object to represent something else; for example, a dove might symbolize peace. Hold up the picture of the lightening bolt. A lightening bolt could symbolize electricity.
2.   I am going to read you an Aztec myth called Musicians of the Sun by Gerald McDermott. While I am reading I want you to listen for people or things that symbolize something and think of what they symbolize or represent. I want you to take notes, so when you hear something that you think might represent something else, write it down. (Summarizing/Note taking)
3.   Read the story Musicians of the Sun by Gerald McDermott.
4.   “What was something you liked about the story? What happened in the myth?
5.   New Information: A myth is a story handed down orally from generation to generation. There is no known author.
6.   Model: There are many symbols within stories. I am going to point out some symbolism in this myth. I want you to listen to how I go about finding symbolism because I am going to have you try to point out some symbolism in another myth. “In the pictures of the book, the Lord of the Night has an owl next to him. The owl is a symbol that the Lord of the Night is nocturnal. Why might the owl be a symbol associated with the Lord of the Night? I also thought there was symbolism in the darkness. I thought the darkness represented unhappiness. What are some ways to help you identify symbolism in a story? Why might the darkness symbolize unhappiness? I looked for pictures and words in the text. For example, I knew that darkness symbolized unhappiness because in the beginning of the story everything was colorless and dark. The book also says that Lord of the Night looked into his third eye and saw that “…the world was gray and joyless. Children do not laugh. Women do not dance. Men do not sing. The people spend their lives in darkness…” I thought the shield was a symbol of protection because wind used the shield to keep himself safe from the fiery darts. What might the thunder be a symbol for and why? (Thunder might symbolize darkness.) What might the shining silver lightening bolts be a symbol of? (Light and power?) Did you see any other symbolism in the story? How about the colorful musicians? What do they represent? (Happiness)
7.   Don’t worry if you were not able to pick out the symbolism as I read the story. Just like there were symbols in this story, other stories contain symbols also.
8.   Guided Practice: We are going to discover more symbols in myths on the computer together. In order to do this I am going to have students get into groups of two. One student will be in charge of navigating through the myths website. The other student will be in charge of recording any symbols they find and what they think the symbol represents. Students will go to http://mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/2_eng_myths.htm where the class will first explore one myth together. We are going to read the Egyptian myth. I want each group to read the myth straight through, and then go back and read it again looking for the symbolism. Have one person navigate through the website while the other person writes down notes. When students are done we will discuss together the symbolism in the myth. (Cooperative Learning)
9.   Check for Understanding: What is the myth about? What might the rain symbolize and why? What does the water symbolize and why? What does the feather symbolize and why? What other symbols did you find? What do you think the symbols represent and why?(Questions, Ques, Advanced Organizers)
10.   Practice/Application: In your groups I want you to go back and pick out a different myth from a different region. Your group can pick out any myth you want. Have one person navigate through the website while the other person records. When you are finished I am going to have you share your myth with the rest of the class. Give students a handout of the information to be shared with the class. Make sure you identify symbols in the myth and explain what it is a symbol of and why. (Cooperative learning)
11. Check for understanding: When students are finished exploring a different myth, have them share the myth with the class following the group guidelines. I want both partners to speak equally about their myth. “While each group is presenting, I want you to listen for anything their myth might have in common with the myth you explored. I am handing out a data chart where you can write down any similarities or differences.”
12.   The data chart will help us see how these myths compare and contrast. (Non-linguistic Representation) (Identifying similarities and differences)
13.   How were some of these myths different? How were they alike? When several stories have something in common it is called a pattern. What is the pattern that these myths contain? (Identifying similarities and differences)
14.   Closure: What is symbolism? What are some examples of symbols and their meanings? What books have you read that have symbolism in them? What is the symbolism in the book you read? Why do you think we use symbolism? When might you use symbolism?

Evaluation of Student Learning:
Name:______________________

____ The student compared and contrasted two myths.

Category	3	2	1	0
Identify symbolism in myths.	The student identified two correct symbols in their myth and explained what the symbol represented.	The student identified two correct symbols in their myth. The student correctly explained what one symbol represented.	The student identified one correct symbol in their myth and did not explain what any symbols represented.	The student did not identify any symbolism.
Identify patterns in myths.	The student compared at least two myths and listed one pattern they found.	The student compared at least two myths, but identified an inappropriate pattern.	The student compared at least two myths.	The student did not participate.

Lesson Extension:
   On your own I want you to write a very short story on a word document of how something came to be using symbolism. How will it be created? Maybe you will explain how a fictional alien planet was created. Underline any symbols used in the story. Underneath your story explain the underlying meaning of the symbols in your story. Myths are a subcategory of traditional literature, which is handed down orally from generation to generation. Have students orally tell the story they created. Let their classmates identify the symbolism in the story.

Annotated Bibliography:

Informational:

    Kimmel, Eric A. (2000). Gershon’s monsters. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

I found this book in the Marion public library in Marion, Indiana. This book is a legend with the genre of traditional literature. It is about a man named Gershon. The story is about casting your sins out to sea derived from an old Jewish ceremony called tashlikh. This occurs on the first day of Rosh Hashanah (beginning of the Jewish New Year).

McDermott, G. (1997). Musicians of the sun. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Book for Young Readers.

I found this book in the Marion Public Library in Marion, Indiana. It is a myth with in the genre of traditional literature. This is an Aztec myth telling how the Lord of Night brought the colors back to the earth.

Passantino, F. & Batelaaan, P. (2003). The big myth. Retrieved
March 2, 2004 from Distant Train, Web site: #
http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/

This site contains many different myths of how different cultures believe the world came into being. I found this when searching the Internet.

Instructional:

Passantino, F. & Batelaaan, P. (2003). The big myth. Retrieved
March 2, 2004 from Distant Train, Web site: #
http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/

This site contains many different video-reading myths of how different cultures believe the world came into being. I found this by searching the Internet.

Tompkins, G.E. (1998). 50 literacy strategies step by step (2nd
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

I got this book from my Literature Block class. It has fifty different strategies that can be used when teaching language arts.

Strickland, D.S., Galda, L., & Cullinan, B.E. (2004). Language arts:
Learning and teaching. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

I got this book from my literature block class. It has several different teaching ideas for teaching language arts.

Name______________

Group Guidelines

1.   What culture of people did you choose?

2.   Write one or two sentence summarizing the myth your group read.

3.   Name at least two forms of symbolism found in the myth. (Be sure to state what the symbol represents.)

Name_____________

How did this myth compare and contrast to the first Big Myth we explored in class together.

Similarities	Differences

Rationales:

Rationale for INTASC #1:

The professional educator understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and the structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
Rationale for IPSB Standard #2:
Curriculum: The middle childhood generalist creates, modifies, and implements integrated, meaningful curricula appropriate for children aged 7-12.

    My practicum teacher gave me a topic: Reading and Technology. From this topic I was to create a lesson. From the lesson I was to create a unit. My first step was to pick out a standard from the Indiana Academic Standards. I chose the standard that pertained to symbolism in myths. I did this because I already had a decent knowledge base on myths. From there I found examples of symbolism in stories on the Internet and in textbooks. This helped me learn how to demonstrate to students how to find symbolism in myths. The other part of this princile is taking the content and making it meaningful to students. In order to make the content meaningful to students I tried to relate the content to them and use activities that they would enjoy.
    I think that my biggest weakness in this lesson was that I mostly lectured the new information. In the future I would like to change this part of the lesson so that the students could be more interactive with the new material. I felt like I had a lot of strength in this lesson. I used a picture book that is fairly common. After I read the book I found out that several of the students had in fact read the book before. This made it easier for students learn new knowledge, because they were able to add the new knowledge to the old knowledge of the book they had previously read. I also had students read animated picture book myths on the Internet. The students had not read animated picture books before, so the students found this exciting. I also related the knew information of symbolism in stories to books they were currently reading. I felt that my full understanding of the content and my ability to relate the material to the students made the lesson effective.

Rationale for INTASC #2:
The professional educator understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.
Rationale for IPSB Standard #1:
Development: The middle childhood generalist understands that the developmental changes that occur in children aged 7-12 are more radical than those for any other age group.

I understand that all students learn and develop in different stages. I tried to create a lesson plan that would engage and challenge students at all levels. In my lesson plan I read a story to the students and showed them symbolism within the story. Then we read a different story silently. When everyone was finished reading we looked for symbolism as a class. I would have the students tell me how they picked out the symbolism in the story. Then I had students work in pairs and find symbolism in different creation myth stories. This way the students who were able to better understand the material were able to help the students who might have had trouble. Students seem to learn from each other as much, if not more than they do from the teacher. Students like to talk and share ideas. Putting the students in pairs allowed them to bounce ideas off of one another and learn from one another.
I think putting the students in pairs was a strength of this lesson plan. The students were really able to help one another learn how to find symbolism in myths. In the future I think I should be better prepared to gear my lesson up or down in case a large number of students are at a higher or lower level than the lesson was created for.

Rationale for INTASC #7:
The professional educator plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, the community, and curriculum goals.
Rationale for IPSB Standard #3:
Instruction: The middle childhood generalist plans and implements instruction based upon knowledge of students, learning theory, pedagogy, information technology, subject matter, curricular goals, and community.

I planned this lesson based upon the Indiana Academic Standards, how well I understood the subject matter, and to meet my student's needs. According to the curriculum I am supposed to use the Indiana Academic Standards when planning lessons, so I did just that. I used the Language Arts Indiana Academic Standards. Then I researched the what the Indiana Academic Standard was asking me to teach. I wanted to make certain that I would be giving the students correct information. I also tried to take into account the school community. The school has a large amount of various technology devices that can be used in the classroom. This was one of the reason I decided to use laptops in this lesson.
I had many strengths in this lesson. This lesson was tied to the currculum goals by meeting one of the Language Arts Indiana Academic Standards. I started the lesson by relating symbols from the community to symbolism in literature. The students also found it exciting to read animated picture storybooks on the internet. I was also able to easily explain and give examples of symbolism due to my research on the subject.