Homer's Odyssey Pre-Reading Anticipatory Discussion Questions

These questions are perfect for a pre-reading discussion activity to introduce the themes and topics of Homer's Odyssey about the famed hero, Odysseus.

There are four pages of thought-provoking questions related to the Odyssey, one page on each of the following themes/topics:
* The Journey Motif
* Exploring Cosmogonies
* Travel Around the World
* Heroes and Heroism

Each page features a small section that asks students to self-assign roles, or you could assign the roles ahead of time. These roles include Discussion Leader, Scribe (note-taker), Reporter (presents group's discussion whole-class), Time Keeper, and Encourager (makes sure all group members share).

Ideally, the grouping system would work best with four groups of five students each. If you have a larger class, you could have two students per role, such as two scribes or two reporters taking turns to complete their duties.

This activity is great for ELLs and other second language learners because it enables them to share personal thoughts in a low risk context: small group conversation with peers.

An answer key is not provided because the questions are thought-provoking and meant to be open-ended.

It takes about an entire class period to conduct typical housekeeping duties (such as attendance), introduce and utilize this activity, and give students time to share what each group discussed.

I used these questions to serve as an anticipatory guide in order to get students thinking about the topics. I then revisited those topics throughout the unit and then again on review day prior to the final test. I used these questions with ninth grade ELA in which I had a large ESL and international population.

Fonts: Teaches Third in Georgia - https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Teachesthirdingeorgia

Last Updated: 2/20/2017