3
Introduction
You probably remember reading The Odyssey when you were in school, and your
grandparents and their parents most likely read it as well. Can an epic poem that is over
two thousand years old still have relevance for our classrooms today? The answer,
according to a recent survey of PPS Language Arts teachers, is a resounding “yes,” since
it is one of the most widely taught texts in the ninth grade across the district. The text,
however, because of its length and poetic form, can be daunting to teachers and students
alike.
Fortunately, there are a great deal of resources available to PPS teachers to assist
them in planning and differentiating their approach to The Odyssey. In addition to the text
itself which is available to all teachers through the multimedia library and the materials
found here in this unit guide, we also have access to the outstanding original curriculum
packet developed several years ago by district teachers (and is located at the end of this
unit guide); additionally, in the Holt Elements of Literature, Third Course, contains
significant sections of the poem, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, paired with many
contemporary poems and nonfiction texts. Essential support found in the Holt materials
are a retold version – still in poetic form – of The Odyssey, at a lower reading level and
an introduction to Odysseus Journey, called “Where in the World Did Odysseus Go?”
found in the Visual Connections packet.
A note on the revision:
The materials found here are not expected to replace the novel’s earlier exceptional
materials, but rather to complement them; the page numbers found on the Stage 3
Learning Plan refer to the page numbers of the original materials. The activities
highlighted here are those that most closely relate to the unit’s identified priority
standards and lead most directly to the culminating assessment that asks students to write
their own version of a conflict in The Odyssey, but from a different point of view.
Originally written and compiled by:
Barbara Berger, Marshall Campus
Alex Gordin, Cleveland High School
Lee Pritchard, Grant High School
Kris Spurlock, formerly of Grant High School
Pam Garrett, Franklin High School
Edited and revised by:
Pamela Garrett, Franklin