Student Learning Plan
English Education
Designer Jessica Shildt
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Teaching Date November 11, 2011
Topic: The Odyssey: Invocation of the Muse, Sailing
from Troy, the Lotus Eaters
Grade Level:
9 Honors
Time Frame
100 minutes
(For Block 1, 50 minutes each day)
Description of Students:
Block 1: strong in group work, often
prefers reading in groups to reading aloud,
many may not like participating in wholeclass discussion (guitar, JROTC, band)
A2: mix of very outgoing and very shy
students (JROTC, hunting, Spongebob,
art/teaching)
A4: predominantly female; females tend
to dominate group discussion in this class;
this class has a very supportive
atmosphere-often supports and
compliments one another (band, poetry,
reading, piano/singing, soccer)
B2: outgoing student who enjoys making
class laugh, identical twins in class; I feel
least familiar with this class (psychology,
fantasy lit/ Twilight)
B3: seems like a diverse mix of student
attitudes/beliefs, several fairly outspoken
students, several very active/restless
students (cross-country, football, hunting)
B4: gregarious, cohesive class (literatureGreek gods/goddesses, Poe, zombies,
Hunger Games, wrestling, writing,
drawing, manga)
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Lesson Objectives:
Students will recognize The Odyssey as a work in the oral tradition and explore how oral performances
give meaning.
Students will read the invocation of the Muse and identify the epic conventions of invoking the Muse,
stating the theme, and in medias res. Students will apply knowledge from student-created research
presentations to their understanding of the invocation.
Students will read “The Departure from Troy,” and “The Land of the Lotus Eaters” and understand the
nuances of the plot in each.
SOL 9.1 Students will plan, present, and critique dramatic readings of literary selections.
SOL 9.3 Students will read and analyze a variety of literature.
Assessment: Formative and Summative
Formative: Students will be expected to use prior learning
from research projects and epics lecture. Students will
write to learn in describing theme and creating eyewitness
accounts of Ithaca, the fight at Ismarus, and the land of the
Lotus Eaters.
Resources:
Eyewitness charts
Map of the Odyssey
Student textbooks
Audio recorders
Greek recording
Lesson Content:
The Odyssey was originally composed in Greek and transmitted orally by singing or chanting.
Epic conventions
Invocation of a Muse
in medias res
states theme of epic in the beginning
Odysseus’s battle at Ismarus, experience in Land of the Lotus Eaters
Student Learning Plan
English Education
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Instructional Strategies and Timing:
-Before the bell: Write agenda (1. Form groups 2. Focus 3. Invoke the Muse 4. Oral presentations or
recordings 5. Sailing from Troy and the Land of the Lotus Eaters) On board, have table for group signup. Students can write their name next to a group as they come in. Students have just finished
collaborative research projects. Groups researched “Homer and Ancient Greece”, “Trojan War
Historians”, “Mythologists”, and “Character Background”. The new groups must contain a member of
each of the old groups, to play upon a jigsaw-like sharing of knowledge.
-Bell: Call attention to the board and have students who did not sign up do so, and have students get
into the groups that they have formed. Have students take out notes on epic conventions and their
presentation notes (5 minutes).
-Students will complete Vocabulary Focus for the word “mutinous”, which will occur in their reading
for the day. (10 minutes)
-Students have completed an interactive lecture on epics. Point out that the invocation of the Muse is an
epic convention, and that the revealing of the theme in the beginning is another epic convention. Ask
mythology group members what a Muse is. Ask Homer and Ancient Greece group members how
people would have experienced the epic. Allow students to listen to invocation in Greek. (5 minutes)
-Instruct groups on invocation activity. Have instructions pulled up on Smart Board for student
reference. Students will read silently for understanding. Each group member will provide background
information from their project that connects to the invocation. (Have students write down what
information they contributed.) Then students will work with group members to develop the best way of
delivering the invocation orally. Suggestions will include changing voice inflection, using multiple
voices, etc. Groups have the option of recording and playing it for the whole class or practicing so that
they can perform for the whole class. (20 minutes)
-Have students write how they would describe the theme based on their delivery model (5 minutes).
-Have students either perform orally or play their recordings for the class. Ask students to explain
why they made the decisions they did (15 minutes)
-Have students revisit or add to their description of theme (5 minutes) Have students write a question
they now have for the epic.
-Give out eyewitness testimony chart. Pull up map of the Odyssey on Smart Board. Have students open
textbooks. Point out epic convention: in medias res (5 minutes)
Have students read “Sailing from Troy” as a whole class.Pause students to write eyewitness
account of incidents at Ismarus. At the end of the selection, have students ask what questions they
have about the text. (15 minutes)
Have students read “The Lotus-Eaters” in small groups. Have students collaboratively write eyewitness
account of Lotus Eaters (15 minutes)
-If extra time: Closing activity: Have students line up in middle of classroom, between opposing rows
of desks. Have whiteboard side be strongly agree. Have SmartBoard side be strongly disagree. Read
both objective and subjective statements about epics, epic conventions, and the decisions of the crew
members and Odysseus in this section. Have students react to the decisions by moving up or down the
continuum (5 minutes).
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Multi-disciplinary:
Geography: Students will see a map of the
purported Odyssey route according to some
scholars.
History: Through the emphasis on orality,
students gain a better sense of how and why
epics like the Odyssey circulated in Homer’s
time.
Adaptations:
Student will not be required to lift more than ten
pounds.
Students will all receive hard copies of the Eye
Witness Chart to facilitate their note taking.
Differentiation Strategies:
I wanted to focus my efforts at differentiation in this
lesson towards students who do not normally speak
up in class. By using small group with the jigsaw
approach in mind, I wanted to ensure that each
person in the group had something they felt
responsible for saying. Furthermore, many students
who do not participate in whole class discussion
often participate in small groups. By allowing
students the option of recording their performance or
performing it orally, I hoped to decrease the anxiety
of some students while scaffolding their ability to
speak boldly in front of others. Finally, the optional
closing activity encourages everyone to participate
within the context of whole class discussion by
asking that all students to move to show their
agreement or disagreement.
Student Learning Plan
English Education
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Reflection/Recommendations for Future Use:
Because of fog delay and other unexpected occurrences, I started my lesson after students completed their group oral
presentations. This made it hard for me to evaluate how well I timed things, but it was a good experience in adapting and
being flexible.
Notes for each class.
B2: the execution of the lesson in B2 was very messy. I explained a sequence of instructions for group work and kept a slide
of the instructions on the SmartBoard. Groups seemed very confused and asked many questions. While I had tested the
technology the day before, I did not have time to test it the morning of, and it was being difficult. We only had time for
students to work on oral performances.
B3: This seemed to go a lot better! I broke the instructions into smaller pieces. Students still struggled with the choral
reading. I do not think they have done something like this before, and they seemed surprised by the assignment. One student
group did a particularly good job with the performance. They incorporated singing and rhythms and recorded it. Students
were able to complete first section of the “Departure from Troy”. Students worked on completing their eyewitness charts.
One group told me they did not understand anything they had read, but one of their group members was successfully filling
out the chart. I struggle with encouraging students to challenge themselves while not leaving them so on their own that they
become discouraged or shut down.
B4: I continued tweaking to make this block’s instruction more effective. While the other two classes read the prologue
silently, because they struggled with this so much we went straight to reading it aloud. I allowed students to listen to the
recording from the previous class before they started their own performances. This really seemed to excite them about the
reading. I wish that I had an example for the other two classes since this was such an unfamiliar activity for them. They also
seemed particularly engaged by the map of the Odyssey, which elicited a lot of student commentary.
It was very interesting watching the tape of myself. I noticed that I moved around a lot unnecessarily, and, when I was
instructing at the podium, I tended to face more towards one side of the room than the other. I was also surprised to see one
group play with a small ball for part of the lesson, which had completely escaped my attention in real life!
Overall: I really enjoyed implementing this lesson. It was exciting watching students get excited about performing
recordings. Some students unexpectedly engaged themselves or did “brave” things like singing or motioning in front of the
class. I need to work on withitness and finding the right balance between challenging students and just confusing them.
Due to the adjusted schedule, I was not able to implement a concluding or wrap-up activity. I need to remember to stop the
class in time to sufficiently review key points, even if there is not time for the actual activity.
Recommendations for future use: Group work should be broken into small pieces rather than presented all at once. The
technology is questionable. In two blocks, it did not seem especially valuable. In one block, it really seemed to foster
student motivation and enable students to take risks they might not have done in front of the whole class.
SOE Student Teaching Competencies:
1. Demonstrates understanding of subject matter and pedagogical knowledge for instruction.
2. Demonstrates understanding of how students learn and develop and provides learning
opportunities that support students’ intellectual, social, and personal development.
3. Demonstrates understanding of the central role of language and literacy in student learning.
• Understands the role of reading in student learning
• Understands the role of writing in student learning
• Understands the role of speaking in student learning
• Understands the role of listening in student learning
4. Demonstrates understanding of how all students differ in their experiences and their
Approaches to learning.
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20. Organizes for effective teaching.
25. Demonstrates professional behavior and ethical demeanor.
28. Reflects actively and continuously upon practice, leading to enhanced teaching and
learning for all students.