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Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion
Introduction
The ancient Greeks believed that
powerful gods and goddesses, called Olympians, ruled the earth and the
heavens. These Olympians had supernatural powers capable of causing
harm or providing help to humans in need. But they weren't all that god-like.
Each of these mythological characters also possessed very human weaknesses
and personality traits. It is these traits, along with their unique, quirky,
and sometimes very bad behavior, that make the
gods and goddesses such interesting characters to study and provide us with such
an intriguing glimpse into the people, the values and the world of ancient
Greece.
Task
Imagine that you have been given
the task of designing
and furnishing a dream house that would fit the personality of one of
the gods or goddesses. You will need to take into account the personality,
hobbies, likes and dislikes of your chosen character when making your
decisions. What will it be...a clam shell swimming pool, an underground thunderbolt
range...heart-shaped furniture? You decide. The sky's the limit! (after
all we are talking mythology here...) To help your character show off their
new place, you will also be throwing a house warming party to which all the Olympians will be
invited. Finally, the reporter in the group will write an article about the party
for the society page of the Greek Gossip Gazette.
Process
Overview: You will work with a group to research your Greek god or
goddess and complete the tasks. Each member of your group will be responsible
for a different role and a part of the task.
Step 1:
First you must choose a major Greek god or goddess to research. Go to the
websites below and choose one of the main Olympians for whom you would like
to build and design a dream house. Find out all you can about your god or
goddess including the information below.
http://mythman.com/
http://www.loggia.com/myth/olympians.html
http://www.mythweb.com/
- What are they the
god/goddess of?
- What special
powers/abilities do they have?
- What are their
symbols?
- Who are they
related to? Married to? In love with?
- What are their
likes/dislikes?
- What are their
strengths/weaknesses?
- What are the
important myths concerning this character?
- What are the main
personality traits your god/goddess possesses? *Go to the website below
to explore human character traits:
http://www.gurusoftware.com/GuruNet/Personal/Factors.htm
Step 2: Once you know who your "client" is and who
you're dealing with, you are ready to begin the project. Each member of the
group will choose a role from the four listed below. Each person will
complete their specified task as described. Then ALL of you will work
together to design a group poster board that incorporates all four elements.
When completed, you will present your poster, as a group, to the class.
- The Architect - You will design the
layout of your character's dream house and create a floor
plan that shows all the rooms and features of the house. It is very important
when designing a house to take into account the personality of your client.
What indoor and outdoor features would this character want you to include in
their house? Consider their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, jobs and
personality. How will you design the rooms to reflect who they are? Go to the
sites below to look at sample floor plans. Once you have your ideas, use
paper and a ruler to create a floor plan of the house. On your floor plan,
include explanations next to the rooms and the special features, explaining
why you chose them for this character and why they complement their
personality.
http://www.dreamhomesource.com/Feature.asp
http://www.eplans.com/default.asp?refer=overture101
http://www.coolhouseplans.com/
- The Interior
Design Expert - You will be responsible for furnishing the dream house of
your chosen god or goddess. Taking into account your god or goddess' taste
and personality, decide what furniture and other design essentials they would
want in their house. Go on an online shopping trip for furniture and
accessories to compliment the style of your character. Try the furniture
sites below. Cut and paste pictures into Microsoft word that you would like
to use for the main rooms of the house. You can also conduct a search on the
Internet for certain pieces you know you want to include in the house, (a
clam shell bed or a heart-shaped mirror, for instance). For each item
include an explanation of how that particular piece fits with your
character's personality and why you have chosen it for them.
http://www.furnitureofamerica.com
http://www.furnitureshoppingtips.com/
http://www.bellacor.com/
http://ncnet.com/ncnw/furn-onl.html
- The Party Planner - Your task is to
plan a house warming party to show off the new house of your god or
goddess to all of their friends (and enemies!). You will be
responsible for designing an invitation that will go out to all the
other Olympians, inviting them to the party. You will also plan
the menu for the party as well as choosing the seating arrangements.
Look over the sites below to get ideas for the food you will serve as
well as the invitation you will create. Write up a party menu of all the
tempting dishes, appetizers and desserts you will serve at the party.
Don't forget to consider the personality of your character. (You can
invent food items as well.)
Party Planning Sites:
http://www.gourmetspot.com/dinnerpartyfeature.htm
http://www.partydetails.com/
http://www.theplunge.com/
http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e01_index/e01index.html
Sample Party Invitations:
http://www.finestationery.com/
http://www.e-announcementsandinvitations.com/
- The Gossip
Columnist - Your task is to be the "eyes and ears" of the party in
 action and to write a article for the society page of your
paper detailing all the juicy gossip. How did the house look? What was especially
eye-catching? What was the host or hostess wearing? How about the guests? Who arrived
together? How did the guests react to the house? What were their housewarming
presents for the host/hostess? Don't forget to include the fights, flirting
and jealousy that are sure to be a part of any party the Greek gods and
goddesses would attend. Your research on the sites below should help you find out any relationships (good and bad) the gods had with each
other. Also, include a few pictures of the gods and goddesses (complete with
captions) to go along with your article.
Sample Gossip Columns:
http://www.tabloidbaby.com/Source/index2.html
http://www.eonline.com/Gossip/Awful/cauth/Archive2004/040219.html
Step 3: Collaborate with your group to create a poster that
displays all of your group's creative products including the floor plan of the
dream house, furniture and house decor, party invitation, menu/party plan and
gossip column with pictures. You will probably want to use a large poster
board to display the items. Don't forget to include explanations and
descriptions when necessary.
Step 4: As
a group, present your poster to the class. Each member should explain their
contribution to the project. Be prepared to answer questions from your
audience about the decisions and choices you made and how these reflect the
god or goddess chosen.
Evaluation
Your performance on this project will be based on
the quality of the "dream house" your group creates, how well it
reflects your god or goddess' personality, how well your group works together
and the presentation you give to the class about your project. Use the
following rubric to help you complete the project.
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Beginning
1
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Developing
2
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Accomplished
3
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Exemplary
4
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Score
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Group Cohesiveness
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Group does not communicate or
work well together to create final product.
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Not all members communicate or
participate in helping create final product.
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ALL group members communicate
with each other and work together to create the final product.
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ALL group members communicate
well with each other. They work efficiently and closely together to create
the final product.
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Poster Design
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Poster is incomplete. It may
lack required elements or contain several errors. It may be sloppy and show
lack of effort.
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Poster is mostly complete but
may be sloppy or contain some errors. It shows moderate effort.
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Poster contains all required
elements and few errors if any. It is overall good in quality and shows
effort.
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Poster contains all required
elements and few if any minor errors. It is of high quality and shows great
effort.
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Appropriateness of Final Design
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Finished product does not
reflect god/goddess assigned. No references.
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Finished product somewhat
reflects god/goddess assigned. Few references.
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Finished product reflects
god/goddess assigned. Some references are evident.
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Finished product accurately
reflects the god/goddess assigned. Several specific references are evident.
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Presentation
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Group seems highly unorganized
and unprepared. Poor communication techniques and lack of knowledge
evident.
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Group seems disorganized and
unprepared. Some problems communicating. Some lack of knowledge.
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Group seems somewhat organized
and prepared. Communicates effectively and knows subject.
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Group seems highly organized
and prepared. Communicates well and reflects thorough knowledge of subject.
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Conclusion
Creating a "Dream House" for a god or goddess has allowed you a
unique look into the characters of Greek Mythology. By exploring these gods and
goddesses we are able to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the
Ancient Greeks themselves. We can see them as the imaginative, free and
fun-loving authors of fascinating stories and dynamic characters that are as
interesting today as they were 2700 years ago.
Last updated on March 5, 2004.
Based on a template from The WebQuest Page
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