Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Mythology Pretest-How Much Mythology Do You Know?
Answer as many of the following questions as you can. Do not worry if you know only a few answers. No grade will be given for this pretest.
1. Who is the chief Greek god?
2. Whose face launched a thousand ships?
3. Where did the Greek gods and goddesses live?
4. What goddess was born from the foam of the sea?
5. Who is the Greek god or ruler of the dead?
6. What Greek myth explained the seasons?
7. Who brought fire to man?
8. How did Pandora resemble Eve?
9. For what God was the volcano named?
10. Who were the sirens?
11. Who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey?
12. What is “an apple of discord”?
13. Who is the blind prophet?
14. Name any Greek gods/goddesses you know.
15. What event does the Iliad recount?
16. What Greek god ruled the sea?
17. The Odyssey tells the story of whose journey?
18. What is an “Achilles Heel”?
19. What is an “Odyssey”?
20. What unusual feature did Medusa have?
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Notes
Mythology:
 The group of ________________________ associated with a ___________.

Believed to be ______________.
 Explains ___________________ events that were not understood.
The Greek World
 People could accumulate _____________ through __________ or __________ on other cities. It was acceptable to _____________
______________ and/or ___________ from another city.
 In ___________, where Odysseus rules, _________________ was measured in __________________, __________________,
____________ and __________.
 Greece was not a ______________ country like it is today; it was made up of lots of little ________________.
People to Know:
 Odysseus
o
ruler of ____________.
o
___________________ is his wife.
o
___________________ is his son.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
 Priam
o
ruler of ____________.
o
his sons are _________________ and __________________.
 Menelaus
o
ruler of _____________.
o
his wife’s name is _________________.
Homer:
 Lived in _____________.
 ___________ B.C.
 traveling _______________.
 credited with writing the _______________ and the _________________.
 It is generally agreed that he was ___________________.
Epic Hero:
 Embodies the ___________ of a particular ____________.
 __________________
o
______________, ______________, and more clever than the ordinary person.
 On a _______________
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
o
something of great value to him or his ________________.
 Meets ______________________.
o
try to keep him from his quest
o
Villains are __________, more ____________, and more ___________ than the average villian.
 One important __________________.
 The ____________ world (the gods) interferes with the ______________ world.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Vocabulary Project
Greek root ___________________________________
Description of Project: Each student will be assigned a Greek root. Students are to find the meaning(s) of their root. Then, students
will collect 20 words that demonstrate the use of the Greek root.
For example, the Greek root cosm means 1. universe, 2. order/ornament or 3. world. Some words that use the Greek root cosm are
microcosm, cosmic ray, cosmos, cosmetics, cosmology, and cosmonaut.
Once you have gathered your words, you will make a poster to show the root, related words, and meanings. Mrs. Biel’s example for
cosm is on the back of this sheet. You may use a fan shape, a spider, or a tree. There are other possibilities as well. Use your
creativity when constructing your poster. You may not make your poster on the computer; it must be completed by hand. You can get
a large piece of construction paper from Mrs. Biel, or you can supply your own poster board. You poster should be neat and legible,
as students are going to be getting information off of it.
Finally, after all the posters are complete, we will do several activities using the Greek roots and associated words.
Your poster is due on ________, ____
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Odysseus: Epic Hero?
As we read the story, you need to track ways in which Odysseus does, or does not, meet the epic hero qualities. Fill in the chart as you read.
Odysseus needs to meet all 6 criteria in order to be considered an epic hero.
Epic Hero Trait
Example
Chapter
Pages
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Adventures of Ulysses: Prologue pp. viii-xii
Focus question: What if you angered a god?
What natural disaster do you think is most frightening? Why is that disaster so scary?
Which Greek god or goddess would control the natural disaster you chose as most frightening?
What natural disasters do we fear here in Wisconsin? Which Greek god or goddess would control the Wisconsin natural
disaster? Why?
Track down important information for each of the following characters. Choose the most important fact about each of the individuals
listed below and record it next to the character’s name. Be prepared to explain your choices.
Eris:
Ulysses:
Priam:
Paris:
Poseidon:
Athena:
Helen:
Hera:
Menalaus:
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Number of ships:
Adventures of Ulysses: “Ships and Men” pp. 1-3
Number of men:
Focus question: How can victory cause trouble?
In the space below, please explain one of the problems that can be caused by victory. You should always write in complete sentences.
Draw the warship described in “Ships and Men” (the description is on pp. 1-2), or you can
make two lists: one of the warship strengths and one of the warship weaknesses. Please be
sure to label the lists if you choose to write them. If you write lists, you must include seven
total list items. If you draw the warship, your drawing must make good use of the space
below.
Make one improvement to the design
of the warship so that it can avoid one
of the problems mentioned in the
chapter. Write the explanation here.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “The Ciconians” pp. 4-9
Focus question: How do people see you?
Write a bio-poem to help people see the real you. Follow the directions on the left, and write your poem in the box on the right.
Line 1: First name
Line 2: Four adjectives that describe you
Line 3: son/daughter of, friend of, sister of, etc
Line 4: “Who loves…” (at least 3 things)
Line 5: “Who feels…” (at least 3 things)
Line 6: “Who has…” (at least one accomplishment)
Line 7: “Who needs…” (at least 3 things)
Line 8: “Who fears…” (at least one thing)
Line 9: “Who would like to see…” (at least one thing)
Line 10: “Resident of…”
Line 11: last name
The townspeople, the Ciconians, and the naiads would all have
different views of Ulysses based upon their interactions with
him and his men in “The Ciconians.” On a separate sheet of
paper and in paragraph form, explain the three different views
of Ulysses. Here is a topic sentence that you can use: “Since
the townspeople, the Ciconians, and the naiads had different
interactions with Ulysses, they would each seem him
differently.
Whose view -- the townspeople, the
Ciconians, or the Naiads—would you
agree with most and why? Which
group saw the real Ulysses? Please
write your answer in paragraph form.
Chapter Death Toll:
How many men died?
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “The Lotus-Eaters” pp. 10-15
Focus question: What if you could dream forever?
Do a quick sketch or write a quick description
of a place that offers escape to you.
Color the lotus according to the
description given on page 11.
The lotus flower represents escape for Ulysses’ crew. What is the
lotus flower of today?
Do you think the lotus flower was a danger to
Ulysses and his crew? Was it right for Ulysses
to rip the crew away from the lotus?
Do you think that the dreams you have while sleeping have value?
Please include at least two supporting details in your written
answer.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “The Cyclops’ Cave” pp. 16-26
Focus question: How do you deal with a giant problem?
Ulysses couldn’t defeat Polyphemus by force.
Instead, Ulysses had to observe the situation
and figure out the Cyclops’ weaknesses.
What were two weaknesses of Polyphemus?
“The Cyclops’ Cave” teaches at least three lessons through the events that take place
and the characters in those events. Please use complete sentences to answer two of
the three questions about lessons taught by “The Cyclops’ Cave.”
1.
What lesson is this chapter trying to teach about the value of meaningful
work?
How did Ulysses use the weaknesses of
Polyphemus to conquer him?
2. What lesson is the chapter trying to teach about intelligence?
3. What lesson is this chapter trying to teach about arrogance?
Chapter Death Toll:
How many men
died?
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Keeper of the Winds” pp. 27-40
Focus question: What does it take to persuade someone?
What strategies do you use to try and convince your parent or guardian to give you something or see things your way? Do your strategies
work?
What did Ulysses have to do in order to persuade Aeolus to grant him the gift of the winds?
Exercise your persuasive abilities by writing a paragraph on one of the following topics. Consider your audience. Remember that Ulysses had
to please Aeolus before Aeolus gave him the winds. Use a separate sheet of paper for your paragraph.
*Who is most responsible for the bag of winds being opened?
*Did Ulysses make a mistake in this chapter?
*Is Aeolus right to not help Odysseus a second time?
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Cannibal Beach” pp. 41-46
Focus question: What’s worth fighting for?
Ulysses fought for the lives of his men in “Cannibal Beach.” What would you fight for and why is that worth fighting for? Please
write a couple of sentences to explain your answer.
Choose ONE of the writing prompts below and address the prompt in several complete sentences.
*“Consume” means to eat, take in, or totally absorb. Obviously, being consumed by a giant will really ruin your day! When is it good
to be consumed? What good things can consume us? Be sure to provide at least two supporting details or examples in your answer.
*On page 45, Ulysses is described as being able to banish fear with anger. Does anger ever help us today? Be sure to provide at
least two supporting details or examples in your answer.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: REVIEW I pp vii-46
Throughout The Adventures of Ulysses, each chapter presents a new lesson for Ulysses. Review the chapters you’ve read so far by
filling in the chart below with the lesson that Ulysses learned. Lastly, identify the conflict in the chapter:
Character vs. society
Character vs. character
Character vs. nature
Character vs.
self
“Ships and Men”
“The Ciconians”
“The Lotus-Eaters”
“The Cyclops’ Cave”
Ulysses’ lesson:
Ulysses’ lesson:
Ulysses’ lesson:
Ulysses’ lesson:
Conflict:
Conflict:
Conflict:
Conflict:
“Keeper of the Winds”
Ulysses’ lesson:
“Cannibal Beach”
Ulysses’ lesson:
Which lesson do you think was hardest
for Ulysses? Please provide one
supporting details or examples in your
answer.
Current Body Count:
Out of the original three, how
many crews have been lost?
How many men have died?
Conflict:
Conflict:
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Circe” pp. 47-70
Focus question: What moves you?
Motivation is the reason why a character does what he or she does. What moves you to action and why does this motivate you?
In the upper boxes, you’ll find something that Ulysses, Circe, Eurylochus, or the men do in “Circe.” In the lower box, write the
character’s motivation for doing what he or she did.
Ulysses kills a stag (deer) with
a bronze spear (p. 49).
Eurylochus chooses to explore
the island (p. 51).
The men enter the castle (pp.
52-53).
Eurylochus chooses to stand
guard at the castle gate (p. 53).
Motivation:
Motivation:
Motivation:
Motivation:
Ulysses insists on going to the
castle (p. 57).
Ulysses kneels before the
golden youth (pp. 57-58).
Circe wants Ulysses to stay on
the island forever (p. 63).
Ulysses decided to leave
Circe’s paradise. (p. 69).
Motivation:
Motivation:
Motivation:
Motivation:
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Circe” pp. 47-70
Focus question: What if Circe transformed YOU?
Circe changes the men into animal forms that she feels suit their personalities. If you were to be transformed into an animal, which
one would best express your personality? Please include at least three supporting details in your answer.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Land of the Dead” pp. 71-81
Focus question: What good is advice?
Are you the type of person who gives advice or the type who seeks it? Give
an example:
List four things that the ghosts advised Ulysses to do.
Include which ghost gives the advice.
1.
2.
Was the Land of the Dead a victory or a loss for Ulysses? Include at least one
supporting detail in your answer,
3.
4.
Read the statements in the following boxes. If the statement in the box is
false, please draw an “x” across the box. If the statement is true, please
leave the box blank.
The Land of the Dead is not dangerous.
Ulysses refused to speak to his mother in
the Land of the Dead.
The only signs of life in the Land of the
Dead, outside of Ulysses and his scared
crew, are the black goats grazing in the
meadow.
The Land of the Dead
is full of vampires and
zombies.

The great ghost
Ajax had
Teiresias
Chapter Death Toll:

forgiven Ulysses for taking
said that
the golden armor of Achilles.
The Land of the Dead was
windy and full of frightening
storms that endangered
Ulysses’ ship.
A screaming white
gull led Ulysses and
his ship into the Land
of the Dead.
the SunTitan’s
golden
cattle are
good to
eat.
How many men died?
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “The Wandering Rocks” pp. 82-85
Focus question: What if you didn’t have a choice?
At the beginning of “The Wandering Rocks,” Ulysses thinks that he can easily avoid the dangers revealed to him by the ghosts in “The
Land of the Dead.” Unfortunately, the wandering rocks chase him into the path leading to those dangers. What wandering rocks do
we face today? What forces us to do things we might not want to do?
The Adventures of Ulysses: “The Sirens” pp. 86-90
Focus question: What is temptation?
The Sirens create music to draw sailors into their island. Please provide an example of three “siren songs” of today. What things are
designed to lure us in?
Darn Sirens go off as soon as someone gets near them!
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Scylla and Charybdis” pp. 91-95
Focus question: How do you make a monster?
How did Scylla and Charybdis come to be monsters?
Scylla:
Charybdis:
Make a list of at least 10 qualities a monster should have:
1.
6.
2.
7.
3.
8.
4.
9.
5.
10.
Now, use the recipe card on the back of this page to explain how to make a monster. You must
Chapter Death Toll:
*include at least five of the ingredients from your monster qualities list
*include at least three steps in your monster-making process
*include a picture of your finished monster
How many men get eaten?
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Ingredients:
Procedure:
Finished product:
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
Ingredients:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Slimy skin
Hunger for human eyeballs
Two-foot long claws
Several eyes to watch misbehaving students
HUGE: to tower over students
Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Take a human teacher and expose it to late homework
and lame excuses until it goes insane.
Add extra eyeballs to watch for misbehaving students.
These should be all over the monster’s head.
Add the hunger for the human eyeballs to its belly and
add claws to its hands to enable it to extract food from
human heads.
Smooth slime across the entire teacher for scary effect.
Enlarge to 8 feet tall to loom over students.
Release into your local middle school.
Finished product:
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “The Cattle of the Sun” pp. 96-105
Focus question: How far do we go to survive?
People go to extreme lengths to survive. Put a check mark next to the events that you think are true- real things that real people did in
the name of survival.
_____Amputate your own leg with a pocket knife.
_____Ignore the trauma of losing two friends in a n avalanche.
_____Hang from a clump of lichen and wait for your raft to pop back up from a watery vortex.
_____Shoot and eat dogs to survive an Antarctic trek.
_____Use salt and kerosene to clean worms from your skin.
_____Hike through hot, knee-high volcanic ash.
Why way Ulysses permitted to survive the storm that took his last ship and remaining crew?
What did Ulysses do to avoid starvation on the raft?
Do you think the payment for the sun-cattle was fair? Why or why not?
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: REVIEW II: pp 47-105
Throughout The Adventures of Ulysses, each chapter presents a new task for Ulysses to attempt. Review the chapters you’ve
read so far by filling in the chart below with the task in the chapter. Lastly, determine whether Ulysses was successful in
completing the task or not.
Example: Circe
Ulysses’ task:
Escape Circe’s island and get
his pigs turned back into men.
Successful?
Yes, with help from Hermes,
Ulysses overcame Circe’s
enchantments.
“Scylla & Charybdis”
Ulysses’ task:
“The Land of the Dead”
“The Wandering Rocks”
“The Sirens”
Ulysses’ task:
Ulysses’ task:
Ulysses’ task:
Successful?
Successful?
Successful?
“The Cattle of the Sun”
Ulysses’ task:
Which task do you think was
hardest for Ulysses? Please
provide one supporting detail or
example in your answer.
Current body count:
Out of the original three, how
many crews have been lost?
How many men have died?
Successful?
Successful?
Hint: Check p. 1 to see how many men
are in a crew.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Calypso” pp. 106-123
Focus question: How do you become immortal?
Like Circe, Calypso offered Ulysses eternal youth and
immortality. He turned it down, but he achieved immortality
anyway through the stories of his wandering. Make a list of at
least three ways that humans can achieve immortality. What
things can we do that will last beyond our lifetimes?
Please choose one of the following prompts to address in paragraph form.
You’ll need to write your paragraph on a piece of loose-leaf paper.
1.
What immortality has your family or culture achieved? Discuss an
heirloom or accomplishment that is passed down from generation to
generation.
1.
2. Which would be better: physical immortality (where you don’t die) or
immortality from accomplishment or reputation?
3. What is the difference between immortality and fame?
2.
Please make a list of at least ten adjectives for the immortal Calypso:
3.
1.
6.
2.
7.
3.
8.
4.
9.
5.
10.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Ino’s Veil” pp. 124-128
Focus question: How do we understand the world around us?
“Ino’s Veil” features characters of the sea: Calypso,
Poseidon, and Ino. What qualities do the characters
of the sea in The Adventures of Ulysses have in
common with the real, physical sea? Please list and
briefly explain five qualities.
Choose a natural object or phenomenon like trees, lightning, earthquakes, flowers,
rain, or sun. In the center of this space, draw a picture to represent the object.
Around your drawing create bubbles to describe the emotions or actions associated
with that object. Please include at least ten bubbles.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What object do we have today that could be compared to Ino’s veil? Please include at
least one supporting detail or example in your written answer.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “Nausicaa” pp. 129-146
Focus question: What if your life were set to music?
What kind of music do you think people would associate with your family or culture? Do you agree with that association? Why or why not?
What kind of music would best reflect your life? Please include one supporting detail or example in your written answer.
At the end of the chapter, on p. 145, it states that Nausicaa became the
first female bard—a singer of the songs about heroes and their brave
deeds. Help plan her first album about Ulysses and his brave deeds:
List the album title:
List the name of at least one song:
Make up the name of the recording company that produced the album:
Finally, design the cover art in the box to the right.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: “The Return” pp. 147-172
Focus question: What if home wasn’t sweet?
Ulysses received greater hospitality in strange lands than in his own
homeland of Ithaca. As foretold by several, including the ghost Ajax,
Ulysses finds little welcome in a castle overrun by suitors trying to
marry his wife and do away with his son.
Did the suitors deserve the punishment Ulysses, Telemachus, and the
two servants gave them? Why or why not?
Create a list of five words to describe the suitors:
1.
4.
2.
5.
3.
Ulysses spent plenty of time in the halls and castles of others,
experiencing their hospitality, eating their food, drinking their wine,
and even wearing their clothes. Why was it okay for Ulysses to do all
these things, but not okay for the suitors in Ulysses’ castle?
Explain the contest of the bronze bow.
Name: __________________________________ Hour: _____________ Date: ____________________
The Adventures of Ulysses: REVIEW III pp. 106-172
In the last four chapters of The Adventures of Ulysses, Ulysses finds himself without a crew and, therefore, in need of help from
other sources. Review the chapters by filling in the top of the chart with the help that Ulysses received in each chapter. Then, explain
what motivated the helpful character/characters to help Ulysses.
“Calypso”
“Ino’s Veil”
“Nausicaa”
“The Return”
What help did Ulysses receive?
What help did Ulysses receive?
What help did Ulysses receive?
What help did Ulysses receive?
Why did he/she/they help
Ulysses?
Why did he/she/they help
Ulysses?
Why did he/she/they help
Ulysses?
Why did he/she/they help
Ulysses?