Dream House of the Gods

A WebQuest for 9th Grade English

anna_wilder@khsd.k12.ca.us

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 filled with all the juicy details of what went on.

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. If you have another choice besides the ones listed on the main page, let me know.

http://mythman.com/

http://www.loggia.com/myth/olympians.html

http://www.mythweb.com/

Step 2: After choosing your god or goddess, print out and complete the CHARACTER FACT SHEET for your character. NOTE: You may not find answers to all the questions, just find as much as you can. You will use this information to design the perfect house to suit your character.

Click here to download the Character Fact Sheet.

Step 3: 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. (SEE LIST BELOW) Each person will then complete their specified task as described.

Step 4: 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 5: 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.

PROJECT ROLES - (Choose at least one - if there are fewer than four people in your group, you will have to divide up the remaining task(s).

The Architect

As the architect you will be responsible for designing the layout of your character's dream house and creating 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/

http://www.designevolutions.com/

http://www.orderhomeplans.com/

The Interior Design Expert

As 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/index.cfm?partid=bellacor-hsdcr&OVRAW=house%20decor&OVKEY=decor%20house&OVMTC=standard

http://ncnet.com/ncnw/furn-onl.html

http://www.guild.com/

http://www.uniquejava.com/

The Party Planner

As 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.partypop.com/

http://www.party411.com/

Sample Party Invitations:

http://www.finestationery.com/

http://www.e-announcementsandinvitations.com/

The Gossip Columnist

As 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

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/pagesix_u.htm

http://entertainment.msn.com/gossip?

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.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Group Cohesiveness	Group does not communicate or work well together to create final product.	Not all members communicate or participate in helping create final product.	ALL group members communicate with each other and work together to create the final product.	ALL group members communicate well with each other. They work efficiently and closely together to create the final product.
Poster Design	Poster is incomplete. It may lack required elements or contain several errors. It may be sloppy and show lack of effort.	Poster is mostly complete but may be sloppy or contain some errors. It shows moderate effort.	Poster contains all required elements and few errors if any. It is overall good in quality and shows effort.	Poster contains all required elements and few if any minor errors. It is of high quality and shows great effort.
Appropriateness of Final Design	Finished product does not reflect god/goddess assigned. No references.	Finished product somewhat reflects god/goddess assigned. Few references.	Finished product reflects god/goddess assigned. Some references are evident.	Finished product accurately reflects the god/goddess assigned. Several specific references are evident.
Presentation	Group seems highly unorganized and unprepared. Poor communication techniques and lack of knowledge evident.	Group seems disorganized and unprepared. Some problems communicating. Some lack of knowledge.	Group seems somewhat organized and prepared. Communicates effectively and knows subject.	Group seems highly organized and prepared. Communicates well and reflects thorough knowledge of subject.

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.

Teachers

English-Language Arts Content Standards - Grades 9 and 10

Reading 1.3, 2.0, 2.4, 2.6

Writing 1.2, 1.5, 1.8, 2.4, 2.6

Listening and Speaking: 1.0, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9

PROCEDURES:

This WebQuest works best as a culminating unit project after studying Greek mythology and/or The Odyssey. Some prior knowledge of Greek mythology is beneficial.

Before going into the computer lab, the teacher should preview the project and roles, review the assessment rubric and discuss computer lab and Internet policies and procedures. Students should also be divided into groups at this time and each groups’ god/goddess should be chosen.

Once in the computer lab students should access the WebQuest on the Internet and read it over completely. Students should then download the character fact sheet and begin researching information about their god/goddess.

The next step is to choose roles. Groups of fewer than four members may choose one role and then divide up remaining roles/tasks.

Once roles have been chosen, each member will focus on researching information for their specific role using the Internet resources provided.

Once research is complete, or ongoing, students will begin to assemble, gather and create the needed documents to be included in their dream house proposal. The focus should always be on relating all elements to the god or goddess assigned.

When all documents are gathered or created, students collaborate on designing the project proposal board they will use to guide their presentation.

Finally, students will present their dream house proposal to the class, justifying their choices and design strategy in terms of their character’s personality and their role in Greek mythology.

Last updated on March 5, 2005. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page