Unit:The Odyssey
Grade:9-10

Day 3:  Reading Epic

Goals:
• The student will develop a good, working understanding of teh meaning of the term "epic."
• The student will develop at least a basic understanding of Greek mythology, so as to help form an understanding of the significance of myth in Western cultures.
• The student will think ciritcally about literature and its function in history, culture and personal experience.
• The student will develop skills in writing mechanics, grammar, structure/organization and the importance of content.

Materials:
• Overhead projector
• Transparencies
• Overhead markers

Procedures:

Introduction--(5 min.) Discuss the question, "How to read an epic?" Two ways are as an adventure, or as the journey of life... Are there other ways one might use? Which are best for the Odyssey?

Discussion--(15 min.) Use overhead to outline the guideline for reading an epic, using examples form Books I and II for steps 1 and 4:

1. Become familiar with names of characters and places [Odyssues, Telemachos, Penelope, Antinoos, Athena, Ithaca, etc.]
2. Take note of the heroic characteristics of the central figure/figures. [We haven't met the central figure... but what about Telemachos-- are there any qualities of his we might deem as being heroic?]
3. Determine the role played by the god, goddesses, and other supernatural agents. Consider their responsibility for teh destiny of human beings.
4. Note epic qualities. [review waht those are-- begins in themiddle, invocation to the muse, etc.]
5. Look for the underlying beliefs and values of teh culture that produced the epic.

Activity--(10 min.) Now have the students get into their small groups and put together their ideas concerning guidelines 3 and 5... prepare a short persentation to the class concerning their ideas about how to answer 3 and 5. Be sure to provide textual support for answers.

Presentation/Comments--(5 min.) Have volunteer groups present their findings to the class. Ask questions of the groups at the end of each presentation-- Did any of you have differing ideas as to how to answer these questions? Did you all agree/disagree? How? Why?

Freewrite--(5 min) To be turned in at the end of class. What do you think Telemachos' decision will be concerning the advice of Mentor? If you were in the place of Telemachos-- your father has been gone for 10 years with no word, suitors are eating you out of house and home trying to score with your mom so as to take control of your home/kingdom-- what options would you have? What would you decide to do? Why?

Discussion/closure--(10 min.) Ask for a couple of volunteers to share what they wrote about tin terms of options and their decisions. We find out in the very beginning of Book III that Telemachos choses to go on the journey suggested my Mentor/Athena. Why might Telemachos make the dicision he does rather than take some other option? What might this say about him and his values? About Greek culture and its values?

Closure--(5 min.) Now that you have a few more guidelines concerning how to read an epic, and have ahd a little bit of practice wiht each of them, work to apply them to you readings for tonight. Write a response card for either the readings in Book II or one of the sections in Book IV: be sure to tell what section you chose, a brief summary of what occurs, and a response to some aspect of that section-- e.g., how do you feel about what happened, what was said, the characters involved, etc. Should be about 1/2 page long.

Assignment for tomorrow:

Book III: lines 1-367

Book IV: lines 116-157, 337-376, 591-627, 668-722

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