Mythology Research
9th Grade Language Arts
Step 1: Task Definition
- What is your purpose?
- Research and learn about an assigned character or story in Greek mythology.
- Keep proper and complete works cited information.
- Develop and write
an argument that addresses a claim generated by one of your questions.
- What has to be done?
- Library Research: Orientation, Find Resources, Complete Library
Research Worksheet (December 7/10 & 13/14)
- Computer Lab: Internet
Research Assignment and Works Cited page (December 11/12)
- View Meet the Olympians and the following presentations to
complete the Mythology
Grid.
- Outline your
argument.
- Using your outline as a guide, write a draft of your argument.
- With the help of a trusted advisor, review your draft using the Revision
Checklist.
- Computer Lab: Write Final Draft with Works Cited Page and Parenthetical
Documentation (December 19/20)
- Submit the argument to Utah Write for scoring. Keep
these hints in mind.
- Print the final scored copy and turn it in with everything else, in
this order:
- Final draft with Utah Write scoing info
- Final Works Cited Page
- Review Checklist (signed by parent/advisor)
- First Draft with handwritten revisions/editing/comments
- Outline
- Internet Research Assignment
- Library Research Assignment
- Mythology Grid
- "War with the Titans" Close Read
- "Why Mytholgy?" Close Read
Media Center & Computer Lab
Steps 2 & 3: Information Seeking Strategies & Location/Access
Step 4: Use of Information: Make a Claim!
- What did you notice? Now that you know your myth inside and out, consider
some of these questions:
- What values are illustrated by your myth?
- What purpose would your myth have served for the ancient Greeks? (What
serves that purpose for us now?)
- How is your myth similar to other myths or familiar stories (both ancient
and modern)?
- How does your myth illustrate some of the common themes in Greek mythology?
- How does your myth illustrate ancient Greek ideals? How are those ideals
different than ours?
- What did your myth remind you of?
- How do we see the personality/influence of your myth in modern culture/literature/entertainment?
- How does your myth illustrate similarities and/or differences between
classical mythology and modern religion?
- How does your myth illustrate similarities and/or differences of people
in ancient Greece and in modern America?
- Consider these
themes if you need help coming up with an idea.
- Look at the "Author and Me" Questions you wrote on the back of
your Computer
Lab Assignment and use them to generate an ARGUABLE CLAIM
about your myth that you can prove using what you have learned. The claim
you generate is not to be just a statement of fact about your topic. It is
a logical impression that you have arrived at after studying your myth. YOU
COME UP WITH IT! YOU DON'T FIND IT IN ONE OF YOUR SOURCES.
- This is NOT an arguable claim: Dionysus was the
god of wine. (It is just a statement of fact that would be available
in lots of resources. You can't write an entire research-based argument
using something like this as a claim.)
- This is an arguable claim: The myths involving
Dionysus illustrate many unhappy themes in Greek mythology.
(This is arguable because it must be proved with evidence and warrants.
It is not just a statement of fact that was uncovered during research.
It is a claim that was arrived at after looking at the evidence.)
- Your paper will be a logical argument that supports, illustrates, and proves
your CLAIM (thesis statement).
- In the process, you will make and defend a series of smaller claims that
will be stated in topic sentences in the body of your paper.
Step 5: Synthesis: Support Your Claim!
- Making the
Argument: Research Paper
- Your research paper will have a clear thesis statement. This is the
CLAIM you came up with in the previous section, and it should be clearly
stated at the end of your opening paragraph.
- You will develop your thesis by using the evidence you gathered during
research to support the claim.
- Your evidence should be logically organized in a series of body paragraphs,
each containing a clear topic sentence that directly ties to the thesis
statement and introducing part of the argument in support of the claim
(thesis).
- Your research paper will contain a properly formatted works cited page
to illustrate that your evidence is legitimate and that you are giving
credit where credit is due.
- Your research paper will contain proper parenthetical documentation
(in-text citations) that refer to sources on works cited page.
- Organization
- Your research paper will be organized in the same general format as
a standard academic essay:
- Introduction: Capture attention, provide background information,
mention main areas of focus, clearly state CLAIM
- Body: Clear topic sentences in each paragraph, plenty of specific
support (drawn from research) for topic sentences, transition/clincher
statements
- Conclusion: Restate thesis and main points, close with a powerful
conclusion
Step 6: Evaluation
- How will you know how you did?
- A final writing quality score from Utah Write.
- A final grade from the teacher based on whether or not you actually
addressed the assignment and the completeness of your finished packet.
- Praise and admiration of classmates
- Excellent final grade in English
You will find a lot of information about mythology on
the Internet, but be sure you use information from CRAAP-y
sites. Also, remember that many mythological characters didn't wear much clothing,
so as you review the websites, be tasteful and mature. Here are a few sites that
might help get you started:
Mythweb
Encyclopedia
Mythica
Mythman
Greek
Mythology
More
Greek Mythology
Mythology
Grid Answers
Back to Thompson's Home Page