K20 LEARN | The Sirens

Summary

In this lesson, students will be asked to determine what a siren is. Students will read an excerpt from "The Odyssey" and other texts and watch selected videos. They will examine the various texts and videos from different perspectives to draw conclusions about the mythical siren.

Essential Question(s)

How does perspective affect meaning?

Snapshot

Engage

Students listen to video entitled the "Song of the Sirens" and reflect as they listen.

Explore

Students examine both texts and videos in order to predict what a siren is.

Explain

Students read and annotate "Excerpt from the Odyssey: The Sirens."

Extend

Students participate in a Socratic Seminar.

Evaluate

Students complete an "I Used To Think . . . But Now I Know" Chart about the physical description of a siren.

Materials

Lesson Slides (attached)
Definition of "siren" from the Ancient History Encyclopedia (linked in attachments; one per student)
"The Odyssey: The Sirens’ Excerpt (attached; one per student)

I Used To Think . . . But Now I Know (attached; one per student)
T-Chart handout (attached; one per student)
Drawing materials (colored pencils, pens)
Highlighters
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; illustrated version (optional)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; illustrated version (optional)

Engage

Show slides 3 and 4 of the attached Lesson Slides, which identify the essential question and the lesson objectives.

Distribute the attached I Used To Think . . . But Now I Know handout.

Review the I Used To Think . . . But Now I Know strategy with students. Instruct them to use the left-hand side of the page, the "I Used to Think" side, to sketch what they think a "siren" looks like as they watch the video. Once they have finished their diagrams, show slide 6 and share the video, Song of the Sirens.

Once students have watched the video, give them a few minutes to finish their sketches. When they complete their drawings, ask volunteers to share out what they have drawn.

Explore

Transition to slide 7. Distribute the attached T-Chart-What is a Siren? handout and a copy of the article "Siren" from the Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ask students to read the article either independently or with a partner.

Display slide 8. Instruct students to take notes in their T-Charts as they and their partners read the article collaboratively. These notes should include textual support of what a siren is. Once students have completed the reading and added notes to their T-Charts, have them share out their perceptions with the class.

Display slide 9. Show the first of two short videos that depict different meanings/definitions of "siren." Remind students to take notes in their T-Charts as they watch these clips.

Have students watch the following scene, Pirates Meet Mermaids at Whitecap Bay, excerpted from the 2011 film "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," directed by Rob Marshall.

When the clip is over, invite students to share with their partners what they have written.

Show slide 10. Share the second short clip, The Truth Behind the Mermaid Myth, with students. When the second video is over, invite students to volunteer what they have written in both columns of their T-Charts. Ask them to share how the information they have read and watched helped to inform them of what a "siren" is.

Explain

Show slide 11. Assign the attached Excerpt from The Odyssey: The Sirens. Ask them to annotate the text as they read, using a modified version of Why-Lighting to identify support as to whether a siren is part bird or part fish.

Transition to slide 12. Have students prepare to answer the question, "What is a siren?" Instruct them to have textual and video support ready to share. Have them write 1–2 questions to share with classmates to aid them in understanding what a siren is.

Extend

Begin the class with slide 13. Have students discuss collaboratively their understanding of the concept of the "siren." Is the siren a half-human, half-fish? Or is it a half-human, half-bird? Advise the class that the discussion will be structured as a Socratic Seminar.

Teacher's Note: Preparing for a Socratic Seminar

If this is the first time you or your students are participating in Socratic Seminar, review the steps below. The purpose of a Socratic Seminar is to initiate an ongoing discussion of a topic using support from a text (close textual analysis).

Ensure that the texts provide ample avenues for interpretation and discussion. As the students read the texts, encourage them to make annotations.
Schedule activities so that students have at least 24 hours to prepare for the Socratic Seminar. Remind them that the more textual support they have, the more in-depth and rich their discussions will be. Encourage them to generate a few open-ended questions of their own.
Provide students with 4-6 questions (2-3 that are closely aligned with the texts and 2-3 that are more philosophical) in a handout. Students address the questions during the Socratic Seminar. To facilitate this step, attach the questions to the texts so students make annotations specific to the questions as they are reading.
Before starting the seminar, cover the rules. The seminar is not a debate. Students should work together to gain a deeper understanding of what the author expresses in the text. The point of the exercise is collaboration, not argumentation.
Make sure that you have already distributed the classroom established norms for collaboration. Review them together before starting this exercise.

Teacher's Note: Directing the Socratic Seminar

Divide the class into two groups: the inner and outer circles. Participants in the inner circle answer and discuss the questions provided. Having several smaller groups enables more students to participate. Small groups are more likely to engage in discussion than large groups.

Participants in the outer circle listen quietly to the discussion and record their observations of the speakers. Having an outer circle encourages the speakers to be more conscious of their participation. Although the role of the outer circle is not directly participatory, the presence of other students’ observing the dialogue increases meaningful participation in the inner circle.

When the first group of students is ready to begin, ask one of the questions that closely aligns to the text to get the conversation started. Beginning with an open-ended question helps build confidence for later discussion when the tougher questions are introduced. Provide 15-30 minutes for the discussion of each question per group.

Review slides 14-16 with the class. Once the first group in the inner circle completes their discussion, have the students switch spots with those in the outer circle.

Once both groups have had a chance to participate in the Socratic Seminar, ask students to reflect and evaluate as a class. Have students self-reflect on their participation throughout the activity and complete a general evaluation of the activity as a concluding activity.

Consider the following guiding questions as a concluding exercise:

At any point, did the seminar revert to something other than a dialogue? If so, how did your group handle this?
How did group members demonstrate they were actively listening and building on others' ideas?
How has your understanding of the texts been affected by the ideas explored in this seminar?
What parts of the discussion did you find most interesting? In what parts were you least engaged?
What would you like to do differently as a participant the next time you are in a seminar?

Evaluate

Show slide 17. Have students retrieve the handout, "I Used To Think . . . But Now I Know." Ask them to reflect on their earlier work from the "I Used to Think" portion where they sketched what they believed a siren looked like. Have them complete the "But Now I Know" portion, comparing their "before" and "after" perceptions. Remind them to include any pertinent information they gleaned when they Why-Lighted the Excerpt from The Odyssey: The Sirens.

Resources

Bright Side. (2018, September 8). The Truth Behind the Mermaid Myth. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtube/Htq45X4qypU
Cartwright, M. (2020, October 20). Siren. World history encyclopedia. https://www.ancient.eu/Siren/
Guardian Images. (2018, May 10). Pirates meet Mermaids at Whitecap Bay. Part 1. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtube/0KQcsWPoazc
Homer. (n.d.). "Excerpt from "The Odyssey: The Sirens." CommonLit. https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/excerpt-from-the-odyssey-the-sirens
Kedumuc10. (2016, June 5). Socrates-Ti?ng Vi?t. [Image]. Wikimedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File :Socrates-tranh-ve.jpg
Komoda, K. (2012, June 26). 1998—Harpies. [Drawing]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/39573281 @N06/9848944926r
K20 Center. (n.d.). I Used to Think . . . But Now I Know. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/137
K20 Center. (n.d.). Socratic Seminar. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/781
K20 Center. (n.d.). T-Chart. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/86
K20 Center. (n.d.). Why-Lighting. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/128
SingingIntrovert . (2018, July 18). Song of the Sirens. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtPDLZyRL3o
Wikimedia Commons. (2015). Sirens in medieval art. [Digital Image]. Wikimedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=sirens+bestiary&title=Special%3ASearch&profile=default&fulltext=1&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns12=1&ns14=1&ns100=1&ns106=1#/media/File:Siren_3244.jpg

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