“The Odyssey” Teaching Project: You are the professional/the teacher!
1. You will choose your adventure from “The Odyssey”.
2. You will read and fill in the Combination Note-Taking Graphic (s) from the adventure you chose – make sure you take lots of notes and then draw visuals to represent your notes. Next, comes the summary for that side of the graphic. FYI: Some adventures will require several graphics. The KEY to SUCCESS is to make sure you absolutely understand your adventure. As a professional/ teacher you may need to read it a couple of timesJ
3. You will create a Mind Map: Adhere to the requirements listed on your rubric.
4. Decide what you want to know: You may NOT come in and present about what you know now, you MUST go and learn more. You may find your information from videos, books, websites, encyclopedias, etc. Tell us about your part of the story but then do more. CITATIONS Use some of the questions below to guide your research:
- Describe how this story reflects the values of the time period.
- Talk about how your story is incorporated in more modern stories, movies, art, etc.
- What does this story show us about Odysseus’ leadership abilities?
- How does Homer portray the relationship between gods and men in the Odyssey? What roles do the gods play in human life?
- In what ways does Odysseus develop as a character during the course of the narrative? Does he develop at all?
- One of the most important cultural values in the Odyssey is that of xenia, a Greek concept encompassing the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. Why might hospitality have held more significance in Homer’s time than it does in today’s world? How is hospitality established as a key value in the epic?
- What is the role of family in the Odyssey? What values characterize the relationship between fathers and sons?
- What is the role of women in the Odyssey?
- In a world governed by the gods, is there any room for human will? Do human choices make a difference?
- What kind of religion do the characters in The Odyssey seem to have? How do they feel about the gods? What roles do the gods play in their lives?
- What does justice mean for the people in The Odyssey? Are revenge and retribution the only options, or do they seem to be working on a different kind of justice?
- The people in The Odyssey have no problem boasting, but they also warn against excessive pride. What's the difference? When is it okay to talk big, and when do you need to be a little more humble?
- Odysseus often gets called "tricky" or "wily." Is this a compliment? An insult? Are there any times when deception is punished?
- The world of The Odyssey is all about tradition and custom. Do we see any instances of innovation? How do you think Odysseus would feel about the Internet?
- Is it possible for a modern reader to accept Odysseus' killing of the suitors? If not, how does this change in values affect our enjoyment of Homer's poem?
- What makes The Odyssey timeless? What's so appealing that it's resulted in dozens and dozens of spin-offs?
5. Organize your information: Put your information together in a logical way – you can use an outline, a graphic organizer, or simply write it into an essay. This process is to help you organize what you have learned into a sequence that will make sense when you present it.
6. Create a presentation or a lesson: Use what you have organized to decide how you will present this information to the class. You may use any variety of ways to create the presentation, including: Prezi, LiveBinders, Powtoon, iMovie, or even a handmade poster.
Be sure that your presentation:
- Includes a synopsis of the story
- Includes your Mind Map
- Includes the most important information, you found that you want people to learn
- Is presented in a way that will help people learn
- Is interactive in some way – ask questions, make a quiz, give students a task, have students talk to each other, there are many ways to make a presentation interactive – be sure to have at least one way
7. Prepare your materials: Get everything together so that you are ready BEFORE you present. If you need anything to help you present, let me know ahead of time.
8. Present!
When you present to the class:
1. Speak loudly, everyone wants to hear you.
2. Be confident –you know more about this topic than anyone else, so don’t worry, just share the information you have learned.
3. Be serious – you are a professional/teacher, act like it.
4. Have fun! – This is your way to shine, enjoy it.
NAME AND CLASS PERIOD: ______
CATEGORY / 20 / 15 / 10 / 5Knowledge / Student showed excellent knowledge of content, needing no cues and showing no hesitation in talking or answering questions. / Student showed excellent knowledge of content, but needed note cards or help to talk or answer questions. / Student showed excellent knowledge of content, but often needed note cards or help to talk or answer questions. / Student needed note cards or help to talk and to answer questions.
Necessary Components / The presentation included a synopsis, mind map, important information, student interaction, and an assessment. / The presentation was missing one component. / The presentation was missing two components. / The presentation was missing multiple components.
Interest and Purpose / Lesson has a clear and interesting purpose. / Lesson is interesting but purpose is somewhat unclear. / Lesson is not very interesting and purpose is somewhat unclear. / Lesson is not interesting and has no discernible purpose.
Presentation / The student projected their voice, was clear, utilized correct grammar, was serious, and was confident. / The student presented very well but was lacking in one area. / The student presented well but was lacking in two areas. / The student presentation was lacking in several areas
POSSIBLE POINTS FOR THIS PROJECT:
Presentation 80 points ______
Combination Note-Taking Graphic(s) 30 points ______
Mind Map – see rubric 74 points ______
Research 20 points ______
This project is worth 204 points. ______