Greek Mythology Movies

Background: Over four weeks, sixth grade students will learn about the geography of Greece, the Greek city-states, the Golden Age of Athens, Alexander the Great, and Greek myths. As a way to culminate the Unit, students will be asked to show their knowledge of Greek mythology and their understanding of technology through the writing, filming, and editing of a movie.

Materials: paper, pens, pencils, reference materials from the library or Internet, costumes, video cameras, computers, editing software such as Windows Movie Maker, mp3's

Time: Students will spend three to four weeks on writing, filming, editing, and presenting their films.

Procedure:
1. The teacher and students will discuss Greek myths and the mythological characters studied in the Unit. The teacher will present the idea for their project and share all details and the assessment scoring guide. At the end of the first day, if at all possible, previous Greek myth movie projects will be shared with the students to give them an idea of what a finished product might look like.
2. The next day, after students are formed into small groups, each group will be asked to pick one Greek myth from which to base their film. Students will then have three or four days to write their scripts and plan out where the filming will take place, what props and costumes to use, and all other logistical information.
3. The teacher will review the scripts, checking for accuracy to the actual myth. Then, students may begin filming. They are allowed to go throughout the school and school property, being mindful of other classes and the length of the class period.
4. When filming has wrapped, within five days, students will be taken to the computer lab and shown the editing software. They have already had some experience with this software, but a review will be necessary. Each group member is responsible for taking part in editing their movie clips, adding in music, and any other parts to their movie that is necessary.