Frost, BYU, 2009 Percy Jackson and the Olympians ... - Novelinks.org

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan, First Edition. ANTICIPATION GUIDE ACTIVITY. BEFORE READING STRATEGY.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan, First Edition ANTICIPATION GUIDE ACTIVITY BEFORE READING STRATEGY Context: Before starting or introducing the book to the students Purpose: This is a pre-reading strategy designed to peak students’ interest in major concepts that will occur in the book, and to tap into their knowledge of these concepts in order to help them to make connections as they read. Rationale: I would choose to use this strategy as a pre-reading activity because it uses the students’ knowledge and opinions. I think that often in an English class, students are too often told how to interpret a text; I chose this strategy because it will introduce them to concepts, help them develop opinions about those concepts, and empower them to change or further develop those opinions as we come across those concepts in the novel. Main Ideal: Percy Jackson is forced to choose between saving his mother from the underworld and saving the entire world from the most terrible war that it has ever seen. He is choosing between the life of the person he loves most and the lives of millions of nameless people he does not know. Materials needed: paper Time: About 30 minutes STEP 1 Distribute the individual worksheets and go over the first statement with the students. Then ask them to fill in the personal column with A for AGREE and D for DISAGREE. Point out that this is not a middle ground. They have to choose a side. STEP 2 Divide class into groups of 3 or 4 and have them fill out the next column. Instruct them to come up with a decision for the whole group, or the majority. They all have to mark the answer given by the majority. Allow them more time for the last one since they will need to discuss some of them, and then bring the class together for discussion. Call on certain groups to share what they discussed and what they decided, and discuss it as a class. STEP 3 Go to the next column, and have students fill out the answer column individually. Call on some students to share their answers in a discussion that covers each question. STEP 4 Ask students to take out a piece of paper and write a paragraph about how they felt about one of these statements or questions and why they felt that way, or about the experience with the group (did they Frost, BYU, 2009

want to put something different? Did you feel differently about it after the class discussion? Are there any about which you still feel strongly?) Give students a chance to react to the experience in their writing, and have them hand them in along with the worksheet. Hand these back before reading chapter three of the book. STEP 5 Read the text and revisit the guide a number of times (the introduction of Percy’s mother, when she disappears in the battle with the Minotaur, after the prophecy of the Oracle, and before and after he decides to save the world over saving his mom). Give short writing assignments, such as free-writes or journal entries, allowing students to discuss their opinions on these issues now and how those opinions relate to what is going on in the book. STEP 6 At the end of the book, ask students to write a paper discussing the person they love most, and what they would do if they had been forced to choose between saving that person and saving the world like Percy had, and how their opinions changed (if they did) about this subject since filling out the sheet before reading the book. ASSESSMENT: This strategy allows the teacher to introduce concepts by first connecting them to students’ experiences and opinions, and then to review those opinions as they uncover them in their reading experience.

Frost, BYU, 2009