Thursday, February 5, 2009

It's NOT a Myth!

While Troy's remains have been discovered, Zeus's have not. As king of the Greek gods, Zeus ruled the rest and managed the dysfunctional family atop of Mt. Olympus. Or so we are learning in our quest for true understanding of the Greek Gods and their relationship with humanity.
After reading up on the gods, the class has read parts of Homer's "Odyssey" and studied the background behind it. While students still need some extra studying on the background, the gods seem pretty well understood, and the story of Odysseus and his quest are clear.
Part 1 of Odysseus's story is done: we've read the bits about Calypso, Cyclops, Scylla, Circe, and more; we've discussed Odysseus's heroic qualities, yet human aspects; we've connected how the Greeks' relationships with their gods is the premise of how their destinies were determined (not just man or just the gods); we discussed the duality of man....etc....etc...etc.
Tomorrow, Friday, students will read Part 2, Odysseus's return to Ithaca and what transpires there. They will complete a study guide that accompanies the reading, as well. Odysseus's cleverness helps him to abate many disasters and often persuades others into something that helps him out. By this , we will also examine some persuasive arguments and cause/effect elements of writing soon.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ms. Labeau
Can we draw the picture of the scene in the part "Death at the Palace" in stick figures?

Anonymous said...

Ms. Labeau
Do we have to color the closing picture and the picture we have to draw in the part "Death at the Palace" ?

Anonymous said...

Color would be nice, but not required; stick figures are fine as long as you add some detail to them. Have fun!

Anonymous said...

Ms.Labeau
Why is Odysseus a hero?
Is it beacause he helped the Greeks to win the war?

if you see this comment, could you still answer it even if it's right before school?