Grade Level(s)- 10

Subject(s): English, Social Studies

Learner Outcomes: The learner will expand his/her understanding of the concepts of fate and free will by orchestrating a debate of the terms in application to the Greek drama Antigone.

Duration of Lesson: Minimum of three 40-50 minute lessons.

Materials:

• overhead projector
• overhead transparency
• photocopies of transparency

Technology Tool/Courseware: Overhead projector

Teacher Notes: Since students will be orchestrating a debate, three days are needed to present the material to be debated, preparation of the debate, and presentation of the debate.  Teacher may want to solicit volunteers (faculty members) to serve as judges that the jury may report their ruling to.  Any volunteers should report to class immediately at the beginning of the period.  On the third day, the teacher should arrange the room to have a four seat panel at the front of the room and a division to separate the two sides of the remaining seats.

Procedures:
Day 1

• Teacher will introduce the terms fate and free will and solicit students to offer definitions of the terms.  Definitions should ultimately sound similar to the following:
• fate- characters' destinies are predetermined and controlled
• free will character are free to make choices about their actions
• Distribute copies of overhead transparency and have students work in groups of three or four to complete the chart for the activity.  See example below as to how students may want to structure their responses and for an explanation of the application:
• answer- Prologue, lines 1-3, fate (this is what the student answer should look like on the activity sheet)
• quote- "Ismene, sister, mine own dear sister, knowest thou what ill there is, of

          all bequeathed by Oedipus, that Zeus fulfills not for us twain while we
          live?"
• explanation - blames the curse on Oedipus for causing ill through the family.
• students should be able to verbally recite the quote utilizing the text and explain how it fits into the category of fate or free will.
• Teacher can record popular citation on the overhead for students to copy and to utilize in discussion.
• Teacher will poll the class as to whether they believe Sophocles favored the belief in fate or free will.
• Teacher will divide the class (may be based on poll) into two halves, sparing three (maybe undecided) volunteers.
• Teacher will explain to class that two days from now, each side will present their arguments in favor of their position in a debate about fate versus free will.
• Each team must select five to six key passages to support their side of the issue to argue.  Each member of the team must also complete the essay in support of his/her side of the issue.

• Teacher will review with students the definitions generated yesterday of fate and free will.
• Remind students of three tasks before them:
• come to a consensus about five to six key passages in support of issue. Be able to give the quote and explain how it supports the issue.
• elect a presenter for tomorrow's debate
• write an essay in support of his/her individual side of the issue
• Teacher will allow students time to complete group tasks and then work on draft or revisions of their essays.

• Teacher should introduce the jury (three student volunteers) and judge (faculty volunteer) to the opposing parties.
• Teacher should establish rules as follows:
• only the selected representative may voice for each side
• there is to be no heckling, bickering, or taunting between teams
• judgment will be based on best presented argument from the two teams
• jury's judgment must be based soley on the facts presented, not on any biases or priory obtained information
• Teacher will allow each team to present their side of the issue and ask the jury supervised by the judge to make a decision.

Modifications: For students with special needs, teacher may need to extend the debate completion date and/or modify essay length and lengthen completion date depending on IEP modifications.

Enrichment Activities: Students could research ancient Greece and the peoples' beliefs in either fate or free will.  Advanced students could be required to present debate with a PowerPoint presentation of argument.

Evaluation: The student essay should demonstrate the students ability to apply a definition to passages with a given text, formulate an explanation of how the passage applies to the given definition, and the ability to organize thoughts to support a theory about beliefs in a specified time period.  Teacher may evaluate the essays utilizing the provided rubric.

Assessment: Student debate should demonstrate application, analysis, and synthesis of fate or free will.

State and National Goals:
wvde content standards
10.3  understand principles and values of group discussion (e.g., reaching a decision, solving a problem)
10.13  identify and research the influences of historical, cultural and biographical (author) factors in shaping styles and voice of literary works
10.31 make decisions by comparing facts
10.32 infer ideas from literature and exposition
10.35 expand specialized vocabulary commonly used in content areas through reading and writing in progressive levels of instructional materials
10.40  use writing strategies to write for audiences including peers, teachers, and employers (e.g., formal versus informal/informational versus conversational)
10.42  use drafting strategies for all specific writing tasks (e.g., rough draft all paragraphs, essays, book reports)
10.43 use a writing prompt to develop a composition that contains a beginning, middle, and end
10.44 develop a composition that addresses the assigned topic with a clearly worded thesis statement which is supported by relevant details
10.45 develop a composition that is focused and coherent and has a clear, logical progression of ideas (e.g., spatial order in a descriptive essay/chronological order in a process essay)
10.46 4,7  use and identify different transitional devices (e.g., introductory and internal transitional phrases/conjunctions)
10.47 4,7  develop a composition that demonstrates variation in sentence structure
10.48 4,7  develop a composition where word choice is vivid, precise, and economical
10.49 4,7  develop a composition in which errors in standard written English usage and mechanics (e.g., punctuation, spelling, capitalization) do not occur
10.78  apply word processing skills to produce a multi-page document (e.g., copy and move text, adjust margins, select justifications, use tools, change fonts, and paginate) 

NETS for Students
1. Basic operations and concepts
Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
Students are proficient in the use of technology.

Job Clusters (7-12 grades only)- Fine Arts

References: None

Author(s): Sue Carman, James Russell, Marcia Stengel

School Name: Jefferson High School, Shenandoah Junction, WV