People and Places of the Odyssey As of July 1, 2013 ThinkQuest has been discontinued. We would like to thank everyone for being a part of the ThinkQuest global community: Students - For your limitless creativity and innovation, which inspires us all. Teachers - For your passion in guiding students on their quest. Partners - For your unwavering support and evangelism. Parents - For supporting the use of technology not only as an instrument of learning, but as a means of creating knowledge. We encourage everyone to continue to “Think, Create and Collaborate,” unleashing the power of technology to teach, share, and inspire. Best wishes, The Oracle Education Foundation
Odyssey Lesson Plans Lesson Plans These lesson plans were designed to teach the Odyssey to 9th grade honors students. Teaching the Odyssey is an "Odyssey" in the work of teaching and requires dedication, determination, and some of the versatility one finds in Odysseus. A teacher should keep in mind that the Odyssey is comprised of twenty-four books or chapters. These "books" give students a view of a different culture and this vantage point enables them to get a new perspective on their own culture. For some reason students tend to be more open toward different cultures in the past than in the present. Completing the Odyssey helps build students' self-esteem although they may be intimidated by the task at the beginning. Along with taking notes, students also need to be taught how to use their notes to support their answers. Parents of my honors students have supported this ambitious unit. Samples of assignments are included in these lesson plans. Beginning the Odyssey: First Assignment: Book three test: 1.
Odyssey Though, Penelope was comfort with the news of the beggar, she dismissed such hope. The next day in the banquet hall, Penelope had decided to take one of the suitors as her husband, if that suitor could string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through rings of twelve axes in a row. According to Homer, he tells that Iphitus had given the bow to Odysseus, when the hero was a young man. Telemachus saw the advantage of taking his revenge upon the suitors, said that he would see if he was strong enough to string his father's bow. While the suitors were unsuccessfully trying to string the bow, Odysseus revealed himself to two faithful servants, Eumaeus the swineherd and Philoetius the cowman. When all the suitors had failed the test, to string the bow, Odysseus offered to try stringing the bow. Receiving the bow, Odysseus effortlessly strung the bow, plucking the string as if he was tuning the lute. The suitors panic, as Odysseus shot down the suitors with his deadly arrows.
Random House Academic Resources Guide Contents: Note to Teachers Preparing to read For in-class discussion: I. Comprehension II. For further study Expanding your knowledge: I. Note to teachers This teacher's guide is keyed to the Robert Fitzgerald translation of The Odyssey. Little is certain when it comes to the origins of The Odyssey or its partner epic, The Iliad, the prequel, we would now call it, to The Odyssey in the legendary story of the Greek expedition to reclaim Helen from the city of Troy. There must have been many signal events, many great moments in the history of epic before The Iliad and The Odyssey achieved the forms in which we know them, but two appear, in retrospect, to have been supremely significant. The legendary campaign against Troy took ten years. The other signal moment in the development of the two Homeric poems seems to have fallen in the eighth century B.C.E., for reasons that are hard to pin down. For how long, no one can say. Preparing to read For in-class discussion I. II.
Ancient Greece - History, mythology, art, war, culture, society, and architecture. A Story of Epic Proportions: What makes a Poem an Epic? Activity 1. What are the elements of an epic poem? Review with students the definition and elements of epic poetry found at the Glossary of Literary Terms accessible from the EDSITEment-reviewed web resource Internet Public Library. Ask students what other stories they know or have heard of that follow a similar pattern of action and components described in the definition of epic poetry. The Epic of Gilgamesh The Iliad The Odyssey The Aeneid Beowulf The Ramayana Star Wars The Lord of the Rings series The Harry Potter series Distribute the charts listing the major elements of the Elements of the Epic Hero Cycle (PDF), or have students access interactive equivalent. Are there discernable patterns in the answers? Introduce some of the additional elements of traditional epic poems, such as the formal and florid language, their opening with an invocation, or the use of epithets (such as "fleet-footed Achilles"). Activity 2.
Primary History - Ancient Greeks Who were the ancient Greeks? Who were the ancient Greeks? Discover different ancient Greek cities and find out how they were ruled. How did the Olympic Games begin? Learn how the Olympic Games began over 2,700 years ago! What was it like to live in an ancient Greek family? What was everyday life like in ancient Greece? Who were the ancient Greek gods and heroes The Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses. The ancient Greeks at war Learn about ancient Greek soldiers, the Spartan soldier state and read about famous Greek battles. What do we know about ancient Greek culture? Find out what ancient Greek theatre was like and learn about different ancient Greek festivals and art How did the ancient Greeks change the world? What did the ancient Greeks do for us? 3 class clips We have a selection of great videos for use in the classroom Links BBC History for Kids
Lesson Plans and Activities Advertisements - by Cori Nalipinski I teach a full quarter of Greek/Roman Mythology to 11th and 12th graders. I started two years ago and have tried to keep my projects interesting to my students and to show them how mythology is relevant to their world today. After studying the different gods, goddesses and their symbols, I have them do a presentation on Mythology in Advertisement. They need to go through magazines, phone books, etc. and pick out ads that relate to mythology. For example, Nike for the goddess Nike. Bingo - by Toddette McGreevy My freshman students are required to learn the Greek and Roman names for each of the Olympians, as well as their Area of Power. Biopoems - by Vicki Worthing After becoming somewhat familiar with the characters and their relationships, we write biopoems about each of them. Board Games - by Mary Jane Brown As a student project during the semester mythology class, I assign students to groups. Books - by Dominique Smith Bulletin Board - by Gail Carlisle