Introduction: In Disasters, Tragedies and Heroes, students will be introduced to the tragedy of the Trojan War.

Here they will evaluate the events of the war and explore the values and virtues of a hero in this particular context. As part of a team the students will discuss what they already know about the topic and build on this to create a question or concept to explore and elaborate on. They will make links between ancient concepts of heroism, disaster and tragedy and contrast these with similar modern events. Students will be given a chance to assess their peers contribution to group work and to present their leaning in the format of their choice, i.e. Presentation, essay, performance. Assessment: Students will be assessed over the course of the unit, with small homework tasks which will need to be brought back to the group for further use in their final assignment. Final assessment will be in the form of a response to a research question formulated through their group work. Example: From the research you have undertaken, explain the core concepts of heroism in the context of the tragedy you have studied in your group. Students will be assessed on their ability to: Frame research questions Analyse the links between ancient and modern concepts of heroism Use appropriate historical language and conventions Use a variety of sources Work efficiently in a team environment Develop an appropriate presentation

Victorian Essential Learning Standards Disasters, Tragedies and Heroes will provide a chance for student assessment in terms of fundamental Level 6 standards as detailed below: STRAND DOMAIN DIMENSION Historical knowledge and understandi ng. ELEMENT OF STANDARD Discipline based The Humanities learning History Analyse events and values that contribute to cultural and political developme nt. Historical reasoning and interpretatio n. Interdisciplinary Learning Communication Presenting Frame research questions and locate relevant sources. Use Historical language and standards according to their presentation to communicate complex information.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment Activities This unit focuses on the Tragedy of the Trojan War, and the meaning of being a Hero both in ancient and modern times. The activities include: Activity 1: Introduction to Troy and its Heroes Activity 2: Framing research question Activity 3: Research Activity 4: Development on presentation

Activity 1: Introduction to Troy and Its Heroes Activity Introduce the unit and the assessment. Give students an overview on the Trojan war, concepts and qualities of heroism. Discuss what a Disaster/ Tragedy is. Students are to take notes to help them in framing their research question. Students shown excerpts of the film Troy and also provided with handouts of excerpt from the text The Iliad. Excerpts from the text are Books 3, 6, 11, 16, 18, 22 and 24. Corresponding scenes from the film to be shown as well. Advise students to watch Supporting the activities Highlight that students will be assessed on their ability to work as a team, delegate tasks along with their Historical knowledge. Assessment

the film completely and if possible to read the text other than the extracts. Activity 2: Framing the research Activities Students provided with the research task and requirements and criteria. Use the primary sources from The Iliad and Troy the film to evaluate and contrast the portrayal of Hero, Tragedy and Disaster concepts. Students are organised into groups of 4 5 students. Guiding questions: Enlighten the students that they will be assessed on the success of their team work Delegation of tasks Why are Achilles and Hector considered to be Heroes? How do Achilles and Hector differ Supporting the activities Students are to go through the material provided and analyse within their groups. The Books from the text to be distributed and each student covers one or two books, then share with the rest of the group. Students to share information should use strategies such as Think-Pair-Share. Research done so far by the Students to be collected, in order to assess according to the Humanities History Historical reasoning and interpretation. Assessment

Time management Reflection on peer contribution

in their heroism? How is the Trojan War a tragedy or a disaster? Each team is to be provided with a Teamwork log (See Unit Resources) Students to be given help to strategise, allocation and delegation of tasks, equal contribution to teamwork. Students can use mind maps and concept maps to organise their research.

Using the work done from Activity 1, students are to frame research questions. Each student is to keep an individual list of resources that were used to conduct their research. This list must be used to make a proper written bibliography.

Activity 3: Research Activities Students now need to answer their questions They will use the gathered knowledge to address the topic of their groups choice: How do Achilles and Students can use the library or computer lab to conduct online Supporting the activities Students use the primary sources (extracts from Troy). Assessment

through further research. The Iliad and the film

Hector compare to todays heroes? Is the fall of Troy a disaster or a tragedy? Why?

research. They will be guided to the appropriate websites.

Students independent Compare and Contrast the film Troy and the text The Iliad. learning is to be facilitated via this method.

Activity 4: Developing a written presentation Activities Teams are to be given time to prepare a presentation Each team member is to contribute equally to the final presentation. Appropriate presentation of material will be assessed. Use of suitable history vocabulary. Students to be reminded to complete their Along with these options each student should also submit a written report of their research findings individually. Each groups teamwork log is to be collected and assessed using Interpersonal Development Working in teams. Supporting the Activities Final presentation can include a: Powerpoint presentations 2 3 minute talk Performance such Newspaper article The final written presentation is to be collected for assessment using The Humanities History Historical reasoning and Communication Presenting. See Assessment rubric. Assessment

as a skit or a poem interpretation along with

teamwork logs. Assessment: The Victorian Essential Learning Standards support a combination of assessment practices: Assessment of learning (summative) Assessment for learning (formative) Assessment as learning (formative). The assessment tasks in this unit focus on collection of evidence of student learning for summative purposes. Some components could also be used to support assessment for learning and assessment as learning. Assessment guide: When assessing student achievement, assessment criteria can be developed from relevant standards and associated tasks or activities. The table below shows the assessment criteria related to the assessment task/s and relevant standards and the expected evidence to be used as the basis for assessment. The table can also be used to assist teachers to make judgments about whether students are working at the standard (achieved the standard), progressing towards the standard (have not met expectations of the standard) or progressing beyond the Standard (have exceeded expectations of the standard) for specific assessment criteria. It is provided as a guide only and may be adapted or modified to suit particular classrooms and/or student reporting. Evidence Element of Standard Assessme nt Criteria Progressing toward the standard At the standard Progressi ng beyond the standard The Humanities History Historical reasoning and interpretation Framing the research Frame research questions Ability to frame relevant Requires assistance to frame Frames relevant questions to Creates question s that

questions

relevant questions

the research

explore a wide variety of issues.

Compiling a resource list

Locate relevant resources

Ability to source relevant materials

Uses only given resources

Locates own materials

Demonst rates extensive range of resource s

The Humanities History Historical knowledge and understanding Presentati on in format of students choice analyse parts of the myth which contribute to explaining the social, political and cultural developme nt of an ancient civilization Communication Presenting. Presentatio n communica tion use subjectspecific language and Shows ability to use te history Demonstrate s limited and/or use of Use of appropriate history vocabulary consistent Use of appropria te history vocabular y integral Ability to make connectio ns between the myth of Troy and the historical context. Makes limited connections between specific mily circumstanc es or current events, and historical events Makes connections between specific individual/fa Demonst rates extended evaluatio n of historical ances

individual/fa mily or current events and historical events

circumstances circumst

appropria inconsistent

convention s in accordance with the purpose of their presentatio n to communica te complex informatio n.

vocabular appropriate y correctly and consisten tly (e.g. ). history vocabulary.

with purpose.

to developm ent of ideas and purpose.

Interpersonal Development Working in teams Self and Peer assessme nt: Working in Teams work collaborativ ely, negotiate roles and delegate tasks to complete complex tasks in teams. Demonstra tes ability to reflect on how successfull y tasks were delegated. Uses the journal to provide basic of how well tasks were allocated Uses the journal to provide a thoughtful of task allocation within each session. Uses the journal to provide a clear sense of allocating tasks across sessions

descriptions evaluation

Unit Resources Websites The website addresses cited were checked for correctness and suitability of subject matter. However, due to the temporary nature of information placed on the Internet, their continuing accuracy is non verifiable. Teachers are strongly recommended to organize their own indexes of websites that are appropriate and relevant to the unit of work, and must be monitored before letting students access them. Trojan War The Iliad by Homer (Translated by Robert Fagles) Troy the film (www.youtube.com) Stanford University, The Trojan War (www.Stanford.edu/~plomio/history.html)

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Disasters Tragedies and Heroes Hector The Legend of the Hero (www.hector.com) Myth Encyclopaedia Myths and Legends of the World (www.mythencyclopedia.com) History for Kids, The Iliad (www.historyforkids.org.) Teacher Resources Teaching and Learning Resource This document offers information about teaching and learning strategies used in the tasks. Assessment Resource This document offers information on assessment strategies used in the tasks. Teamwork Log: (See page 13) During the task, each group must maintain a record that shows each task and who it was completed by. This log must be completed at the start of each class and can be used as preparation for the tasks that need to be completed.

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TEAMWORK LOG Tasks Team Member Why Selected? Achieved Yes/ No? Homework To be done before next class

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