Unit Calendar:

Teaching The Odyssey *

Week 1	Intro Day: Who is Homer? What is Epic? Activity: Intro to Epic Assign Virgil Materials: comicbooks, overhead, copies of Virgil	Trojan War: Video (Monty Python) Read Iliad excerpt Iliad Discussion Trojan Horse Odyssey excerpt Aenied excerpt Assign Book I Materials: excerpts, books, VCR, video, worksheet	Reading Epic: Guidelines for reading an epic Activity: Presentations on Bk I Freewrite Discussion-- Greek Culture Assign sections Bk III & IV Response Cards Materials: overhead, transparencies & pens, hand-out	Books III & IV: Collect Response Cards Structure of Odyssey Detective Activity Assign Bk V Materials: none	Book V: Poetic devices Meeting Odysseus Read/Discuss "Ulysses" "Making Connections" Activity Sharing Assign sections Bk VI Materials: poem, art paper, coloring stuff

Week 2	Book VI: Discussion Circle Group Presentation assignment Myth Project Assignment Discussion: Odysseus and Naussica Intro to Mythology Assign bk IX for day 8 Materials: hand-outs, art supplies, paper	Oral Tradition: Homeric meter Translation-- read aloud excerpts Discussion-- compare/contrast Activity-- class poem Assign Homeric meter-- 6 lines Materials: excerpts, overhead, pens	Book IX: "Wanderings" section Read/Discuss "The Lotus-Eaters"-- Tennyson Perspective Activity-- writing-- the Life of Polyphemos Culture reflections Materials: poems	Work Day: Library research day Work on group presentations and myth projects Homeric Meter Materials: none	Work Day: Library research day Work on group presentations and myth projects Assign Bk XI Homeric meter due Materials: none

Week 3	Book XI: Discussion Circle Literary Allusion discussion-- Dante & Virgil Foreshadowing Mythology of Hell Myth projet due Assign Bk XII Materials: none	Book XII: Lecture/Discussion-- perspective; characterization Activity: Odysseus Travel Agency Assign sections Bk XVI, XVII, XIX Materials: paper, art supplies	The Heroic: Lecture/Discussion-- Heroes-- Greek, Modern, traits Video clips Disguise Irony Activity: modern day homecoming Materials: worksheet, overhead, video	Film: "2001: A Space Odyssey Pre-film activity-- discussion sheet; questions Assign critical analysis paper Materials: video, VCR, hand-out	Film: "2001: A Space Odyssey" Assign sections Bk XX, XXI, XXII Materials: video, VCR

Week 4	Books XX, XXI, & XXII: discussion Circle Revenge and Morality Activity-- "Ithaca News" Sharing Materials: paper, art supplies	Presentation Day: Group presentations of assigned sections Peer evaluations Peer responses to crit analysis paper due Assign sections Bk XXIII Materials: none	Book XXIII: Women in Ancient Greece "An Ancient Gesture"-- Millay; Read & Discuss Activity: Journal of Penelope Critical questions Assign sections Bk XXIV Materials: poem	Book XXIV: Homecomings & Closure Hamilton's "Agamemnon" vs. Odysseus Disussion Modern day homecoming Discussion Circle work due (portfolio) Materials: Hamilton excerpt	After The Odyssey: Read/Discuss excerpt Dante's Inferno XXIV Movie activity-- "The Odyssey" or "The Odyssey-- the Sequel" Critical analysis paper due Materials: Dante excerpt

* Keep in mind, this calendar was an academic exercise. I am completely aware that this rigorous schedule could never actually be adhered to in the "real world" classroom. However, I think there are some fun and different ideas, and if I had the opportunity and the time to teach such a unit, I would give it a shot. I feel it has a lot to offer in terms of depth, breadth, and FUN. It also has a lot in it to address all types of learners, and to try and peak interest in as many ways possible-- from art to analysis (and don't forget Monty Python!). Notice too that this unit isn't about "The Test"-- it's about what each student individually learns from it, through peer evaluation, portfolios and writing about their own ideas.

Odyssey Unit
Main	Rationale	Goals	Calendar	Day 1	Epic Worksheet	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5

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