Personal Odyssey
Students were asked to write 2-3 paragraphs detailing what their life's "odyssey" will be. They were to describe their "Ithaca" (goals), likely trials and helper.
After learning about each of the phases in the epic cycle, students worked in groups to apply them to a modern movie. For homework, they then applied the stages to the text we were reading, Gilgamesh.
Greek Barbie or Personal Ad
As an introduction to Greek Mythology, students were given a choice of two assignments. They could either create a "Greek Barbie" (which included a variety of items, such as a playset, an action move, a catch phrase and accessories -- all which should fit with their assigned figure) or a "Personal Ad" for a dating website that describes the figure.
KWL Chart
Before reading Gilgamesh, students started a KWL Chart based on initial impressions of the story (I created a Wordle and offered a variety of images and pop culture references to Gilgamesh). After completing the story, they finished the chart by telling what they learned.
Epic Myth
The culminating activity for the unit was to write a story which utilized several of the epic conventions students had been studying. The assignment was graded on a mastery scale, allowing students to revise their work as many times as they wanted in a 2-week period. I read and responded to each version of the story. Until the final draft, however, I did not make any grammatical or structural comments on the papers themselves. Instead, I left a rubric that told students what they should revise (i.e. "check comma use throughout paper, make sure epithets are properly applied, etc.). Below is the first page of one student's paper. The editing marks are his.
Students were given a variety of projects and assignments during the Greek Olympics. Four images are included below. The first is a picture of a "Quick Crafts" activity. Students worked in their teams to create a visual representation of one of the main themes from The Odyssey (represented below is "hospitality"). They were scored on both creativity and applicability of the theme to the story. The second activity was a poster competition, in which students worked together to create a movie poster highlighting (and "selling") the story of The Odyssey. Finally, students wrote a poem or song about any of the Greek stories we read during the unit.
