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Lesson 4

We will discuss the ending of The Odyssey and prepare for the Section Diagnostic by continuing to study the character of Penelope.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I engage in meaningful and respectful discourse by listening actively, responding appropriately, and adjusting communication to audiences and purposes by participating in a four-corners discussion activity?

  • Can I use text evidence and original commentary to support a comprehensive response about The Odyssey?

  • Can I analyze how Homer develops complex yet believable characters in The Odyssey?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • The Odyssey, Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Publishing Group, 1996

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will engage in a discussion about the ending of The Odyssey.

Step 1

Take a few minutes to discuss your annotations in response to the guiding questions:

  1. How do the suitors’ relatives respond to Odysseus’s actions, and how does Odysseus respond? Did either response surprise you or seem unlikely? Support your answer with reasoning.

  2. Explain the arguments on both sides in the conflict among the townspeople. With whom do you agree? Why?

  3. Yet again, we find Odysseus hiding his identity. Why do you think he hides his identity from his father? Describe the test Odysseus put his father through and explain why he does it.

  4. Does Athena need to intervene to bring about peace, or do Odysseus and Penelope have the power to bring about peace in Ithaca?

  5. What did you think about the ending of the poem? What might Homer be suggesting about how to end conflicts based on the ending of the poem?

Share your notes and discuss your responses and thoughts with a partner, noting similarities and differences.

Step 2

Discuss Question 4 with the entire class.

The expectation is that everyone participates in the discussion. You can engage in the discussion through the following discussion strategies:

  • posing meaningful questions that propel the conversation

  • asking clarifying questions

  • respectfully challenging perspectives

  • building on others’ ideas by providing additional evidence or ideas

  • synthesizing your peers’ ideas

Activity 2: Write – Discuss

We will engage in a four-corners activity to further examine our thinking about the ending of the book and to prepare for the Section Diagnostic and Culminating Task.

Step 1

Read the following statements and write down how strongly you agree or disagree with each and your reasons why:

  • Odysseus is responsible for the needless deaths of many innocent people.

  • The gods played a small part in the fate of mortals.

  • Penelope is both more brave and clever than Odysseus.

Step 2

Listen as your teacher or one of your peers reads each statement aloud. Then, go to the corner that corresponds to your level of agreement with the statement: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree

At each corner, discuss why you chose that position. Listen to each group as they explain their choice. If you are convinced by another group’s argument, you can switch positions.

Step 3

Discuss which of your ideas changed as a result of the activity and why.

Activity 3: Read – Write

To prepare for the Section Diagnostic, we will identify scenes where Penelope is a key actor and consider how her identities control her actions and decisions.

Review the Section 4 Diagnostic Checklist, annotating the prompt and asking your teacher any questions you might have around its expectations.

Review your Learning Log and Character Note-Taking Tool for Penelope. Create a list of the scenes where Penelope’s identity as a wife, mother, mortal, and person of high social class impact the choices she has and the actions she takes. Try to come up with at least five to seven scenes.