Technology Integration: English / Language Arts
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts:
Standard 16.10: Identify and analyze similarities and differences in mythologies from different cultures
Standard 16.10: Identify and analyze similarities and differences in mythologies from different cultures
Internet Integration Strategy:
Scholastic's Myths, Folktales, and Fairy Tales site offers a solid collection of myths from around the world, arranged by geographic area. The website also has an interactive lesson that walks students through the process of creating their own myths.
Here is a screenshot of Scholastic's Myths, Folktales, and Fairy Tales.
Problem Statement
Students may have difficulty seeing the similarities (or the differences) in myths from different times and/or locations. They may have difficulty in recognizing the import of common themes or the possible reasons for differences.
Integration Strategy
The students will use Scholastic's Myths, Folk Tales and Fairy Tales site to explore a variety of myths from across the world. The teacher can display a targeted story on the interactive white board. Students can analyze the tale and take notes on the key characters, conflict, event sequence, and outcome. The group can discuss similarities that any see to other stories that have been reviewed.
Students can explore use the brainstorming tool to create their own myths. This can be done in groups or individually. Teachers can guide students to the inclusion/analysis of common themes.
Students can explore use the brainstorming tool to create their own myths. This can be done in groups or individually. Teachers can guide students to the inclusion/analysis of common themes.
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Tool Based Software:
Story Creator is a VERY cool tool that is free for teachers and students to use, allowing them to create their own Myths and Legends. Students can publish their animated stories on the website to share with their classmates.
Here is a screenshot of the Myths and Legends' site with the Story Creator.
Problem Statement
Students may have difficulty translating their ideas for a story into an engaging format that they can share with others.
Integration Strategy
Students will use the Story Creator from Myths & Legends to assemble their own animated digital video:
The teacher can first show a video that the teacher created (perhaps not initially telling the students that it was the teacher's handiwork and then revealing that oh-so-cool fact after the general applause has died down). The teacher can then lead the group through the process of creating an animated story, using Story Creator and the interactive white board, with students offering suggestions as the myth develops. Then the students can work individually or in pairs to create their own digital video myths which can be later be viewed by all.
The teacher can first show a video that the teacher created (perhaps not initially telling the students that it was the teacher's handiwork and then revealing that oh-so-cool fact after the general applause has died down). The teacher can then lead the group through the process of creating an animated story, using Story Creator and the interactive white board, with students offering suggestions as the myth develops. Then the students can work individually or in pairs to create their own digital video myths which can be later be viewed by all.
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Instructional Software:
Instructional interactive activities using Smart Notebook are available for free download via the Smart Exchange.
The Smart Exchange offers a collection of Smart Notebook files, mostly uploaded by educators to share with other teachers (There are some made by educational publishers and some by the nice folks at Smart Technologies). The files can be used on a computer with Smart Notebook and on a Smart Board. The quality of the lessons can be variable, so previewing and careful selection is, as always, very important. Smart Notebook files can be customized/adapted to meet specific goals after they have been downloaded. Sample files include: Ancient Egypt - Myths, Gods, and Beliefs and Fables, Fairy Tales, Legends and More.
Here is a list of more Smart Notebook files to explore.
The Smart Exchange offers a collection of Smart Notebook files, mostly uploaded by educators to share with other teachers (There are some made by educational publishers and some by the nice folks at Smart Technologies). The files can be used on a computer with Smart Notebook and on a Smart Board. The quality of the lessons can be variable, so previewing and careful selection is, as always, very important. Smart Notebook files can be customized/adapted to meet specific goals after they have been downloaded. Sample files include: Ancient Egypt - Myths, Gods, and Beliefs and Fables, Fairy Tales, Legends and More.
Here is a list of more Smart Notebook files to explore.
Screenshot from Smart Exchange site.
Problem Statement
Students may have difficulty attending to and/or processing lecture-based lessons.
Integration Strategy
Teachers can use the downloaded Smart Notebook files to enhance their lessons and to create opportunities for more active learning. Teachers can use the activities as part of whole group lessons on the SmartBoard. Students can use the files independently on their own classroom laptops which have Smart Notebook software or they can access them at home fro review, using the Notebook Express cloud-based service.
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Productivity Software
Read, Write, Think offers a free, small interactive flash-based program called Compare & Contrast Map to help students organize and summarize their findings when completing a compare and contrast essay. This program walks students through the process of creating a compare/contrast essay. It allows the student to print, e-mail, or save the page as a .PDF file.
Problem Statement
Students may have difficulty in analyzing two different myths and then organizing their observations so as to compare and contrast elements of the stories.
Integration Strategy
Teachers can demonstrate the use of the Compare & Contrast Map to students by reviewing two myths and then, as a group, completing the online form. Students can then use the software, individually or in pairs, to make their own maps about other groups of myths, and then other content areas. Students can save the completed chart as a .PDF which can be shared with the class on the interactive white board.
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More Resources
Check out these additional useful resources for further information and more ideas about integrating technology during instruction of comparative mythology within the content area of English / Language Arts.
- Encyclopedia Mythica: A large website with loads of information about world mythology.
- Europe of Tales: Contains some less-familiar folktales and myths from across Europe. Each region contains multiple stories. The five regions highlighted are: Scotland, Brittany, Finland, Iceland, and Italy. The animated story books have background sound effects but do not have audio narration.
- The Kennedy Center: A structured lesson plan, with printable stories and learning materials, about how different cultures explained natural phenomena through their myths.
- Winged Sandals: This website from the Australian Broadcast Corporation focuses on Greek myths and contains several games and animated videos depicting the myths.
- World of Myths: This website has lots of descriptions of different gods & goddesses, with one page containing multiple embedded YouTube videos retelling stories from Greek & Roman mythology.