Download DRTA Scaffolded Lesson Plan

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Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief by rick riordan, first edition
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DR-TA STRATEGY
DIRECTED READING-THINKING ACTIVITY
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PURPOSE: The DR-TA Strategy allows teachers to direct the students’ engagement and experience with the text while the student is
making connections and predictions and developing opinions and to get involved in these processes. It also allows teachers to assess
those experiences, connections, predictions, and formation of opinions before and during reading.
DIRECTIONS:
Before Reading:
1. Make a “knowledge web” on the board to assess students’ familiarity with the Olympian gods and Greek Mythology. Ask them
which names they know, how much they know about those gods, and write it down on the board. Ask which stories they know
and how many know those stories. Depending on the response, help them learn the background.
Knowledge to look for:
Zeus: God of Sky. Defeated Titans with a Lightening bolt, which is his preferred weapon.
Poseidon: God of Sea. Created horses. Brother of Zeus.
Hades: God of Underworld. Brother of Zeus. Resents his position and its responsibilities.
Things in the underworld (River Styx, Ferrier, three-headed dog, Persephone, the Furies)
The Fates and any other creatures: what they do/ look like
Ares: God of War, has an affair with Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, who is married to Hephaestus, who is always trying to catch them
and embarrass them in their affair (depending on community context, this story could be told in a watered-down fashion using
children’s versions). There are a number of picture books with quick stories to read them. Focus particularly on the gods vs. Titans
myth.
2. Tell them the title of the book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief. Write the title on the board.
3. Have them take out a piece of paper and answer the following (be sure to tell them that there is no right or wrong answer):
Just from the title, what kinds of things will be in the book? Who is likely to be involved? Why do you think that? What do they
think the setting will be? What do you think will happen? Write the questions on the board or overhead, then discuss what
they have written
During Reading:
1. Read the first chapter and ask them to close their books so that they do not read ahead. Ask them to continue with their
writing by answering these questions. Were you right or wrong in your predictions? What do we still not know? How does the
setting change what you think about what will happen in the story? Is it a typical Greek Myth? Why or why not? Now what do
you think will happen in the story?
2. Later on, after reading chapter 6 (p. 75-92), ask them to take out this assignment again (or notebook, or binder) and answer
these questions: Who do you think is Percy’s father? What makes you think that? Now what predictions do you have about
what will happen judging by the title? Does his father make a difference in your predictions? Discuss in class and hand in the
writing predictions.
ASSESSMENT: The assessment will be based on participation in the class discussion as well as the writing that they hand in. It may be
prudent to have them hand in two different assignments, and to hand back the first assignment on the day that they start the second so
that they can review. The participation in the discussions before and during reading will also give the teacher an idea of the students’
involvement with the book, as well as the familiarity with the reading as the class progresses further into the book. The writing will allow
Crystal Frost, BYU, 2009
the teacher to assess how the students react to the title and the text itself at different points in the reading as well.
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Crystal Frost, BYU, 2009