Sample Lesson Plan
Teacher: Pamela Webster Long, Wicomico High School
Discipline: English
Grade Level: High School
Topic: "The Odyssey" and the Use of Mask in Greek Drama Unit
Overview
Essential Understandings:
- The arts allow individuals to express their visions.
- Creative tasks enlarge self-image and offer tools for exploration of texts.
- Human beings are constantly exploring meaning in their environment.
- Improvisation in art offers a tool for creative exploration of texts.
- Students will learn about the convention of masks in Greek drama.
- Students will examine various pictures and reproductions of Greek masks
- Students will create a Greek mask which represents a character from The Odyssey.
- How can art help us delve deeper into the meaning of a text?
- What was the role of mask and drama in Greek society?
- How are the arts of music, poetry, and drama interconnected in Greek culture?
- How does a deeper understanding of Greek drama help us achieve greater understanding of The Odyssey?
Rationale Why is this unit worth teaching? The connections between fine arts and literature are important for students to explore if they are to understand the culture that produced the works they study in class. Arts are not separate from literature, which is not separate from historical culture. They offer an opportunity to discover and transform our appreciation of literature. An exploration of the highly interrelated nature of Greek music, drama, and poetry can lead students into a more mature appreciation of The Odyssey. In examining some of the basic myths of Greek culture, and their cross-disciplinary appearance in every aspect of art, students can understand the incredible interconnectedness of seemingly disparate artistic expressions. Studying and producing a mask, and using it to illustrate a scene from The Odyssey will enrich their understanding of this important work of Greek literature.
Assessment:
- Students should be able to identify the types of Greek mask.
- Students should be able to create a Greek mask that illustrates a scene from The Odyssey.
- Each student group will then stage a tableau vivant depicting their scene. They will use their masks, as well as costumes and/or props to enhance the tableau.
- See attached rubric.
- Slides, or computer images of ancient Greek masks presented in a Power Point lesson.
- Templates of Greek masks.
- Elastic for securing the mask.
- Markers, pencils, or crayons, as well as a stapler.
Introduction: The teacher will use a Power Point presentation to introduce students to the use of mask in Greek drama. Students will learn about the drama festivals that accompanied the feast of Dionysius, the mythological and historical themes of the plays, and the production values: costume, set, and mask.
Procedures: Students will be divided into small groups. Each group will choose a scene from The Odyssey. Students will each choose one character from The Odyssey. Each student will be given a mask template, elastic, and art materials. The mask type should in some way reflect the comic or tragic tone of the incident. For example, a mask of a character from the Scylla and Charybdis story could be tragic or agonized. A mask of a character from Odysseus’ return home could be happy. Using various types of coloring materials, students will design a face for their character mask. Students are encouraged to incorporate other materials into the mask, using their own creativity and initiative. Assessment is based on neatness, originality, and general attractiveness. Once completed, students will add costuming and/or props, and stage a tableau vivant depicting their scene.
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The Center for Renaissance & Baroque Studies
0139 Taliaferro Hall
The University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20742
301-405-6830
Last updated August 1, 2002.