Newsela

Student Learning Objectives

Content

Students will engage in a structured academic discussion to identify recurring patterns of cultural values across myths, informational text, and The Lightning Thief.

Language

Students will use discourse markers, abstract nouns, and evidence-based explanation frames to build on peers’ ideas during a Socratic Seminar.

Foundations

Students will practice discourse markers for seminar escalation, including “Building on ___’s point . . . ,” “A recurring pattern is . . . ,” and “This reflects the cultural belief that . . .”

Connections to

Knowledge-Building:

Students synthesize Investigation 1 texts and Chapters 1–12 of The Lightning Thief to identify patterns in courage, responsibility, cleverness, power, blame, and belonging.

Enduring Understanding:

People across cultures use myths to explain danger, power, and the unknown while expressing important cultural values.

Future Lessons:

Students will carry these big ideas into Lesson 20 as they analyze temptation and illusion in the Lotus Casino episode.

Unit Performance Task:

Today’s seminar prepares students to explain patterns across myths, informational text, and modern adaptations using evidence from multiple texts.

Lesson Flow	Purpose of Learning Experience
Launch5 Minutes	Students will prepare to move from individual examples to a shared Essential Question discussion.
Literacy Lab10 Minutes	Students will be introduced to the Socratic Seminar moves they will use to build, clarify, and synthesize ideas.
Learning in Action30 Minutes	Part A: Rehearsing a Pattern Claim (SL.6.1.c) Students will orally rehearse how to connect one text example to a broader cultural value across texts. Part B: Socratic Seminar: Myths, Power, and Cultural Values (SL.6.1.a, SL.6.1.c) Students will participate in a structured seminar that uses evidence from multiple texts and builds on peers’ responses.

Lesson Flow

Purpose of Learning Experience

Launch5 Minutes

Students will prepare to move from individual examples to a shared Essential Question discussion.

Literacy Lab10 Minutes

Students will be introduced to the Socratic Seminar moves they will use to build, clarify, and synthesize ideas.

Learning in Action30 Minutes

Part A: Rehearsing a Pattern Claim (SL.6.1.c)

Students will orally rehearse how to connect one text example to a broader cultural value across texts.

Part B: Socratic Seminar: Myths, Power, and Cultural Values (SL.6.1.a, SL.6.1.c)

Students will participate in a structured seminar that uses evidence from multiple texts and builds on peers’ responses.

Vocabulary