Unit 2: Demeter and Persephone--4 teaching ideas (Part II)

As for the 4 ideas, I like them all, especially those that involve online search or arts. However, somehow, the webpages might be too difficult for the 10th graders. And we might not have time to do the drawing. Therefore, for the idea of introducing the connection between Greek myths and modern English, I simplified the language on the webpages and made a handout for the students. Besides, I also created PPT slides to go with them. We played a game-like activity on Lantern Festival. All students needed to do was guess the meaning of the word emphazised in the handout and on the slides by reading and watching pictures. To add some festival atmosphere, I prepared a lot of red envolopes with foreign coins and candies inside.

The other activity chosen is "dialogue writing and role playing." This is a group project. But unlike what we did last semester, this time, everyone was required to created dialogues of their own based on the scene their group was assigned. Then, three days later (after they learned the reading), they shared their writings orally in a group and chose the best piece to perform. The presentation was scheduled two days after the oral sharing. In the end of the presentation, students were asked to reflect on the activity and to compare the process with that of "the phantom."

I dropped the idea of the writing activity--writing from different angles because this activity was still centered on the myth. It would probably be too much for the students. So, instead, I gave them another myth "Pandora's box" as an outside reading exercise.