Units on
The Odyssey
Below you will find overviews for lessons as wells as links to the materials you'll need to carry out each one. - REMEMBER - When borrowing Google Slides, Docs, Sheets, etc., you will need to open the file and go to File, Make a Copy to make your own editable version.
Unit Starters
Web Scavenger Hunt
Give students the opportunity to learn all the background information they need before starting The Odyssey with a web scavenger hunt that includes an easy-read website with digestible bits of info and a quick quiz to confirm their learning.
Teacher Materials:
Background Jigsaw
Put your students in charge of teaching by splitting them into up to 8 groups and letting each group research and present a background topic using the provided research questions. Students can present their lessons live or post and share.
Teacher Materials:
Hero's Journey
Give your students time to explore the patterns in the Hero's Journey with this drag and drop study guide that uses the Hunger Games as an example. Simply create a copy for each student in your Google Classroom assignment and let them put the pieces together.
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Unit Lessons/Activities
The Invocation
Guide your class through the first section of The Odyssey and discussions about inspiration and oral traditions with this interactive slideshow that uses Google Slides and the free Pear Deck Add-On. Just open your Pear Deck menu and either present your interactive show live or assign it on Google Classroom.
Teacher Materials:
The Lotus Eaters
Use this interactive slideshow to read The Lotus Eaters with your students and have a discussion about story morals and symbols that make a great starting point for talking about addiction. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to make this interactive show work live or assigned as homework.
Teacher Materials:
The Cyclops
Give your students a chance to practice some close reading by assigning a drag-and-drop comic strip that will give them a creative way to summarize the most important events in the Cyclops section. Just assign the slideshow as reading and then make a copy of the do-it-yourself comic strip for each student.
Teacher Materials:
Aeolus
Take your students through this short interactive slideshow that tests their curiosity and gets them comparing and contrasting Odysseus and his crew. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
Teacher Materials:
Circe
Walk your students through the eerie tale of Circe and use it as a jumping off point for a discussion on The Odyssey and how it fits into the stages of the Hero's Journey. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
Teacher Materials:
Land of the Dead
Discuss religious rituals new and old, take the time to remember our ancestors, and close with a personal journal write with this interactive presentation on The Land of the Dead. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
Teacher Materials:
The Sirens
Present this interactive slideshow on The Sirens section of The Odyssey and use it as a jumping off point for a discussion on symbolism and temptation in the real world. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
Teacher Materials:
Scylla & Charybdis
This interactive slideshow about Scylla and Charybdis teaches students the meaning of dilemmas and gets a class discussion going about whether or not Odysseus made the right choice. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
Teacher Materials:
Thrinacia
Get students talking about heroic traits with a class discussion that compares Odysseus and his crew. Then bring it into the real world by asking about the heroic traits of modern day heroes. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
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Beggar at the Manor
Get a class discussion going about war and veterans with this interactive presentation about the Beggar at the Manor section of The Odyssey. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
Teacher Materials:
The Test of the Bow
Read The Test of the Bow with your students and then use this interactive slideshow to lead them into a discussion about female representation in heroic literature. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
Teacher Materials:
Death in the Great Hall
Let your students explore the long section of Death in the Hall and then get a debate going about whether or not revenge, especially violent revenge, is heroic or not. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
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Trunk of the Olive Tree
Get students thinking about love and commitment with this interactive slideshow about The Trunk of the Olive Tree section of The Odyssey. Use your free Pear Deck add-on in Google Slides to present this lesson live or as homework.
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Unit Closers
Theme Discussion
Kahoot Review
Local Myth Journal
Now that your students are experienced with Greek mythology, present to them an oral myth and then invite them to create one of their own to explain their choice of: Rain, Mt. Hood, Columbia River, Multnomah Falls, Douglas Firs, Fall, or Beavers.
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