Lesson Eight: The Voyage Home

1. Focus and Review

• Journal Time based on yesterday's question of the day.
• Discussion of journals in class.
  

2. Objectives

• Standard Course of Study Goal English I:

• 1.02 Respond reflectively (individually and in groups) to a variety of expressive texts            (e.g., memoirs, vignettes, narratives, diaries, monologues, personal responses) in a way            that offers an audience:
• The learner will show a personal reaction to the text with a sense of how that comes from careful consideration of the text. (Journals)
• The learner will show an awareness of how personal and cultural influences affect the response. (cultural connections lecture and discussion)
• 5.02  Demonstrating increasing comprehension and ability to respond personally to texts by selecting and exploring a wide range of genres in this case the epic poem. (reading)
  
• 2.02 Explain commonly used terms and concepts that:
• The student will be able to clearly state the subject to be defined and be able to classify terms and identify distinguishing characteristics in an organized manner with efficient details. (Sequence of events)
  

• Standard Course of Study Computer Competency Goal for 9th Grade students:
  
• 5.02  Produce media in various formats such as multimedia.  (Three students can work on computer web project while class participates in lesson.)
• 5.06  Apply fair use copyright guidelines (Copyright Law, P.L. 94-553) in all projects.
• This lesson is an analysis lesson because we are looking and taking components we know about greek life and culture and collecting data in notes.  We are using art with our creation of our sequence of events map, and breaking the epic down into components as well.
• Materials needed are student Journals, Textbook Elements of Literature, Overhead, overhead pens, Clean Overhead Sheets, overhead with cultural pictures, student notebooks, white paper, colored pencils, markers, poster board, and classroom computer with sign up sheet.

3. Teacher Input

• Notes from the teacher, update the students on what we should have so far in our notes on the epic.  It is also a way for the teacher to bring up the cultural connections and show students pictures of greek life.  In this way students have the information needed in note form for test time.  This is a good discussion time and can be used to evaluate student knowledge.
  

4. Guided Practice

• Read 914-921 The Land of the Dead and The Sirens, Scylla and Charbydis.
• Sequence of events, students and teacher make a list of the sequence of events.
  

5. Independent Practice

• Group work- students work together as a group to create a sheet outlining the sequence of events.  Each student is responsible for creating their own sheet at home, but can use the group time to gather thoughts.
  
• Once the group has completed the sheet, Students put sequence on a poster.  One student from the group presents the poster, so that the sequence of events is reinforced for class.
  

6. Closure

• Go over objectives of the day. 
• Today we have made cultural connections from what we have read so far regarding Greek Life.
  
• Today we read and worked on understanding, The Odyssey by Homer.
• Today we made visual connections as we mapped out our sequence of events.
• Today we gained skills in working in groups as we worked collaboratively to make a poster of the sequence of events.
• Today we used differentiated learning by having some students work independently on their web sites.
• Informal Question and Answer time with Students
  
• Question of the Day and your journal question for tomorrow is:
• Comparison:  Compare the rituals of Greek life with the rituals found in our own lives?  How are they similar and how are they different?

Bibliography:   I am using this textbook in my unit plan.  Some ideas used in my lesson plans sprung from notes in the teachers edition.