Summary
In this lesson, students will learn about the cultural background of The Odyssey by working collaboratively to analyze images, generate ideas, and conduct research on key topics related to Ancient Greece and their influences on the story. They will then review and synthesize information from other students’ work, identifying connections between concepts to deepen their understanding. This lesson can be used as a pre-reading activity or at any point while reading The Odyssey.
Essential Question(s)
What connections can we make between the values, beliefs, and traditions of ancient Greek society and the characters and themes in The Odyssey?
Learning Objectives
Investigate the cultural, historical, and literary contexts of The Odyssey.
Make connections between elements of ancient Greek culture and The Odyssey.
Snapshot
Engage
Students complete a Gallery Walk of images related to The Odyssey and complete a Caption This activity.
Explore
Student groups are assigned topics to research and create Anchor Charts to present the information to the rest of the class.
Explain
Students examine the Anchor Charts created by their classmates and complete a KWL chart.
Extend
Student groups use the Detective Board strategy on the Anchor Charts to connect and synthesize ideas between topics.
Evaluate
Students use the 3-2-1 strategy to reflect on what they learned about Ancient Greece and The Odyssey.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Caption This Posters (attached; 1–2 sets per class; print one-sided)
Research Task Cards (attached; 1–2 sets per class; print one-sided; cut apart)
Odyssey KWL Chart (attached; 1 per student)
Markers
Poster paper
Internet-connected devices
Yarn or string (1 ball per group; various colors)
Small stickers
Preparation
Print the Caption This facilitator resource. Hang the posters around the room, creating a gallery.
Print the Research Task Cards and cut them apart. Depending on your students’ needs, you may want to print one card per group or give every student a copy of the task card for their group.
Engage
20 Minute(s)
To begin the lesson, tell students that today they will begin to explore some important concepts that will help them understand the ancient classic The Odyssey.
Arrange students into 6 equally-sized groups and assign each group a number between 1 and 6. Display slide 3 and introduce the Caption This strategy. Use slide 4 to show students three examples of captions. Explain to students that their groups will begin at the station that matches their number. They will have 2 minutes at each station to review the image and come up with a funny or clever caption for it. Let groups know that they can add more than one caption if they want to. Once groups understand, begin the activity. After the first X minutes is up, have groups rotate to the next station and repeat the process, adding their caption below any that have already been added. Continue until groups have completed all 6 stations.
Next, display slide 5 and give each student a small sticker. Instruct students to spend a few minutes going to the different stations and reading the captions. Once they have reviewed them all, have students put their sticker next to their favorite caption and then go back to their seats (but don’t put it over the writing). Once all students have finished, gather the Caption This papers from around the room to use for the next part.
As you display slide 6, announce to the class which caption got the most votes for each image. You can also announce any others that you think are interesting or clever.
Next, move to slides 7–8 and introduce the Learning Objectives and Essential Question.
Explore
45 Minute(s)
Move to slide 9 and tell students that they will be working together to research different aspects of The Odyssey and the culture that produced it. Since there are so many different things to look at, groups will be assigned different topics, and then they will share what they learn with each other. Assign student groups and have groups move together before giving the rest of the instructions.
Move to slide 10 and introduce the first part of the Detective Board strategy: creating Anchor Charts. Move to slide 11 to show students an example of an Anchor Chart. Explain that each group will be given a topic and a Research Card. Their card will explain what they need to include on their Anchor Charts, and they will need to perform research to find the information to include.
Move to slide 12, and pass out Research Task Cards to groups. Instruct students to find the information they need first and then get their materials to start making their Anchor Charts. Give students approximately an hour of class time to complete their research and Anchor Charts.
Explain
20 Minute(s)
Once the Anchor Charts have been completed and hung around the classroom, pass out an Odyssey KWL Chart to each student. Move to slide 13 and explain the modified K-W-H-L strategy. Share the following points with students:
You are working individually on this activity, so you don’t have to travel with your group. You will come back together with your group later to share what you learned.
Once time begins, go to one of the posters that covers a different topic from what your group had.
Read the title/topic, and fill out column 1(K) for that topic on your KWL chart.
Then, read all of the information on the poster.
After you have read the whole poster, complete the W and L columns on your chart.
Remember: Read the whole posters well. Even though you are only writing down a few things now, you will be asked to remember more later.
After you have completed these steps, go to another topic that you haven’t visited yet and complete these steps.
You don’t have to visit every poster that covers each topic, but you can if you have time.
Once students understand, begin the 15-minute timer on slide 14 and facilitate the activity. Feel free to shorten or extend the time based on your class’s needs.
Extend
30 Minute(s)
Move to slide 15 and introduce the last step of the Detective Board strategy. Explain the following to students:
You and your group will get a skein/ball of yarn to use together. Your group’s job is to make connections between different Anchor Charts, and you will use the yarn to show those connections.
To begin, discuss any connections group members remember from reading the posters. You can also go and look at the Anchor Charts again as a group.
Once a connection has been identified, stretch a length of yarn from where the information is on one chart to the piece of information it connects to on another chart. Tape it both places, while trying not to cover up any info/writing.
Each group will need to make at least one connection for each member of their group. So, if a group has 3 members, they will need to make 3 connections.
Once students understand the directions, move to slide 16 and give students some ideas on what types of connections they should be looking for. These might include:
Things that might have led to/inspired other things
Things similar to each other, or things that have similar themes
People/characters/places, etc., that appear in multiple places
Traditions or customs that influence stories, characters, etc.
Once all directions are understood and the physical space is ready, pass out yarn and tape to groups. Give students 10-15 minutes to work with their groups to make connections.
When all groups have made at least one connection for each group member, ask each group to share out and show at least one connection they made. Once all groups have shared, have students go back to their seats.
Evaluate
5 Minute(s)
Move to slide 17 and have students get out a piece of paper. Have students complete the 3-2-1 strategy on their paper by writing:
3 things they learned from the lesson
2 questions they still have,
1 thing they found most interesting.
Have students submit their 3-2-1 papers when they are finished.
Resources
Archivist. (n.d.). Odyssey - Polyphemus [Image]. Adobe Stock. https://stock.adobe.com/images/odyssey-polyphemus/162342057
Böcklin, A. (1896). Odysseus und Polyphemus [Painting]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odysseus_and_Polyphemus_(B%C3%B6cklin)#/media/File:Arnold_B%C3%B6cklin_-_Odysseus_und_Polyphemus_(1896).jpg
Fotokon. (n.d.). Mosaic scene from Homer’s Odyssey in Bardo Museum, Tunisia [Image]. Adobe Stock. https://stock.adobe.com/images/mosaic-scene-from-homer-s-odyssey-in-bardo-museum-tunisia/41470645?prev_url=detail
Guilane-Nachez, E. (n.d.). Antiquity: Story-teller - conteur [Image]. Adobe Stock. https://stock.adobe.com/images/antiquity-story-teller-conteur/44888883
Guilane-Nachez, E. (n.d.). Ancient Greece: Homer (Homère) [Image]. Adobe Stock. https://stock.adobe.com/images/ancient-greece-homer-homere/52892281
gatsi. (n.d.). Karyatides statues, Erehtheio, on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece [Image]. Adobe Stock. https://stock.adobe.com/images/karyatides-statues-erehtheio-on-the-acropolis-in-athens-greece/186420010
K20 Center. (n.d.). 3-2-1. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/117
K20 Center. (n.d.). Anchor charts. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/58
K20 Center. (n.d.). Caption this. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/82
K20 Center. (n.d.). Detective board. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/3530
K20 Center. (n.d.). KWHL graphic organizer. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/127
K20 Center. (n.d.). Wakelet. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2180
Matiasdelcarmine. (n.d.). Orange and black figures pottery amphora painting of troy war with achilles fighting [Image]. Adobe Stock. https://stock.adobe.com/images/orange-and-black-figures-pottery-amphora-painting-of-troy-war-with-achilles-fighting/365530055
Sanzio da Urbino, R. (1509–1510). The Parnassus [Painting]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer#/media/File:Cropped_image_of_Homer_from_Raphael%27s_Parnassus.jpg
#/media/File:Arnold_B%C3%B6cklin_-_Odysseus_und_Polyphemus_(1896).jpg ){kind=link}
