Odyssey Reading Guide HONORS

Date Lines Pages Assignments

11/1 &11/3 Introduction to The Odyssey

Pgs. 737-749

SQ3R, essential questions connections, map, diagnostic quiz

11/4 & 11/5 1-218 & Troy Pgs. 751 - 759 Essential questions connections, vocabulary, QAR

11/8 & 11/9 219-422 Pgs. 760 - 767 Qualities of an epic hero, vocabulary

11/10 & 11/11 423-535 & Close look Pgs. 767-771 Reciprocal teaching, vocabulary

11/12 & 11/15 539-659 Pgs. 773-777 Quiz, vocabulary, essential questions connections, vocabulary development

11/16 & 11/17 660-930 Pgs. 778-786 study questions, Essential questions connections

11/18 & 11/19 930-1080 Pgs. 791-795 Odysseus needs a job, study questions, completed vocabulary lists

11/22 &11/23 1082-1220 Pgs. 796-802 Quiz, Did an eclipse bring Odysseus home?, study questions

11/29 & 11/30 1221-1419 Pgs. 803-809 Completed study guide, vocabulary development, Quiz

12/1 & 12/2 Library day to work on projects

12/3 & 12/6 Oh Brother, Where art Thou?

H-chart, Comparison of qualities of an epic hero

12/7 & 12/8 Oh Brother, Where art Thou?

Finish projects, compare/contrast essay DUE

12/10 Project presentations

Culminating celebration, FINAL PROJECTS DUE

Assignments in bold need to be turned in for credit.

Characters pg 747 Write a one or two sentence definition for each of the following:

GODS

Aeolus_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Apollo_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Athena______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Helios_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Muses_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Poseidon____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Zeus________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ HUMANS

Laertes______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nausicaa____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Odysseus____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Penelope____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Telemachus__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tiresias_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SUPERNATURAL BEINGS

Calypso_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Charybdis____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Circe______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cyclops/Polyphemus___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Scylla_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sirens_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

LOCATIONS Olympus_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Underworld_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ithaca ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Troy __________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Carthage ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Notes on Homer & epics:

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A Story of Epic Proportions: What makes a Poem an Epic? — http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=587

Elements of the Epic Hero Cycle

Student Name ___________________________________________________ Date ________________

Element Example

The main character is a hero, who is often possessed of supernatural abilities or qualities.

The hero is charged with a quest.

The hero is tested, often to prove the worthiness of himself and his quest.

The presence of numerous mythical beings, magical and helpful animals, and human helpers and companions

The hero’s travels take him to a supernatural world, often one that normal human beings are barred from entering.

The cycle must reach a low point where the hero nearly gives up his quest or appears defeated.

A resurrection.

Restitution. Often this takes the form of the hero regaining his rightful place on the throne.

Permission is granted to educators to reproduce th is w orksheet for c lassroom use

Name_______________________________________________ Date_____________ Period________

The Odyssey – Study Guide 1, p.751-754

1. Whom does Homer ask for help in telling his tale? __________________________________

2. How long has Odysseus been gone? ________________________

3. What is Odysseus doing when we first meet him? ________________________

4. Which god is most against Odysseus? _______________________

5. Who is the goddess that helps Odysseus? _____________________

6. Which god is sent to tell Calypso to release Odysseus? ____________________

7. Where does Odysseus go after leaving Calypso? ______________________________

The Odyssey – Study Guide 2, p. 756-775

1. Who is king of the Phaeacians? __________________________

2. What happens to the men who ate the lotus? _______________________________________

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3. Why does Odysseus call himself “Nohbody”? _______________________________________

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4. What is the Cyclops’s name? ___________________________

5. Who is the father of the Cyclopes? ________________________

6. Who is Aeolus? _________________________________________________________________

7. Where is Odysseus when cannibals attack him? _____________________________________

8. Where does Circe live? ____________________

9. What does Circe turn Odysseus’s men into? __________________

10. What does Hermes give Odysseus to protect him from Circe? _______________________

Name_______________________________________________ Date_____________ Period________

The Odyssey – Study Guide 3, p. 775-786

1. Whom does Odysseus seek in the Underworld? _____________________________________

2. What are the Sirens? ____________________________________________________________

3. How do the men face and overcome the Sirens’ song? _______________________________

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4. What is Charybdis? ______________________________________________________________

Draw a picture.

5. What is Scylla? _________________________________________________________________

Draw a picture.

6. What choice must Odysseus make? ________________________________________________

7. What happens as the ship passes between “a rock and a hard place”? _________________

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8. Where does Helios keep his cattle? ______________________

9. Who convinces the men to disobey Odysseus? _________________________

10. What is Helios’s threat to the gods? _____________________________________________

11. What happens to Odysseus’s men? ______________________________________________

12. Where does Odysseus swim to? _________________________________________________

Name_______________________________________________ Date_____________ Period________

The Odyssey – Study Guide 4, p. 790-796

1. What does Athena advise Odysseus to do? ________________________________________

2. Who is Odysseus’s faithful swineherd? _____________________

3. Where does Telemachus go in search of news of his father? _________________________

4. What does Eumaeus call Telemachus? “___________________________________________”

5. How does Athena transform Odysseus? ____________________________________________

6. What happens when Odysseus sees his dog? _______________________________________

7. How does Eurycleia recognize Odysseus? __________________________________________

8. Athena says the suitors will ___________________________.

The Odyssey – Study Guide 5, p. 798-809

1. What impossible task does Penelope propose for the suitors? ________________________

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2. Whom does Odysseus trust to help him defeat the suitors? ___________________________

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3. How does Odysseus prove his true identity? ________________________________________

4. Who does Odysseus kill first and why? _____________________________________________

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5. What sign shows Athena is helping Odysseus win? __________________________________

6. What happens to the disloyal maids? ______________________________________________

7. How does Athena help Odysseus win over Penelope? ________________________________

8. What was special about Penelope and Odysseus’ bed? _______________________________

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Jot down ideas from yourown experience that relateto the essential question

Jot down ideas in the worldaround you that relate to the

essential question

Name: Period:

Essential Question:

TEXT CONNECTIONS

Jot down ideas thatconnect ideas from thetext and events in the

world

Text

World Self

Jot down ideas from the textthat relate to the essential

question

Jot down ideas thatconnect your experienceand events in the world

around you

Jot down ideas thatconnect ideas from the

text and events fromyour own experience

Jot down ideas that connectthe text, events in the world,and your own experience to

the essential question

Name: Period:

Essential Question:

TEXT CONNECTIONS

Text

SelfWorld

Name: Period:

Essential Question:

TEXT CONNECTIONS

Directions: Use the chart below to make text-to-self, text-to-world, and world-to-self connections to the essential question

Text

Self

World

Text-to-Self

Text-to-World

World-to-Self

Text-Self-World

Name: __________________________________________ Block: ________

Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Right There Think and Search

Question – Answer - Relationships

On My Own Author and You

Name: __________________________________________ Block: ________

Qualities of an epic hero:

1. an important figure from history or legend, favored or descended from gods or immortals, but has primarily human qualities

2. participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey, gathers allies along his journey, and returns home significantly transformed by his journey

3. illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society from which the epic originates

4. has no superpowers, but are smart, brave, and have fears but overcome them to protect their friends, families, and countries

5. The epic hero is also typically joined by sidekicks, who will initially be rejected from the group for their own safety, thus embodying selflessness, a commonly valued trait in society, into the epic hero

Knowing the qualities of an epic hero list the qualities/traits and examples of how Odysseus and Ulysses Everett McGill are epic heroes.

Odysseus Ulysses Everett McGill

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5. What traits do they share?

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Reciprocal Teaching (Example) Four Roles

Predicting Questioning Clarifying Summarizing Why do you suppose

Weisel chose the single

word title, Night? What is

his intent?

After reading this first

chapter, what specifics do

you expect to learn from

this perspective?

What is likely to happen

next?

What happens to the

human spirit during tragic

times?

How will this character

respond, based on what

you know about him

already?

Weisel describes, in great

detail, the possessions left

on the empty street after

the first evacuation, why?

How does the writer’s

diction reveal his tone?

How does this chapter

relate or connect to our

essential question?

What connections can we

make to human rights

abuses today?

Are there any words or

phrases that confused you?

Are there any cultural or

religious references that

you don’t understand or

you would like clarified?

How might you have

responded in that

particular situation in

which the main character

found himself?

What is important and/or

not important in this

section of the text?

What do you suppose was

the writer’s intent in this

chapter?

How would you

characterize the overall

tone of this opening

section?

Sixty years later, how has

the world changed as a

result of the Holocaust?

Reciprocal Teaching The Odyssey

Four Roles

Predicting Questioning Clarifying Summarizing

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4.

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2.

3.

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3.

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1.

2.

3.

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Vocabulary and Comprehension NAME __________________________________________________ DATE ___________________ Elements of Literature pages 749–788

from the Odyssey, Part One: “The Wanderings” A. Match each word with its opposite. Write the letters on the lines. ____ 1. Formidable a. sweetly ____ 2. Abominably b. good fortune ____ 3. Adversity c. disinterest ____ 4. Ardor d. weak ____ 5. Rancor e. love B. Write T next to each sentence that is true and F next to each sentence that is false. ____ 1. Homer begins the Odyssey with a prayer to the Muses. ____ 2. Athena tries to stop Odysseus from returning home to Ithaca. ____ 3. Hermes tells Calypso that she should keep Odysseus on her island forever. ____ 4. The men who eat the Lotus flowers lose their desire to go home. ____ 5. The Cyclops is the son of Poseidon. ____ 6. The ancient Greeks thought it was important to treat guests well. ____ 7. Circe has the power to change men into animals. ____ 8. Odysseus puts cotton in his oarsmen’s ears so they cannot hear the Sirens sing. C. Answer each question about the Odyssey with a complete sentence. 1. How many years does Odysseus spend trying to get home? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

2. Where is Odysseus’s home? __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________

3. What kind of animals does Odysseus use to free his men from the Cyclops? __________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

Homecoming of Odysseus May Have Been in

Eclipse

By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

Published: June 24, 2008

Correction Appended

That Odysseus took his time, 10 years, getting home to Ithaca from the Trojan War is the story

Homer engraved in the “Odyssey.” But exactly when did he rejoin his Penelope, who had been

patient beyond belief?

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National Academy of Sciences

The sky in 1178 B.C. in nautical twilight, at Ithaca's latitude.

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Plutarch thought a crucial passage in the 20th book of the “Odyssey” to be a poetic description of

a total solar eclipse at the time of Odysseus‟ return. A century ago, astronomers calculated that

such an eclipse occurred over the Greek islands on April 16, 1178 B.C., the only one in the

region around the estimated date of the sack of Troy. But nearly all classics scholars are highly

skeptical of any connection.

An analysis of astronomical references in the epic has led two scientists to conclude that the

homecoming of Odysseus, usually considered a fictional character set in the context of a real

historical event, possibly coincided with the 1178 solar eclipse. If, that is, Homer indeed had in

mind an eclipse when he wrote of a seer prophesying the death of Penelope‟s waiting suitors and

their entrance into Hades.

The new interpretation of the eclipse hypothesis is reported in this week‟s issue of The

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Constantino Baikouzis and Marcelo O.

Magnasco, scientists at the Laboratory of Mathematical Physics at Rockefeller University in

New York and at the Astronomical Observatory of La Plata, in Argentina.

They concede that scholars of Homer are still not likely to give much credence to the idea. But it

makes for an intriguing story, one that the blind bard, a mystery himself, would have

appreciated.

Although an eclipse is not mentioned anywhere in the story, there are omens and what Plutarch

inferred was a poetic description of a total solar eclipse. Odysseus has arrived home, disguised in

beggar‟s rags and in hiding before revealing himself. It happens that, when Penelope‟s persistent

suitors sit down for a noontime meal, they start laughing uncontrollably and see their food

spattered with blood.

At this strange moment, the seer Theoclymenus foretells their death, ending with the sentence,

“The Sun has been obliterated from the sky, and an unlucky darkness invades the world.”

There are reasons to think that the darkness of a total eclipse had just fallen on Ithaca. It was

close to noon when the 1178 eclipse occurred over the Ionian Sea. It was, as mentioned several

times in the story, at the time of a new moon, which the scientists point out is “a necessary

condition for a solar eclipse.” And what better atmospherics to accompany a prophecy of doom

than a total eclipse, which was considered an ill omen?

Experts on Homer have previously discounted such conjecture. For one thing, the earliest

verified eclipse records are in the eighth century B.C., about the time Homer was writing but

long after the action in what is known as the Trojan War, around the early 12th century B.C.

Scholars say there is no evidence supporting a view at the time, widely quoted, that “a solar

eclipse may mark the return of Odysseus.”

In their report, Dr. Baikouzis and Dr. Magnasco acknowledged the speculative nature of their

study, several times throwing in their own caveats. “The notion that the passage could refer not

just to an allegorical eclipse used by the poet for literary effect but actually to a specific

historical one,” they agreed, “seems unlikely because it would entail the transmission through

oral tradition of information about an eclipse occurring maybe five centuries before the poem

was cast in the form we know today.”

The two scientists derived a possible chronology from astronomical references in the story,

including the stars by which Odysseus navigated, the sighting of Venus just before dawn as he

arrives at Ithaca, and the new moon on the night before the massacre of the suitors and the

presumed eclipse.

On the basis of their analysis, the scientists said, these three “references „cohere,‟ in the sense

that the astronomical phenomena pinpoint the date of 16 April 1178 B.C.,” adding, “The odds

that purely fictional references to these phenomena (so hard to satisfy simultaneously) would

coincide by accident with the only eclipse of the century are minute.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: June 26, 2008

An article on Tuesday about research into whether a passage in the “Odyssey” was a reference to

a real solar eclipse misstated the time it took in the epic for Odysseus to return home from the

Trojan War. It was 10 years, not 19.

25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom • © 2009 by Judith Dodge • Scholastic Teaching Resources

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Paragraph: Summarize your learning by using the terms above in a paragraph about the topic. Check off the terms as you use them. Then circle the terms in your paragraph.

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List Key Words about the topic

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H-Chart Graphic Organizer for O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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