Happy Homecoming!!

I hope you enjoyed your time with Mrs. Velgersdyk today. Tomorrow I promise to give you the whole hour to work on your Odyssey group presentation with your partner(s). Be sure to read--and take notes on--your assigned book before tomorrow's class.

BTW, if you're reading this, I hope it is because you just finished posting to your own blog--your blog post is due before school tomorrow morning.

See you tomorrow!

For Tuesday...

Read books 9-12. You will have a quiz tomorrow. As you read, identify a passage that you find interesting or significant. Be ready to talk about the passage.

You may want to begin reading your assigned Odyssey book from books 13-24. Also, don't forget that your next blog post is due Wednesday before school.

Here comes the fall...

The weather this weekend is going to bring our summer to an abrupt end. A rainy Sunday may be the perfect time to complete some school work. Here are some of your upcoming due dates:

due Monday: typed work on epic similes (green paper). In class we'll talk about assignments for the rest of The Odyssey.

due Tuesday: reading of books 9-12, identify passage from books 9-12 that you'd like to talk about with the class.

due Wednesday: your next blog post is due before the school day begins on Wednesday.

Get outside and enjoy the weather on Saturday!

The New Plan...

My son's virus and my subsequent absence messed with our plans for the week. Here is the new plan:

Tonight
Read Books 3-4 in The Odyssey
Complete your Invocations (hopefully you were brainstorming over the weekend)
Post to your blog (if you have not already done so)
Study Vocab (including parts of speech)
Begin book 5 in The Odyssey if you feel ambitious

Wednesday
Read Books 5-8, The Odyssey

Thursday
Read Books 11-12, The Odyssey FOR TUESDAY
Epic Simile Assignment--due Monday

Friday
Read Books 11-12, The Odyssey FOR TUESDAY
Complete Epic Simile Assignment--due Monday
Blog post due next Wednesday!

We're really moving now. I know that Homer is tough, but The Odyssey really is a great story(as evidenced by the dramatic presentations in class). Stick with it!

The Odyssey has Begun

Continue reading about Odysseus's journey tonight--books 3 & 4.

Tomorrow we have a vocabulary quiz. Study the parts of speech as well as the definitions. If you're worried about whether you have the right definition for a word--feel free to look it up in the Iliad since you've got the page numbers on your vocab. sheets. Considering you are able to review the context of the word on your own, I will not publish an official list of definitions. Consider also that even if you have a different definition from what is used in the Iliad, the definition will generally be close enough that you will be able to figure it out on a quiz.

Invoking the Muse...

Today we began thinking about our personal hero quest(s) in a journal. The next step is to take that hero quest and begin our own invocations of the muse. Review the directions you were given today (pink sheet) and create your invocation--due Wednesday.

We also reviewed The Odyssey as summarized by Edith Hamilton. For Monday, read books 1 & 2 of The Odyssey. As you read, tree map details about the following: 1) connections to The Iliad, 2) elements of style, and 3) character development.

Don't forget that your first blog response to outside reading is due tonight by 11:59pm!!

Enjoy the adventure of the famed tactician...

The Blogging...

Your first blog deadline is this Friday. This quarter you may choose any text(s) to read as long as you reach the goal of 325 pages. As per the 1st quarter outside reading handout, you should respond to your reading--on your blog--as follows:

Free Response
A thoughtful response—to whatever text you are currently reading outside of school—of approximately 250 words. You must cite the selection, author, and page you're referring to as well. Some possible ways to respond to texts include: pick a quote and comment on its significance, make connections to the book (self, text, world, media), analyze the protagonist, pretend you're writing a letter—or blog response—to the author or main character, identify the thesis and supporting evidence (of nonfiction) and discuss the arguments from your perspective, etc. There are many, many ways you can do this.

Just enjoy reading!

The Iliad Exam

The Iliad Exam is on Monday. It is a scantron exam composed of multiple choice and matching. To prepare for the exam, I suggest the following: 1)If you haven't already done so, read the sections in Hamilton's Mythology that pertain to the Iliad, 2)Review your summer reading notes, and 3)Think about, and respond on paper to, the following:

The Role of Women
How are women portrayed in The Iliad?
You should also consider the following:
· Think about their roles as compared to those of the men.
· Are all of the women portrayed in the same way?
· Is there a difference between how immortal women and mortal women are portrayed?
Draw 3 conclusions about women in The Iliad. Write these 3 observations down in a list.


Heroes and Villains
Who are the villains in the Iliad? Are there heroes?
Discuss 3 characters that could be seen as both. Write them down and list both their heroic and villainous qualities.


The Code
Is there a heroic code in The Iliad? How is honor defined?
Pretend you are writing the heroic code for The Iliad. Make sure you write down at least 5 rules of this heroic/honor code.


Epithets?
An epithet is “a characterizing word or phrase accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a person or thing” (www.merriam-webster.com).
Find 10 epithets in The Iliad and write them down in a list.
For example: Alexander the Great; William the Conqueror



Blood & Guts
Does the Iliad glorify violence?...or condemn it? Is the Iliad anti-war?
Give 2 specific examples from The Iliad as support for your answer. Cite the book that each example comes from.