Topic: The Odyssey / Teaching Date: March 2nd and March 3rd
Grade Level:
9th grade, Advanced / Time Frame: 90 minutes block / Description of Students:
Objectives :
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of vocabulary terms on a vocabulary quiz on part I of the Odyssey.
2. Students will demonstrate reading comprehension on an open-book reading quiz on part I of the Odyssey.
3. Students will be able to explain how allusions are used in the Odyssey and will complete a worksheet on allusions.
4. Students will learn the mental and physical traits of an epic hero, specifically Odysseus.
Virginia SOL Objectives:
9.3 The student will read and analyze a variety of literature.
Assessment:
Reading and vocabulary quiz on part I of the Odyssey / Resources:
· Prentice Hall Literature book
· Film: The Odyssey
· Worksheets:
- Allusions
- Epic Hero
Content
1. The Land of the Dead (698)
- Odysseus and his men sail to Aeolia. Who is Aeolus? (King of the winds)
- What does Aeolus give Odysseus? (A sack of winds, containing all of the winds except the favorable west wind)
- What do Odysseus’ men do with the sack of winds? What happens as a result of them opening the bag?
- What is Aeolus’ reaction when Odysseus and his men return to Aeolia? Why does he not help Odysseus and his men?
- Where do Odysseus and his men go after Aeolia? (Aeaea- Circe’s island)
- How long do Odysseus and his men stay on Aeaea with Circe? (One year)
- What does Circe tell Odysseus that he must do before he can go home? (Journey to the land of the dead and consult Tiresias, the blind prophet.)
- What do Odysseus’ sacrifices tell us about man’s relationship with the gods? With the dead?
Page 700: Read Humanities note and talk about painting
Page 701
- Who does Odysseus see in the Land of the Dead? (Elpenor)
- Stock Epithet: Son of great Laertes, Odysseus, master mariner and soldier (write on the board)
- What does Elpenor want Odysseus to do for him?
- Read Elpenor’s request (559-608)
Page 702
- Stock Epithet: my mother, daughter of Autolycus
- How does Odysseus react to seeing his mother?
- Stock Epithet: The Prince of Thebes
- What does Tiresias tell Odysseus?
- Do you think that Tiresias’ prophecy will come true? Why or why not?
2. The Sirens (705)
- What literary term is used in the first line? (personification) “Dawn mounted her golden throne”
- What literary technique is “the singing nymph with the sunbright hair”?
- What does Odysseus say to his men? (705)
· If we are going to die, we should die with our eyes open?
· What does this statement say about Odysseus as a leader?
-What does Odysseus instruct his men to do? (To tie him up and for him alone to listen to the sirens song)
- Last line of the page: “Then all at once the wind fell…” personification
- What does Odysseus give his men so that they will not hear the Siren’s song?
- What is a Siren? *If you see something that is capitalized in literature you should look it up! It is probably important!
· Comes from the Greek word “sirens”, which means “entanglers.”
· What do you think of today when you hear the word “siren?”
· Today it is used to refer to any woman who is dangerous and alluring.
- How does Odysseus react to the Siren’s song? Does Odysseus really resist the temptation of the sirens?
3. Scylla and Charybdis (708)
- “But scarcely had that island faded into blue air…” personification
- What does Odysseus say to his men?.. They have been in danger before, he recounts past adventures. He tells them that his nerve and his wit have always found them a way out of things. “this peril too shall be something we remember.”
- Why doesn’t Odysseus tell his men what he knows about Scylla? His men will drop their oars in fear and give up hope.
- What does this say about Odysseus as a leader?
- What is Charybdis?... a large violent whirlpool
- When does Scylla strike at Odysseus’ men?... when they are looking at Charybdis
- How many men does Scylla eat at a time?...six
- What does Homer compare the death of Odysseus’ men to?... 709
“A man surfcasting on a point rock/ for bass or mackerel, whipping his long rod/ to drop the sinker and the bait far out,/ will hook a fish and rip it from the surface/ to dangle wriggling through the air.”
- Why do you think Odysseus chose to sail toward Scylla rather than Charybdis?
- Is Odysseus right to keep his decision to sail toward Scylla a secret from his men?
4. The Cattle of the Sun God
- What does “kine” mean?... cattle
- page 710: “just as dawn with fingertips of rose touched the windy world…” personification/ epithet for dawn
- What instructions does Odysseus give his men?
- How long are Odysseus and his men on the island?... a month
- When do the men begin to think about eating the cattle?... when they run out of food
- What happens to Odysseus when he prays to the gods?... he falls asleep
- Who talks Odysseus’ men into eating the sun god’s cattle?... Eurylochus
- What does Eurylochus tell Odysseus’ men?
- Who is “the Lord of noon”?... Lord Helios
- When does Odysseus wake up?... After his men have eaten the cattle
- Where does Helios threaten to go if Odysseus is not punished?
- How does Odysseus manage to escape death?
Instructional Strategies and timings
1. Vocabulary quiz: Part I of the Odyssey
2. Open-book quiz: Part I of the Odyssey
3. Usage and Mechanics worksheet
· After students complete the open-book quiz, they will work individually on the usage and mechanics worksheet on the back of their quiz.
4. Review Usage and Mechanics worksheet
5. Review reading:
· The Land of the Dead (page 698)
· Sirens
· Scylla and Charybdis
· The Cattle of the Sun God
6. Teaching allusions:
· Review worksheet
· Choose one of the allusions and make your own example
7. Epic hero worksheet
· Draw on board
8. Job description for an epic hero: Describe the physical and mental requirements that such a role demands. Use Odysseus and his feats as a model for your description (Use for extra time).
9. Introduce the graphic novel activity
10. Homework: Read 717-730
Multi-disciplinary Connections / Adaptations:
Differentiation Strategies: