Hercules
Hercules TEACHER’S
GUIDE
Levels N–Z FICTION “Fractured” Classics
Why Hercules Is a Classic According to Greek and Roman mythology, Hercules, the son of the king of the gods and a mortal woman, earned a home on Mount Olympus by heroically completing twelve great “labors” thought to be impossible tasks. Admired for his physical strength, bravery, and cunning, Hercules was one of ancient Greece’s most celebrated heroes, and also one of the most legendary. Each region of Greece developed its own versions of Hercules’s adventures as the myths were passed down through the generations. One of the earliest written accounts was Hercules Furen by the renowned 5th century B.C. Greek poet-playwright Euripedes. As the first “superhero,” Hercules provided inspiration for Superman and many other superheros of the modern age. Part of Hercules’s appeal, in ancient times as well as today, is that he was half-mortal—and thus demonstrated the potential of human beings to do extraordinary things. Because of Hercules’s great physical strength, intelligence, and the heroic deeds he performed in his lifetime, he was able to go from being a mere mortal to a god—a goal sought by most people in ancient times that still fascinates people today.
Characters
Levels
Tips for Voice and Expression
Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Sam Zeus Hydra 2 Tom Hydra 3 Hydra 1 Vulcan Poseidon Sally
Challenging/Z Challenging/Z Challenging/Y Moderate /X Moderate/W Moderate/U Moderate/T Moderate/S Easy/R Easy/O Easy/N
• strong, steady, clear • strong, steady, clear • brave, confident, heroic • powerful, commanding, all knowing • powerful, panicked • urgent, frantic • powerful, panicked • powerful, panicked • powerful, angry, confused • powerful, angry, confused • friendly, smart, helpful
B E N C H M A R K E D U C AT I O N CO M PA N Y
How to Implement Reader’s Theater Classics Target Skills
Steps To Follow
What To Do
Genre Study • Identify features of “fractured” classics and plays
1. Introduce the “Fractured” Classic and the Script
• Share “Why Hercules Is a Classic” from page 1 of the Teacher’s Guide. • Ask: What are features of the “fractured” classic genre? List students’ ideas. Refer to the Classics Overview for the complete list. • Read aloud the script summary and “About the Playwright” from the back cover of the script.
Vocabulary • Learn Tier Two vocabulary • Identify and define idioms • Identify adjectives • Word recognition • Use topic words
2. Preview the Script
• Invite students to explore the layout, text, and illustrations. • Read the table of contents, cast of characters, and setting information together.
3. Introduce Vocabulary and Idioms
• Introduce key vocabulary words (deceit, page 18; hostilities, page 19; nemesis, page 17; poised, page 11) and idiomatic expressions (rests on your shoulders, page 8).
4. Read the Script
• Have students listen and follow along as you read the first few pages to model fluency and expression.
5. Build Comprehension
• Teach the “Comprehension” lesson on page 4. Engage students in discussion.
6. Introduce the Assessment Rubric
• Display and discuss the assessment rubric in the Classics Overview so that students know what you expect of them.
7. Assign Roles
• Use the reading levels on the character chart on page 1 to help you assign roles appropriately.
8. Fluency Mini-Lesson
• Teach the “Build Fluency” and “Fluency Skill” lessons on pages 4–5.
9. Small-Group Rehearsal/Reading
• Discuss and model rehearsal expectations. • Offer suggestions for expression, voice, and characterization.
10. Whole-Group Rehearsal/ Rereading
• Pull the whole group together and remind students that you will be assessing them. • Do not interrupt the rehearsal but simply observe students as they read.
11. Perform, Assess, Reflect
• Invite students to perform the script for an audience such as members of the class, students from other classes, school staff members, or parents. • Use the rubric to complete your assessment of students’ performance.
12. Literacy Connections
• Select the “Literacy Connections” activities on page 5 that best meet your particular students’ learning needs.
Comprehension • Make text-to-text connections • Analyze theme • Analyze characters • Analyze setting • Interpret • Recognize imagery Fluency • Build fluency through repeated readings • Read dashes • Read with prosody
Copyright © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-4108-7982-0
2
Hercules: In the 21st Century
Components To Use • Read and discuss “Spotlight on the Classic,” “Excerpt from the Classic,” and “About the Hercules Myth” on pages 2–6 of the script. • Read aloud sections from the original text. Incorporate the think-aloud prompts from the CD-ROM into your discussion of the classic.
• Script • “Fractured” Classics Read-Aloud CD-ROM • Classics Overview
• Point out the color coding of characters’ names and use of stage directions.
• Script
• Students should use context clues to determine the meaning of each word or phrase. Then use the glossary to solidify students’ understanding. Use the vocabulary activity to extend learning.
• Script • Activity 1
• Ask students to finish reading the script by themselves, with partners, or in small groups as you monitor, answer questions, and provide additional modeling as needed.
• Script
• Have students think/pair/share to answer and discuss the questions on “Activity 2: Build Comprehension.”
• Activity 2
• Model each skill on the rubric so students can see and hear the qualities they are striving to attain.
• Classics Overview
• Refer to the chart for tips on voicing characters with expression.
• Script
• Have partners practice reading with prosody, and practice reading dashes in other sections of the script.
• Script
• Divide the class into small groups to rehearse their roles. As students read the script and practice their parts, circulate about the room to monitor, answer questions, and provide additional modeling as needed.
• Script
• Allow time for students to give positive feedback and constructive suggestions to one another. • Decide on a stage area, how students will be positioned, and whether props or movements will be added. • Conduct a final dress rehearsal.
• Script • Classics Overview
• Take time to briefly conference with each student to provide specific feedback. • Ask students to complete “Activity 3: Fluency Self-Assessment.”
• Classics Overview • Activity 3
• Students may work individually, with partners, or in groups while other groups of students are rehearsing their roles.
• Script
© 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Hercules: In the 21st Century
3
Comprehension Analyze Theme Ask: What do you think the message might be in the play adaptation? Allow responses. Think Aloud: As I read the script, it was clear that an ordinary guy, Sam, was having an extraordinary day! After Sam selflessly ignored his own injury to take care of someone else, the Greek god Zeus appeared and told Sam that he must save the world by performing twelve great labors. Zeus gave Sam the powers of the ancient Greek hero Hercules to accomplish his tasks. Sam completed the twelve labors. Then he worked with a friend to banish his ancient enemies from the modern world. Zeus wanted to reward Sam for his accomplishments with a home on Mount Olympus. But Sam told Zeus he didn’t want to live with the gods—he’d rather stay a “regular guy” and work with other people to solve the problems mortals face. I think the author is telling us that ordinary people have the power to make the world a better place. If we work together and do our best, we can solve the challenges of our world. Discuss: Encourage students to state the big idea, or message, in their own words. They should articulate the idea of people working together to solve problems and improve the world. Think/Pair/Share: Invite students to make their own connections to the big idea. Ask: Can you think of a time when you worked hard to solve a problem or make the world a better place? Describe that time.
Build Fluency Echo-read all or part of the script aloud. Ask students to repeat the lines after you. Stop to explain figures of speech or unfamiliar words—for example, “United Nations” on page 18.
4
Hercules: In the 21st Century
Read with Expression: Stage Directions • Point out the stage directions that appear in italics and parentheses. Explain to students that these directions are not read, but are included to help the reader interpret the part as the author intended. Say: Stage directions tell readers how to say their lines and to whom they should be directed. For example, point out Sam’s lines on page 10 where the stage direction tells the reader that he is amazed. Explain that Sam is amazed because he was able to lift the heavy stone pillar. Demonstrate and ask volunteers to echo-read. Read with Expression: Dashes • Tell students one way they can read with expression is to read dashes appropriately. Say: Sometimes a dash shows that a sentence is being interrupted. For instance, on page 15, the narrators are both interrupted by urgent bulletins from Tom. Read both narrators’ first sets of lines aloud, demonstrating how the lines are interrupted by Tom. Say: Dashes have another purpose. Sometimes a dash tells the reader to pause briefly. Read Poseidon’s fourth set of lines on page 14, first pausing at the dash and then without pausing at the dash. Ask students if they noticed a difference. Say: The first reading sounded much better because the pause helped the listener understand the line. • Ask students to work with a partner to locate and practice other sentences with dashes on pages 16 (Tom) and 19 (Sam and Narrator 1).
Fluency Skill: Read with Prosody • Tell students that when they read with prosody (pitch of voice, stress, inflection, and expressiveness) their listeners will better understand the © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
characters’ words, thoughts, and emotions. Say: When I read with prosody, my listeners will be more interested in my character and will be better able to follow the story. Listen as I read the lines of Hydra 1 and Hydra 2 on page 19 and tell me which reading you prefer. • Read the hydras’ lines, first with a flat tone, and then with prosody. Say: My first reading sounded dull. For my second reading, I paid
attention to my pitch and expression. My second reading revealed more about the hydras’ thoughts and emotions. It helps my listeners understand them and follow the story. • Invite pairs of students to discuss how they might read with prosody Sam’s and Zeus’s lines on page 22. Then, ask the pairs to practice reading those lines.
Literacy Connections Vocabulary and Word Study Striving Readers/ELLs: Adjectives • Guide students to look through the script and find adjectives that describe various characters, for example “brave and self-sacrificing” for Sam, “powerful” and “confused” for Poseidon, and “gigantic” for Cerberus. Discuss these and other adjectives students find and record them on a chart. Have students write the words’ definitions in their journals. On-Level Learners: Word Recognition • Invite students to define the word Herculean as used in the following sentence: “Running a marathon is a Herculean task.” Then ask each student to write several more sentences using the adjective and to share his or her sentences with the group. Encourage students to complete this activity using other unfamiliar adjectives found in the script such as “puny” (page 13) and “mythical” (page 15). Above-Level Learners: Topic Words • Write the word hero on the board. Ask students to write a list of all the words they can think of related to hero. After the lists are complete, group students by threes or fours © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
and instruct them to combine their lists. Then ask them to group their words into three categories—physical traits, character traits, and actions— and label each group of words with a title. Discuss the results as a group.
Reading Across Texts • Read “Hercules’s 11th Labor: The Golden Apples” in book form, at a Web site, or on the “Fractured” Classics Read-Aloud CD-ROM. • Refer students to page 24 of the script and “Interpreting the Classic” question #2. Say: Serious stories—like Hercules: In the 21st Century—sometimes have comic relief, that is, parts of the action or lines of dialogue that are funny. Find an example of comic relief in books or stories, poems, movies, or TV shows. (Possible answer: The Incredibles. The movie has serious themes, such as superheros being banned from saving the day and then coming out of hiding fifteen years later to save Mr. Incredible when he is trapped by his old nemesis. But the film provides comic relief through funny action sequences and dialog like when baby Jack Jack manifests a multitude of superhuman abilities.) Hercules: In the 21st Century
5
Activity 1: Robust Vocabulary Name ______________________________
Date ________________
Directions: Create a context connections chart for each word and idiom in the word bank. Describe what you think the word or idiom means under “What It Is” and list a few words or concepts that mean its opposite under “What It Is Not.” Think about how this word or idiom could be used and how you will remember it. Then complete the bottom boxes. Word bank: deceit, hostilities, nemesis, poised; rests on your shoulders Word or Idiom
Context Sentence from Script
What It Is Not
What It Is
I’d probably find this word or idiom in these contexts (places, events, people, situations):
I will remember this word or idiom by connecting it to:
Hercules: In the 21st Century
© 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Activity 2: Build Comprehension Name ___________________________________ Date ________________ Directions: Answer each question using complete sentences. Support your answers with information from the script. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary. 1. Sam saved the day, but the characters Tom and Sally could also be considered heroic. Explain why and support your answer with details from the story. (analyze characters)
2. What role does the setting play in this story and how does it change? (analyze setting)
3. Why did the author describe Poseidon and Vulcan as “seemingly confused”? (analyze characters; interpret)
4. Look at page 21. What words and images does the author use to describe the disappearance of the ancient creatures? (recognize imagery)
For additional questions for discussion, see “Interpreting the Classic” on page 24 of the script. © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Hercules: In the 21st Century
Activity 3: Fluency Self-Assessment Name _____________________________ Date________________________ Script _____________________________ Role________________________ Directions: Complete the rubric below. Tell how you plan to improve your reading fluency in the areas where you answered no. Skill
Behavior
Yes
No
I read in longer, meaningful phrases.
Fluency and I paid attention to the author’s language patterns. I made the reading sound like dialogue. Phrasing I stressed certain words to emphasize their importance. I used my voice to make the reading reflect feeling, anticipation, tension, mood, and the personality of my character.
Intonation
I paid attention to punctuation. I raised or lowered my voice to interpret the punctuation of sentences. I used an appropriate speed of reading.
Pacing
I read the lines with the same speed and flow that I use when I talk. I read with very few hesitations or unnecessary pauses and repetitions. I recognized words quickly and read them correctly.
Accuracy
I really thought about the meaning of the story and known words and word parts to help me figure out unknown words. I corrected myself when I made an error. I made the words sound meaningful. I made inferences about my character. I used my voice (tone) to sound like the character.
Character Analysis
I used my voice to express a particular feeling of the character. I used body language (gestures) to better express the feelings of the character. I used appropriate facial expressions to represent my character.
Plan of Action: Describe how you will improve your reading fluency during the repeated readings of your character’s lines.
Hercules: In the 21st Century
©2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
GUIDE
Levels N–Z FICTION “Fractured” Classics
Why Hercules Is a Classic According to Greek and Roman mythology, Hercules, the son of the king of the gods and a mortal woman, earned a home on Mount Olympus by heroically completing twelve great “labors” thought to be impossible tasks. Admired for his physical strength, bravery, and cunning, Hercules was one of ancient Greece’s most celebrated heroes, and also one of the most legendary. Each region of Greece developed its own versions of Hercules’s adventures as the myths were passed down through the generations. One of the earliest written accounts was Hercules Furen by the renowned 5th century B.C. Greek poet-playwright Euripedes. As the first “superhero,” Hercules provided inspiration for Superman and many other superheros of the modern age. Part of Hercules’s appeal, in ancient times as well as today, is that he was half-mortal—and thus demonstrated the potential of human beings to do extraordinary things. Because of Hercules’s great physical strength, intelligence, and the heroic deeds he performed in his lifetime, he was able to go from being a mere mortal to a god—a goal sought by most people in ancient times that still fascinates people today.
Characters
Levels
Tips for Voice and Expression
Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Sam Zeus Hydra 2 Tom Hydra 3 Hydra 1 Vulcan Poseidon Sally
Challenging/Z Challenging/Z Challenging/Y Moderate /X Moderate/W Moderate/U Moderate/T Moderate/S Easy/R Easy/O Easy/N
• strong, steady, clear • strong, steady, clear • brave, confident, heroic • powerful, commanding, all knowing • powerful, panicked • urgent, frantic • powerful, panicked • powerful, panicked • powerful, angry, confused • powerful, angry, confused • friendly, smart, helpful
B E N C H M A R K E D U C AT I O N CO M PA N Y
How to Implement Reader’s Theater Classics Target Skills
Steps To Follow
What To Do
Genre Study • Identify features of “fractured” classics and plays
1. Introduce the “Fractured” Classic and the Script
• Share “Why Hercules Is a Classic” from page 1 of the Teacher’s Guide. • Ask: What are features of the “fractured” classic genre? List students’ ideas. Refer to the Classics Overview for the complete list. • Read aloud the script summary and “About the Playwright” from the back cover of the script.
Vocabulary • Learn Tier Two vocabulary • Identify and define idioms • Identify adjectives • Word recognition • Use topic words
2. Preview the Script
• Invite students to explore the layout, text, and illustrations. • Read the table of contents, cast of characters, and setting information together.
3. Introduce Vocabulary and Idioms
• Introduce key vocabulary words (deceit, page 18; hostilities, page 19; nemesis, page 17; poised, page 11) and idiomatic expressions (rests on your shoulders, page 8).
4. Read the Script
• Have students listen and follow along as you read the first few pages to model fluency and expression.
5. Build Comprehension
• Teach the “Comprehension” lesson on page 4. Engage students in discussion.
6. Introduce the Assessment Rubric
• Display and discuss the assessment rubric in the Classics Overview so that students know what you expect of them.
7. Assign Roles
• Use the reading levels on the character chart on page 1 to help you assign roles appropriately.
8. Fluency Mini-Lesson
• Teach the “Build Fluency” and “Fluency Skill” lessons on pages 4–5.
9. Small-Group Rehearsal/Reading
• Discuss and model rehearsal expectations. • Offer suggestions for expression, voice, and characterization.
10. Whole-Group Rehearsal/ Rereading
• Pull the whole group together and remind students that you will be assessing them. • Do not interrupt the rehearsal but simply observe students as they read.
11. Perform, Assess, Reflect
• Invite students to perform the script for an audience such as members of the class, students from other classes, school staff members, or parents. • Use the rubric to complete your assessment of students’ performance.
12. Literacy Connections
• Select the “Literacy Connections” activities on page 5 that best meet your particular students’ learning needs.
Comprehension • Make text-to-text connections • Analyze theme • Analyze characters • Analyze setting • Interpret • Recognize imagery Fluency • Build fluency through repeated readings • Read dashes • Read with prosody
Copyright © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-4108-7982-0
2
Hercules: In the 21st Century
Components To Use • Read and discuss “Spotlight on the Classic,” “Excerpt from the Classic,” and “About the Hercules Myth” on pages 2–6 of the script. • Read aloud sections from the original text. Incorporate the think-aloud prompts from the CD-ROM into your discussion of the classic.
• Script • “Fractured” Classics Read-Aloud CD-ROM • Classics Overview
• Point out the color coding of characters’ names and use of stage directions.
• Script
• Students should use context clues to determine the meaning of each word or phrase. Then use the glossary to solidify students’ understanding. Use the vocabulary activity to extend learning.
• Script • Activity 1
• Ask students to finish reading the script by themselves, with partners, or in small groups as you monitor, answer questions, and provide additional modeling as needed.
• Script
• Have students think/pair/share to answer and discuss the questions on “Activity 2: Build Comprehension.”
• Activity 2
• Model each skill on the rubric so students can see and hear the qualities they are striving to attain.
• Classics Overview
• Refer to the chart for tips on voicing characters with expression.
• Script
• Have partners practice reading with prosody, and practice reading dashes in other sections of the script.
• Script
• Divide the class into small groups to rehearse their roles. As students read the script and practice their parts, circulate about the room to monitor, answer questions, and provide additional modeling as needed.
• Script
• Allow time for students to give positive feedback and constructive suggestions to one another. • Decide on a stage area, how students will be positioned, and whether props or movements will be added. • Conduct a final dress rehearsal.
• Script • Classics Overview
• Take time to briefly conference with each student to provide specific feedback. • Ask students to complete “Activity 3: Fluency Self-Assessment.”
• Classics Overview • Activity 3
• Students may work individually, with partners, or in groups while other groups of students are rehearsing their roles.
• Script
© 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Hercules: In the 21st Century
3
Comprehension Analyze Theme Ask: What do you think the message might be in the play adaptation? Allow responses. Think Aloud: As I read the script, it was clear that an ordinary guy, Sam, was having an extraordinary day! After Sam selflessly ignored his own injury to take care of someone else, the Greek god Zeus appeared and told Sam that he must save the world by performing twelve great labors. Zeus gave Sam the powers of the ancient Greek hero Hercules to accomplish his tasks. Sam completed the twelve labors. Then he worked with a friend to banish his ancient enemies from the modern world. Zeus wanted to reward Sam for his accomplishments with a home on Mount Olympus. But Sam told Zeus he didn’t want to live with the gods—he’d rather stay a “regular guy” and work with other people to solve the problems mortals face. I think the author is telling us that ordinary people have the power to make the world a better place. If we work together and do our best, we can solve the challenges of our world. Discuss: Encourage students to state the big idea, or message, in their own words. They should articulate the idea of people working together to solve problems and improve the world. Think/Pair/Share: Invite students to make their own connections to the big idea. Ask: Can you think of a time when you worked hard to solve a problem or make the world a better place? Describe that time.
Build Fluency Echo-read all or part of the script aloud. Ask students to repeat the lines after you. Stop to explain figures of speech or unfamiliar words—for example, “United Nations” on page 18.
4
Hercules: In the 21st Century
Read with Expression: Stage Directions • Point out the stage directions that appear in italics and parentheses. Explain to students that these directions are not read, but are included to help the reader interpret the part as the author intended. Say: Stage directions tell readers how to say their lines and to whom they should be directed. For example, point out Sam’s lines on page 10 where the stage direction tells the reader that he is amazed. Explain that Sam is amazed because he was able to lift the heavy stone pillar. Demonstrate and ask volunteers to echo-read. Read with Expression: Dashes • Tell students one way they can read with expression is to read dashes appropriately. Say: Sometimes a dash shows that a sentence is being interrupted. For instance, on page 15, the narrators are both interrupted by urgent bulletins from Tom. Read both narrators’ first sets of lines aloud, demonstrating how the lines are interrupted by Tom. Say: Dashes have another purpose. Sometimes a dash tells the reader to pause briefly. Read Poseidon’s fourth set of lines on page 14, first pausing at the dash and then without pausing at the dash. Ask students if they noticed a difference. Say: The first reading sounded much better because the pause helped the listener understand the line. • Ask students to work with a partner to locate and practice other sentences with dashes on pages 16 (Tom) and 19 (Sam and Narrator 1).
Fluency Skill: Read with Prosody • Tell students that when they read with prosody (pitch of voice, stress, inflection, and expressiveness) their listeners will better understand the © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
characters’ words, thoughts, and emotions. Say: When I read with prosody, my listeners will be more interested in my character and will be better able to follow the story. Listen as I read the lines of Hydra 1 and Hydra 2 on page 19 and tell me which reading you prefer. • Read the hydras’ lines, first with a flat tone, and then with prosody. Say: My first reading sounded dull. For my second reading, I paid
attention to my pitch and expression. My second reading revealed more about the hydras’ thoughts and emotions. It helps my listeners understand them and follow the story. • Invite pairs of students to discuss how they might read with prosody Sam’s and Zeus’s lines on page 22. Then, ask the pairs to practice reading those lines.
Literacy Connections Vocabulary and Word Study Striving Readers/ELLs: Adjectives • Guide students to look through the script and find adjectives that describe various characters, for example “brave and self-sacrificing” for Sam, “powerful” and “confused” for Poseidon, and “gigantic” for Cerberus. Discuss these and other adjectives students find and record them on a chart. Have students write the words’ definitions in their journals. On-Level Learners: Word Recognition • Invite students to define the word Herculean as used in the following sentence: “Running a marathon is a Herculean task.” Then ask each student to write several more sentences using the adjective and to share his or her sentences with the group. Encourage students to complete this activity using other unfamiliar adjectives found in the script such as “puny” (page 13) and “mythical” (page 15). Above-Level Learners: Topic Words • Write the word hero on the board. Ask students to write a list of all the words they can think of related to hero. After the lists are complete, group students by threes or fours © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
and instruct them to combine their lists. Then ask them to group their words into three categories—physical traits, character traits, and actions— and label each group of words with a title. Discuss the results as a group.
Reading Across Texts • Read “Hercules’s 11th Labor: The Golden Apples” in book form, at a Web site, or on the “Fractured” Classics Read-Aloud CD-ROM. • Refer students to page 24 of the script and “Interpreting the Classic” question #2. Say: Serious stories—like Hercules: In the 21st Century—sometimes have comic relief, that is, parts of the action or lines of dialogue that are funny. Find an example of comic relief in books or stories, poems, movies, or TV shows. (Possible answer: The Incredibles. The movie has serious themes, such as superheros being banned from saving the day and then coming out of hiding fifteen years later to save Mr. Incredible when he is trapped by his old nemesis. But the film provides comic relief through funny action sequences and dialog like when baby Jack Jack manifests a multitude of superhuman abilities.) Hercules: In the 21st Century
5
Activity 1: Robust Vocabulary Name ______________________________
Date ________________
Directions: Create a context connections chart for each word and idiom in the word bank. Describe what you think the word or idiom means under “What It Is” and list a few words or concepts that mean its opposite under “What It Is Not.” Think about how this word or idiom could be used and how you will remember it. Then complete the bottom boxes. Word bank: deceit, hostilities, nemesis, poised; rests on your shoulders Word or Idiom
Context Sentence from Script
What It Is Not
What It Is
I’d probably find this word or idiom in these contexts (places, events, people, situations):
I will remember this word or idiom by connecting it to:
Hercules: In the 21st Century
© 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Activity 2: Build Comprehension Name ___________________________________ Date ________________ Directions: Answer each question using complete sentences. Support your answers with information from the script. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary. 1. Sam saved the day, but the characters Tom and Sally could also be considered heroic. Explain why and support your answer with details from the story. (analyze characters)
2. What role does the setting play in this story and how does it change? (analyze setting)
3. Why did the author describe Poseidon and Vulcan as “seemingly confused”? (analyze characters; interpret)
4. Look at page 21. What words and images does the author use to describe the disappearance of the ancient creatures? (recognize imagery)
For additional questions for discussion, see “Interpreting the Classic” on page 24 of the script. © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Hercules: In the 21st Century
Activity 3: Fluency Self-Assessment Name _____________________________ Date________________________ Script _____________________________ Role________________________ Directions: Complete the rubric below. Tell how you plan to improve your reading fluency in the areas where you answered no. Skill
Behavior
Yes
No
I read in longer, meaningful phrases.
Fluency and I paid attention to the author’s language patterns. I made the reading sound like dialogue. Phrasing I stressed certain words to emphasize their importance. I used my voice to make the reading reflect feeling, anticipation, tension, mood, and the personality of my character.
Intonation
I paid attention to punctuation. I raised or lowered my voice to interpret the punctuation of sentences. I used an appropriate speed of reading.
Pacing
I read the lines with the same speed and flow that I use when I talk. I read with very few hesitations or unnecessary pauses and repetitions. I recognized words quickly and read them correctly.
Accuracy
I really thought about the meaning of the story and known words and word parts to help me figure out unknown words. I corrected myself when I made an error. I made the words sound meaningful. I made inferences about my character. I used my voice (tone) to sound like the character.
Character Analysis
I used my voice to express a particular feeling of the character. I used body language (gestures) to better express the feelings of the character. I used appropriate facial expressions to represent my character.
Plan of Action: Describe how you will improve your reading fluency during the repeated readings of your character’s lines.
Hercules: In the 21st Century
©2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
