During January and February 2018, many class periods were devoted to visits from Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Whalen, and their fantastic sixth grade ELA students. The purpose of the library visits was to perform research on a variety of figures from Greek Mythology. An in-class reading of
The Lightning Thief, a fictional story rooted in mythology, led to many students having a keen interest in the subject matter. I have even overheard sixth grade students debate about the gods' powers during their library study hall periods! This degree of personal interest made the research process all the more fascinating for the sixth grade students.
Upon entering the library, students were assigned a specific god or goddess from Greek Mythology that would serve as the focus of their research. Some students did not receive their first choice for research, but this provided an opportunity for students to learn about figures they may not have knowledge about. Mrs. Whalen and Mrs. Webb provided their students with a project overview, deadlines for specific portions of the project, and a folder in which to organize their resources.
Each student needed to find information about their god or goddess, including family structure, symbols, and specific myths where their figure was mentioned. When in the library, the classes would begin with a mini-lesson on research resources and strategies. For the first three days, we focused on using a single type of resource. Day 1 was devoted to books, day 2 was devoted to online databases, and day 3 was reserved for website research. By breaking the research process down by type of resource, it helped the students to understand the benefits and challenges of each specific type of resource.
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| Research sources helped students to complete their graphic organizer. |
As students moved through the research process, they were required to use MLA-formatted Note Sheets in order to keep track of the sources used. These Note Sheets helped students to organize their research and avoid plagiarism.
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| Completed Note Sheets for research sources used. |
Once students had completed their research in the library, they spent their ELA classes working on writing their essays. The graphic organizer also served as the outline for their essay! Students were able to directly apply their research into the essay, since their organizer served as the overall structure for the essay.
When the essays were completed, the students returned to the library for two final activities: a mythology gallery walk and presentation. For the gallery walk, students brought in their finished essay (complete with beautifully illustrated cover) and an object with symbolized their god or goddess. Students were exceptionally creative when it came to choosing a symbolic object. One student even used a 3D printer to make a model of his god's helmet.
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| Essay covers and objects from sixth grade mythology projects. |
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| A 3D-printed helmet was especially awesome! |
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| More artifacts and covers from the mythology gallery walk. |
Students were able to walk through the area containing the artifacts and covers. This allowed the students to see their peers' hard work and the creativity used when finding a symbolic object for their god or goddess.
After the gallery walk, students then gave a brief presentation about their god or goddess. They explained the basics of their figure, retold an associated myth, and explained why they brought in the object they chose. These presentations made it clear that students had learned from their research!
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| A homemade sword and shield to represent Ares! |
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| Hades' homemade helmet. |
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| A homemade, winged cap. |
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| Homemade ax (don't worry, it wasn't sharp). |
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| Zeus costume! |
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| Bow and arrow. |
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| Testing a bow and arrow in the library! |
Overall, the goals of this project were met. Students were introduced to the different research offerings available through the library. This will help students as they move up through the grade levels, as books, databases, and websites will continually be used for research. The MLA Note Sheets also introduced students to the fundamentals of note taking, citing sources, and avoiding plagiarism. The structured outline provided by Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Whalen helped guide students' note taking and set them up for success when they began writing their essays.
The best part of the project by far was the gallery walk with accompanying presentations! It was such a treat to witness the students' creativity and hard work.
