Literature Based Language Arts: Power and Privilege in the Odyssey
What's included
10 live meetings
8 hrs 20 mins in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will need to read the text outside of class, complete guided note-taking, and respond to simple writing prompts to help them think deeply and critically about the task. They will also work on their final essay both in and out of live class time.Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 10
Advanced Level
This is the seventh and final course in a year-long rotation. This class goes a step beyond your average book club and is designed to support neurodivergent learners. Texts chosen are available on platforms with dyslexia-friendly options including audiobooks and a variety of writing supports and accommodations are available. Scaffolding is provided for new or non-literal language. The course is taught by a neurodivergent educator. In this unit, students come to the end of their middle school literature journey by tackling a challenge in the form of Homer's Odyssey. The Odyssey is known for it's challenging language, structure, and ideas as well as the continuing cultural impact on Western society. Learners will look at the text with a variety of critical lens focusing on power and how it is gained and used within the text as well as how and why certain characters lack power. Students will write a variety of critical essays and read critical perspective essays as mentor texts. Week 1 - The Telemachus (First Four Books) - Xenia and Power in Ancient Greece Week 2 - Cultural Norms in Ancient Greece - Gender and Power - Books 5- 11 - National Identity and Power in the Odyssey Week 3 - Odysseus as a Hero - Homeric Heroes as a trope - Penelope Character Study - Books 12- 16 Week 4 - Books 17-24 - The Roles of Women and Power in The Odyssey - Identity and Power Week 5 - Final Essay Workshops
Learning Goals
RL.8.1 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.8.2 - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text.
RL.8.3 - Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
RL.8.6 - Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
RI.8.1 - Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.8.2 - Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas.
RI.8.6 - Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
RI.9-10.9 - Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., The Odyssey), including how they address related themes and concepts.
W.8.1 - Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W.8.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
W.8.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.8.9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
L.8.4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.8.5 - Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
L.9-10.3 - Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
L.9-10.6 - Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level.
SL.8.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.8.4 - Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details.
SL.9-10.1 - Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Other Details
Learning Needs
This course is designed and taught by a 2E educator to include 2e and ND students
- careful font selections
- graphic organizers
- transcripts of video content
- lined writing spaces
- ability to dictate written work if needed
Parental Guidance
The Odyssey is a violent text and includes a variety of deaths of both people and animals. While there is rarely gratuitous or gory details war, death, and violence are a continuing and ever-present theme in the text. Additionally a variety of disrespectful language about women is used including words which may be considered gendered-slurs today. Finally, the text contains many references to sexual behavior but no detailed discussions are included in the text and this will not be a focus of class discussions.
Supply List
Learners will need their own copy of the Odyssey and a teacher created printable workbook and note-taker.
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have been involved in classical literature and mythological study since I was a small child. I have always loved looking back into the past and using it as a mirror to examine today's ideas both as a benchmark for progress and an inspiration for further improvement.
I began reading at the age of three and have averaged multiple books a week since. I have a honor's in discipline in English from East Tennessee State University where my focus was on middle grades and young adult literature. I was a peer tutor for four years teaching college level English including preparing students to take the GRE for an additional two years. I have been teaching online book clubs for two years online and last year my average student who took standardized pre-post tests (The NWEA MAP Growth exam) improved their reading placement by two grade levels.
I completed my undergraduate thesis on the subject of middle grades literature and won local and state wide awards including having the honor of presenting at a statewide conference for outstanding undergraduate research.
Relevant Coursework:
Read 3100 Teach Read for K-6. This course is exceptionally relevant to this course as it provided a foundation in the science of reading approach which provides explicit, direct, and accurate phonics based instruction to support all readers. This is utilized in this course despite the difference in age ranges through optional spelling activities to support learners who may have lagging skills in reading and spelling.
Read 3200: Teaching Writing and Language Arts. This course provided frameworks and strategies for teaching writing in motivating ways to students and for understanding the development pathways of writing and language arts.
Eng 3118: Honor's Lit Focus. In this focus I explored representations of American History, focusing on the complex history of California, through a variety of literature for adolescents. This class also modeled engaging ways of teaching literature for this age group and dealing with complex subject matter.
English 4077: Literature For Adolescents This class focused on the teaching, critical analysis, and exploration of literature for middle school students. It explored methods of education and dealing with complex subject matter as well as strategies for evaluating texts both academically and developmentally.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$150
for 10 classes2x per week, 5 weeks
50 min
Completed by 3 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-15
3-6 learners per class