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Read Aloud Modification for the Odyssey

Students will listen to text read aloud Odyssey by Homer.

Students will divide sentences into smaller sections. Students will be asked questions about the text to gauge their level of comprehension.

The goal of this activity is to enhance background knowledge and develop vocabulary.

Link: https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

Modification: Students we'll have the ability to use speech to text to answer the questions. This modification is rendered to the students so that spelling will not be an issue to them. What we're seeking in this assignment is comprehension of the text and connection to knowledge as well as vocabulary. In order to aid in the vocabulary, students can use Wikipedia, dictionaries around the classroom, and Google assist. There are also able to work with other students to answer questions if need be. This will also foster collaboration between students and generate ideas between students where they can bounce off knowledge and vocabulary. for sections that were misunderstood by the student, teachers will work independently with the students or in small groups.

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Activity for Obtaining Explicit Information and Inferencing Information

Students will use Reading Plus as an activity. Students will have access to the program and read a passage. Students will answer a few questions on what was previously read. This activity allows students to understand what the author is referring to in the passage. It allows students to recall information and apply it to the questions. It's a predecessor for this common core. Students are able to reference explicit material and infer what the author stated by answering the questions correctly. The teacher can go ahead and intervene when students fall below 80%. The teacher is able to work with students on their questions individually and find out if it is a comprehension issue, language issue, or a misconception.

Link: https://www.readingplus.com/how-it-works/assessment/

The teacher first needs to create an account for their students.

This program allows students to comprehend the objective at their own pace without causing stress. Once students can master the program with a percentage of 95% or more, they will receive a higher level reading assignment which eventually will lead to what is required of them. The goal is to get students to identify what is explicitly stated in the text and what can be inferenced.

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The Odyssey Read Aloud for English Language Learner

Students can follow along with the teacher while the class and teacher read  aloud the Odyssey. After the story is read, the ELL students and those who also struggle will gather in small groups to discuss what the story was about and identify the characters in the story. They will write a 2-3 paragraph summary where the Beginning, Middle, and End of the story is summarized. In addition, students' will write a list of all the characters and the page and paragraph number in which they were first introduced.

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Vocabulary Connections

Students will be frontloaded with Vocabulary and ask to identify where that word is located. In addition to matching vocabulary to definitions, they will create sentences using those same vocabulary words. This allows students the opportunity to inference what words mean and what other ways they can be used.

Link: https://www.owleyes.org/text/odyssey/resource/the-odyssey-vocabulary-lesson-plan

https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/486848

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Group Collaboration Activity Packet on The Odyssey

Students will complete the activity packet in groups of four. As a group, they will read the Odyssey together and then work on this packet. They are not to complete similes, comic strips, and the unit exam. The packet requires the students view a PowerPoint presentation as an introduction to the Odyssey. The PowerPoint presentation will first be viewed as a class. The students will break off into groups once the presentation is over and complete the notes together identifying key features of the presentation. They are to work as group to complete the packet. This allows them to draw explicit information from the text and worksheets. It also allows them the opportunity to know where that information may exist and thus can cite evidence to support the questions and answers.

Link:

https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/misterbrewer/odyssey-introduction-powerpoint

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:6dc3833a-0cf0-4f23-86dc-9b9f3827ef84

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The Odyssey Group Discussion and Scenarios Class Presentation

Students can use this brief explanation of the Odyssey to understand the voyage and the characters involved. In order to complete the activity, students must watch the video and reread this summary that encounters vocabulary words which they then have to use in a sentence. The text provides scenarios that were seen in the movie and in the book. Students will then have to answer whether they believe it's a good idea or a bad idea to do as the character said. The discussion would take place among their group. No paper needs to be written but it needs to be supported by evidence by either using the movie or text. One student must present their ideas to the class on why they agree or disagree with what was done. This group will be a combination of ELL students and native English students.

Link: https://www.education.com/activity/article/The_Odyssey/

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An important part of understanding the Odyssey is to understand heroes.  Students will get into groups and discuss what qualities an epic hero has, such as supernatural powers, qualities, humility, battle force, and more. They then will get this worksheet to draw symbols that represent these epic hero qualities to help them understand what the quality means. We will then talk about how each quality is represented by the character in the story.

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Quizlet is a great resource to either study for an assessment or quiz students using the flash cards online. This quizlet is premade with exam questions that will assess if the student truly comprehended the book "Odyssey".

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9th Grade English Final Exam The Odyssey (test questions)

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Start studying 9th Grade English Final Exam The Odyssey (test questions). Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

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This chapter check from Teacherspayteachers.com is a great worksheet to have students complete after each assigned chapter. It will give the teacher an idea of how well the student comprehended the chapter. Completing the worksheet will also help students identify key elements in the chapter. Knowing that they have to complete this after each chapter, students will hopefully do their assigned reading and look for these key concepts throughout the chapter.

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Students are able to relate to the epic poem by making connections in the present time. The article in the New York times provides five teaching lessons that can be implemented in the classroom. Any of these lessons would be great for English language learners because some apply to them personally. Once they can make a connection to a character like Odysseus then it may make it easier for them to do other connections, cite evidence, and support their analysis. My favorite lesson in this article is the Hero's Journey where students take a look at events that have happened in history. The activity  requires that students make connections either to the story or their life. They need to support their analysis or claim with evidence that is explicit or inferred by the text. As a modification, students can use speech to text or organizers to set their activity. This article sheds light on what young students go through, have gone through, or know people that once suffered similar fate or happy ending.

Link: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/learning/lesson-plans/epic-explorations-teaching-the-odyssey-with-the-new-york-times.amp.html

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Quick Write Modifications for ELL

Students will respond briefly to a writing prompt.

Students will rewrite the prompt to make it more comprehensible. Students will be provided with a graphic organizer to support them in introducing the text and citing evidence from it.

Writing Prompt: Is there a difference between being a hero and being a leader? Explain your answer using the character of Odysseus.

Link (Graphic Organizer): https://oakdome.com/k5/lesson-plans/word/images/common-core-opinion-writing-template-simple.jpg

Modifications: ELL students will work with teacher to gather information and enter it in the graphic organizer. The writing soft is going to be written using Google translate. The student will print the prompt and proofread it to make sure it flows and the idea is carried out correctly. Proofreading will also take place as a scaffolding measure by the teacher and another peer. Having students proofread each other's work allows them to see that everyone makes easy mistakes and it can be caught by other people or missed by them as well. Mistakes are something that they can learn from and should never take it too personal. it also allows students to provide and input on each other's papers. They foster ideas and creativity

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Do You Know Your Heroes, A Building Knowledge Activity on the Odyssey

This is a resource that offers plenty of activities for students to do and is it relates to several books including The Odyssey. I would begin the activity exactly how the educator stated, by having students know who their heroes are and then by the knowledge that supports their heroes in the text. This will require students to follow along to the book. As a modification to our ELL students, getting a copy in their  native language might help them understand exactly what the story is about. This only applies if they are fluent in their native language. If not, the alternative would be to listen to an audio recording of the book. As a class, students are able to discuss what they consider heroes and the characteristics that  embody them. The assignment must be completed in English and any evidence to support any claims or analysis must be cited. The steps stated in the activity will be followed, like discussing the Cyclops situation as a class as well as silent reading.

Link:

https://betterlesson.com/lesson/597243/heroes-sandwiches-or-people-introduction-to-the-odyssey?from=cc_lesson

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Inference Worksheets and Activities

Students need to be evaluated to see if they first can understand what the authors are explicitly stating or what can be inferred in the text. Once the students complete an activity free of errors. They can start writing a discussion prompt that requires students' to answer why they believe their character is a hero. Their analysis needs to be supported. ELL students need to be familiar with the vocabulary involved in the text. This will also require the teacher to frontload vocabulary.

Link:

https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-9/analyze-short-stories-set-1

https://www.ixl.com/ela/grade-10/identify-supporting-evidence-in-a-text

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/free-reading-worksheets/reading-comprehension-worksheets/inferences-worksheets/

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:6216bd04-7501-49c7-927e-45be9391b4a3

https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/inference

https://study.com/academy/lesson/making-inferences-lesson-for-kids.html

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Informal Assessment on the Odyssey
By: Cathy Vargas Gavino
Assessments

Calypso

After reading and listening to Suzanne Vega’s poem/song, “Calypso,” answer the following questions in complete sentences:

1. What narrative point of view is used in this song? (Ch. 3 lit. term)

2. What narrative point of view is used in The Odyssey?

3. Who is narrating the song?

4. Who is the man Calypso is referring to in the song?

5. Is he a guest or a prisoner on Calypso’s island?

6. In The Odyssey, what does Calypso offer Odysseus to stay on her island?

7. In the song, Calypso says, “I let him go.”  How does this differ from her action in The Odyssey?

8. Would you consider this  a love song? Explain why or why not.

9. Suzanne Vega was born in 1959.  Why do you think she wrote a song about a story that is more than 3000 years old?

https://genius.com/Suzanne-vega-calypso-lyrics

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Informal Assessment: Writing Prompt Odysseus Faults

By: Cathy Vargas Gavino

The Cattle of the Sun God

Bad BBQ: This final episode in our lesson really epitomizes Odysseus’ faults as a man as well as his qualifications for being a hero in terms of mythology.

1. In your opinion, is Odysseus responsible for the actions of his men?

2. What are some of Odysseus’ faults, and how are they present in this scene?  Should we forgive him?  Or should we criticize him?  Why?

3. What qualifications of being a hero does Odysseus meet?

4. What should Odysseus have done differently to avoid what happens here on Helios’ island?  What does this say about him as a leader?

With your group, respond to these questions and put your answers (full and complete sentences) onto a visual representation of typical American BBQ food.  Put your responses together onto one plate to make a meal of bad BBQ.  On the back of your plate, answer the following question: Why do you think I am referring to this story as “bad BBQ?”

Students are able to work in pairs and can use the text to answer the above questions. They have the option of doing an oral presentation on the questions, PowerPoint presentation, speech to text as a modification, or written responses.

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Informal Assessment: No RedInk

By: Cathy Vargas Gavino

Students will take different quizzes on No Red Ink. They will have multiple chances to pass the section free of errors. The teacher will know what students are proficient on evidence citations and what students need further teaching.

https://www.noredink.com/curriculum/quiz/categories/evidence-citations-plagiarism

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1.     How does Homer make it clear that Odysseus faces a formidable opponent in the Cyclops?

2.   What does the phrase “fair traffic” mean?  What does the Cyclops mean by these questions?

3.   What did you learn in an earlier episode that explains why Odysseus gives the Cyclops this warning?

4.   What is happening at this point?

5.    Which details help you visualize this gruesome scene?  Why does Homer include such gruesome details?

6.   Why doesn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops at this moment?  What factors must Odysseus consider in devising a successful plan of escape?

7.     Predicting: What do you think Odysseus plans to do with the pointed staff?

8.    What is ironic about the Cyclops’s saying he will eat Nohbdy last?

9.  Do you think it is wise for Odysseus to laugh, considering that he and his men are obviously not
yet out of danger?

10. How would you characterize Odysseus in lines 416-419?

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5 Ways to help support students struggling with reading comprehension

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5 Ways to help support students struggling with reading comprehension

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This website provides ways to help students who struggle with reading comprehension. Since it offers multiple ways, teachers can find which ways work best for their struggling students.

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These strategies can help students who are able to decode well but have difficulty understanding what they read-and they're beneficial for all students.

monkeybusinessimages / iStock

When we think of reading issues, we often imagine children who struggle to decode the letters in text and turn them into spoken language. This type of struggling reader has a very difficult time figuring out what many of the words are and has poor phonological (speech-sound) skills. However, there are also many students who sound like they're reading beautifully but have difficulty with understanding vocabulary and figurative language, inferencing, verbal reasoning, grammatical development, and oral expression.

As children get older, if they are decoding text well we assume they are reading well. Once a person learns to decode, reading comprehension becomes more about language comprehension and focus. At this transition, starting around third grade, teachers may begin to notice some students who decode text fluently but are not understanding.

Since this type of struggling reader is less noticeable than ones who have difficulty decoding, they often slip under the radar until they begin to fail standardized state comprehension tests. Even then, their issues may go undetected for a long time, resulting in middle and high school students who sound like they're reading but understand nothing that they have read.

These struggling readers should be targeted for remediation-the earlier the better. However, remediation consisting of practice passages and questions may be ineffective as it focuses too narrowly on text-based skills.

Supporting Students Who Struggle With Comprehension

Here are five strategies to try out with students who read fluently but struggle to comprehend what they're reading.

1. Target overall comprehension of language: Recent research reveals that reading comprehension difficulties may stem from an underlying oral language weakness that exists from early childhood, before reading is even taught. It turns out that students who have poor reading comprehension also often understand fewer spoken words and less of what they hear, and have worse spoken grammar. So, to address reading comprehension deficits effectively, educators may have to use an approach that teaches vocabulary, thinking skills, and comprehension first in spoken language and then in reading and written language.

2. Teach vocabulary: Because students with poor comprehension often have poor vocabulary skills and understand less of what they hear, it's helpful to teach the meanings of new words through the use of multisensory strategies like graphic organizers, pictures, and mnemonics. Improving their overall language skills increases the likelihood that they will understand the words they encounter in written text. Since it is impossible to know every word one might encounter, students should be taught about the different types of context clues and how to use them to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Discussing or activating prior knowledge,

Developing questions while reading,

Connecting what they are reading to another text, something they have seen, or something they have experienced,

Visualizing or picturing what they are reading,

Making predictions about what will come next in the text,

Looking back for keywords and rereading in order to clarify or answer questions, and

Thinking aloud to model the strategies and thought processes needed for comprehension.

3. Teach thinking strategies: Once students have the vocabulary to be able to make it through a text, they often struggle with the complex thinking or sustained attention required to keep up with all of the important details and to access information that is implied but not directly stated. Teachers can instruct students on cognitive strategies they can use. Many common text reading strategies-such as annotation, SQ3R, and the KWL chart -make use of these thinking strategies, including:

Students can learn and then use the strategies that work best for them depending on the text they're reading. Pulling deeper meaning out of text through the use of thinking strategies can be beneficial not just to reading comprehension but also to writing.

Questioner, who poses questions about parts of the lesson, discussion, or text that are unclear or confusing, or to help make connections with previously learned material.

Summarizer, who sums up each important point or detail from the lesson, discussion, or text.

Clarifier, who tries to address the Questioner's issues and make sure that parts they found confusing are clear to others.

Predictor, who makes a prediction about what will happen next based on what was presented, discussed, or read,

4. Have students practice reciprocal teaching: Once taught, cognitive strategies can be consistently practiced and implemented through the use of reciprocal teaching, which encourages students to take a leadership role in their learning and begin to think about their thought process while listening or reading. Teachers can use reciprocal teaching during class discussions, with text that is read aloud, and later with text that is read in groups. The students should rotate between the following roles:

5. Directly teach comprehension skills: Students should be directly taught comprehension skills such as sequencing, story structure using the plot mountain, how to make an inference and draw a conclusion, and the different types of figurative language. Students should have the opportunity to first use the skills with text that they hear the teacher read aloud, and then later with text that they read independently at their own level.

The comprehension skills and strategies listed above can be used with the whole class, as they closely align with reading and language arts standards for elementary and middle school students. Teachers can help students select reading material with vocabulary that matches their current ability levels so that within a classroom, students are reading text and working on vocabulary at levels that are accessible for each of them.

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5 Ways to Support Students Who Struggle With Reading Comprehension

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These strategies can help students who are able to decode well but have difficulty understanding what they read-and they're beneficial for all students.

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Students will be divided into smaller groups to listen and read along to “The Odyssey by Homer”. Learners will also be given a graphic organizer to take notes during reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW0CpM4_A

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FoiHt_Q4RAsbGWlDpLEJsTVaPUdaiBUBYcKd4aL-xhQ/edit

The Purpose of this activity is to allow different modalities of accessing the content and foster engaged reading.

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Introduce Competency Skills to be learned. 

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Introduce Competency Skills to be learned. 

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Students will be introduced to the terms: textual evidence, explicit and inferences. Students will watch short videos of each term and engage in a small discussion.  Students will also copy definitions in their notebooks for future reference.

Explicit : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElSZ5-ciPc4

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Students will review their notes from Activity 1 and will be asked questions regarding sections of the book that were read in order to solidify learner’s comprehension.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FoiHt_Q4RAsbGWlDpLEJsTVaPUdaiBUBYcKd4aL-xhQ/edit

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In groups students will access any prior knowledge about Odysseus, Cyclops and other characters  etc by completing character charts. I will allow students to share what they know about these people/topics so that I can segue into our reading. The students will learn that the Odyssey is an epic poem, and Odysseus is an epic hero.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A6thrhQnKcrTtg3lgLXcJGFO60fERuhHi6hLmFN5X-o/edit

The purpose of this activity is to familiarize the student with who the characters are in the story.

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For the visual learners, students will watch parts of the movie The Odyssey in order to obtain a greater sense of the story line. While students watch movie, they will complete the graphic organizer in order to follow along with the story line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHX1NCwkYA0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nOQ8Rj68ljY47GY11LGPOLUDRXm4oItPqxvHRf-2HBM/edit

The purpose of this activity is to solidify student comprehension and especially for learners with Specific Learning Disability.

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Students will be paired up with 3 to 4 other students and will take small parts of each chapter and highlight, annotating any textual evidence within the text.

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aRpbU04DUzgokPg9mazgTzJwEUfmvUj3/edit

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Students will log in to Pear Deck and engage in interactive guide questions. The purpose of this activity is to check for understanding.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QxWvIOgvnS5UaaScFrgw_wj2KPiihMSCrH5gWwrVcv4/edit#slide=id.g8f8fd7551a_0_47

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The teacher will model an example for the student and then students will pair up with another partner and analyze lines 1 -20 to determine what the texts say explicitly and write their findings in their notebooks.

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

The purpose of this activity is to break up concepts into  smaller parts in order to scaffold material.

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The teacher will model an example for the student and then students will pair up with another partner and analyze lines 1 -20 to draw any inferences from the text and make notes in their notebooks.

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

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Students will also practice extracting textual evidence from the text and will use a thinking map to determine explicit information and inferences.

https://app.luminpdf.com/viewer/5f2f86fc63f57f001a8873fa

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

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Students will be divided into smaller groups to listen and read along to “The Odyssey by Homer”. Learners will also be given a graphic organizer to take notes during reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PW0CpM4_A

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FoiHt_Q4RAsbGWlDpLEJsTVaPUdaiBUBYcKd4aL-xhQ/edit

The Purpose of this activity is to allow different modalities of accessing the content and foster engaged reading.

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Introduce Competency Skills to be learned.

# data[].attributes.subject
Introduce Competency Skills to be learned.

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Students will be introduced to the terms: textual evidence, explicit and inferences. Students will watch short videos of each term and engage in a small discussion.  Students will also copy definitions in their notebooks for future reference.

Explicit : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElSZ5-ciPc4

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Students will review their notes from Activity 1 and will be asked questions regarding sections of the book that were read in order to solidify learner’s comprehension.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FoiHt_Q4RAsbGWlDpLEJsTVaPUdaiBUBYcKd4aL-xhQ/edit

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In groups students will access any prior knowledge about Odysseus, Cyclops and other characters  etc by completing character charts. I will allow students to share what they know about these people/topics so that I can segue into our reading. The students will learn that the Odyssey is an epic poem, and Odysseus is an epic hero.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A6thrhQnKcrTtg3lgLXcJGFO60fERuhHi6hLmFN5X-o/edit

The purpose of this activity is to familiarize the student with who the characters are in the story.

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For the visual learners, students will watch parts of the movie The Odyssey in order to obtain a greater sense of the story line. While students watch movie, they will complete the graphic organizer in order to follow along with the story line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHX1NCwkYA0

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nOQ8Rj68ljY47GY11LGPOLUDRXm4oItPqxvHRf-2HBM/edit

The purpose of this activity is to solidify student comprehension and especially for learners with Specific Learning Disability.

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Students will be paired up with 3 to 4 other students and will take small parts of each chapter and highlight, annotating any textual evidence within the text.

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aRpbU04DUzgokPg9mazgTzJwEUfmvUj3/edit

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Students will log in to Pear Deck and engage in interactive guide questions. The purpose of this activity is to check for understanding.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QxWvIOgvnS5UaaScFrgw_wj2KPiihMSCrH5gWwrVcv4/edit#slide=id.g8f8fd7551a_0_47

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The teacher will model an example for the student and then students will pair up with another partner and analyze lines 1 -20 to determine what the texts say explicitly and write their findings in their notebook.

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

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The teacher will model an example for the student and then students will pair up with another partner and analyze lines 1 -20 to draw any inferences from the text and make notes in their notebook.

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

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Students will also practice extracting textual evidence from the text and will use a thinking map to determine explicit information and inferences.

https://app.luminpdf.com/viewer/5f2f86fc63f57f001a8873fa

https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

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This summative will help students demonstrate mastery of competency and has been modified for students with learning disabilities.

1.    Whom is Odysseus referring to when he uses the term sovereign death?

2.   Which god is Teiresias referring to here?

3.   What prophecy does Odysseus receive?  Where else in part one of The Odyssey is the reader told what will happen to Odysseus and his men?

4.    Does knowing what happens in advance lessen your enjoyment of this epic?

5.     Summarize the story of The Land of The Dead.  (Retell the story in your own words)

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Students will create a comic strip based on the book.  They will focus on the main events in the story.  This will get them engaged in a fun way.  Students will be so focused on creating their comics that they wont even realize that they are really practicing their summarizing skills.
http://creativeclassroomcore.blogspot.com/2016/06/introducing-odyssey-characters.html

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Teach the Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers

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Teach the Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers

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A lot of times students struggle with comprehending their reading and don't understand it because they just read it mindlessly.  Introducing the seven strategies for highly effecting readers will help them retain what they read and really understand it.  Teachers should start with just one of the seven strategies and introduce/ model it.
http://www.adlit.org/article/19844/

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"Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text."
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/1/

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Students will demonstrate their knowledge by reading an article and responding to a simple prompt.
Instructions: Read the following article. Then respond to the quick write writing prompt.
Prompt: Why are bees going extinct? Use details and support from the text to support your claim.
Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/02/bumblebees-going-extinct-climate-change-pesticides/

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Students will demonstrate their knowledge by participating in the online assessment.

Link: https://www.learningfarm.com/startSession.cfm?subID=70&topicID=1152&modeID=1&randID=0.014436087869095116&CFID=66795864&CFTOKEN=6ab0132771da7e9-8E41489E-935C-F9BA-702E963662B34E86

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Students will demonstrate their knowledge by reading an article and responding to a simple prompt.
Instructions: Read the following article. Then respond to the quick write writing prompt.
Prompt: Why are bees going extinct? Use details and support from the text to support your claim.
Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/02/bumblebees-going-extinct-climate-change-pesticides/

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Students will be introduced to the gods that take place in Odyssey by Homer.

Students will work in small groups. Students will design a visual representation of a god. Students need to select a symbol that represents the key features of the god. For example: Poseidon=Triton, Dolphin, Horse, and Bull. Students will then define why they chose the symbol, key features, and Greek story that talks about the selected god.

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Students will listen to text read aloud Odyssey by Homer.
Students will divide sentences into smaller sections. Students will be asked questions about the text to gauge their level of comprehension.
The goal of this activity is to enhance background knowledge and develop vocabulary.
Link: https://poets.org/poem/odyssey-book-i-lines-1-20

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Students will be introduced to vocabulary.
Students will work independently to define and match vocabulary that derives from the text.
Link: https://quizlet.com/1357038/odyssey-vocabulary-words-flash-cards/

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Students will work in small groups to discuss questions related to the text.

Students will divide text into smaller sections. Students will be asked supplementary questions to develop understanding of key words and phrases from the text.

Students will engage in scaffolded close readings.

Link: https://quizlet.com/77652303/the-odyssey-review-flash-cards/

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Students will work in small groups to discuss questions related to the text.
Students have been prepared through scaffolding in the previous activity. Students will be provided with glossed vocabulary and supplementary questions.
Link (Character Flashcards): https://quizlet.com/15523187/the-odyssey-characters-flash-cards/
Link (Vocabulary Flashcards): https://quizlet.com/1014772/the-odyssey-vocabulary-flash-cards/

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Students will watch the Odyssey movie.

Students will take notes during the movie. Students will identify differences and similarities between the text and the movie.

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Students will independently conduct a close read of Patrick Henry’s Speech to the Second Virginia Convention.
After reading the text, students will use a citation table for recording data as they read the text a second time. Students will write specific phrases or sentences from the text. Students are expected to articulate the significance of each phrase or sentence they selected.
Link (Page 77 for text. Page 63 for citation table.):https://www.isbe.net/Documents/ela-teach-strat-read-text-6-12.pdf#%5B%7B%22num%22%3A323%2C%22gen%22%3A0%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22XYZ%22%7D%2C51%2C736%2C0%5D

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Students will read several passages and answer questions that follow. Students will make logical inferences based on textual evidence.

Link:

https://www.ereadingworksheets.com/reading-worksheets/inferences-worksheet-06/preview/inferences-worksheet-06-01.jpg

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Students will be given several excerpts to read. Students will look for clues in a text about something the author is trying to tell the reader but does not directly say. Lastly, students will identify clues that give the reader a hint, or support, the inference.

Link (Google Form):

https://forms.gle/b8qSkwhDe2335Vkz9

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Sometimes students struggle to comprehend what they are reading if they don't know the meaning of some of the words. Students will have a piece of paper and pencil next to them while reading. They will pause and write down any unfamiliar words as they go. After reading they will use a dictionary to define the unfamiliar words. The goal of this activity is to help the students better understand what they are reading.

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This resource provides many activities to help promote reading comprehension. One of the activities is to have students build their vocabulary by studying a list of root words. If they know the meaning of the root words than they will have a good idea of the meaning of any variation of that word. Building a students vocabulary is very beneficial to them with their grade level reading.

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Basic Skills

Reading begins by connecting printed symbols with sounds. Next, the reader applies the rules of letters and sounds to identify words. Older readers use these same skills to break down complicated vocabulary into understandable units or syllables. All these important skills help to "crack the code" of reading and writing for understanding. And it all begins with 26 letters and about 44 sounds. Amazing!

Morphemes and Word Builders

"What is a MORPHEME?" I hear you ask! It is the smallest collection of sounds or letters that has meaning. So as children start to read long words, we can usually make the words understandable by breaking them into parts or morphemes! If I read the word understandable, I can break it down into segmented parts: under-stand-able. Get it?

Many words are created in the English language by taking a base (root) word and adding letters at the beginning (Prefix) and/or letters at the end (Suffix). What we call them is not important. How they change the meaning of a word is extremely important. For example, FRIEND may become UNFRIENDLY. PORT may become IMPORT, PORTER or IMPORTANTLY. Port means to carry and you can see how the meaning is enhanced with affixes. Conduct a Word Search using the newspaper or a magazine. See how many words with affixes each member of the family can circle in a minute. Use the Master List of Morphemes to help define those words.

Root Words

Root words are much like the DNA of vocabulary. It is the beginning of the concept and a very rich WORD. Let's start with grace as a root word. We can fuse this to create gracious, or ungraceful or disgraceful. With just a few root words, our vocabulary is expanding exponentially, and exponent is my ROOT WORD! Use the Root Word List to see how many variations you can create from a single root word. Then discuss the definitions of your creations.

Reading Fluently: The Right Speed, Accuracy and Expression

Fluency--what is it? It is the ability to read quickly, accurately and with expression. It is the ability to make reading FLOW! We want our children to read fluently so that they understand what they read. How does one improve fluency? By reading!

General Resources

Looking for some general information on reading fluency? How about some great tips for building fluency at home? Look no further. You have come to the right spot!

Fluency Station

Choose a favorite book, a library book or a text book. Model fluent reading by reading aloud with expression to your child. Now it's their turn! Repeated reading of the same book is quite all right. In fact, we LOVE repeated readings.

Track the number of words read, number of mistakes and evaluate how expressive the reader was with a Graphing Oral Reading teacher tool.

Building a Strong Vocabulary

Why is vocabulary important? Creating a home environment that is rich in both print and the spoken word is critical to your child's language development. Help your child build a rich vocabulary to become an effective reader and writer.

Websites Worth Visiting

Save these great sites on your computer to help your child develop a strong vocabulary.

At Home Ideas

Looking for some great tips for building vocabulary at home? Look no further. You have come to the right spot!

Refrigerator Word Banks

The "fridge" is a great place to save words and phrases for developing stronger vocabulary. Develop One-Week Word Banks based on a theme. Why not collect science terms, math terms, words that make you angry or words of inspiration. Why not collect a list of all the ways one can say BIG?

Sensational Words

Use television news or commercials, newspapers or magazines to collect words that persuade you. Keep a journal of SENSATIONAL words that are used to influence you. Discuss the purpose of those sensational words and consider their effect. Words like "breaking news!," "Gluten free" or "powerful" just to name a few. Will they get your attention or improve your looks? Will those words influence your vote or cause you to make a purchase? Sensational words are SENSATIONAL!

Connecting Real-World Experiences to What Your Child Is Reading

For children to truly understand what they read, they must have some experience with the topic to connect the new information to their understanding of the world. We can read a how-to manual on replacing a carburetor, but unless we have some basic understanding of car engines, we will never understand it. Likewise, children need many real-world experiences in order to understand what they are reading. Those experiences can be either real (trip to the zoo) or virtual (read a book or watch a video). It is essential that children build vast knowledge of the world around them in order to become great readers and writers.

Ways to Build Knowledge

Helping your child call to memory what he already knows about a topic before reading a text really helps your child to connect the new learning to what he already knows. Teachers call this activating prior knowledge.

Connect lessons from texts with experiences from your life:

Fables teach values and morals.

Cultural history and storytelling.

Scientific process as applied to recycling or space exploration.

Use the Internet to dig deeper.

Field Trips

Of course a trip to a museum or the zoo is an obvious way to build a child's understanding of the world, but there are many ways to develop understanding right in your backyard! Share your hobby, use public transportation and explain how it works, take apart an old electronic device, prepare a favorite recipe, listen to a genre of music-the sky is the limit. Just remember to ask questions, give explanations, write a review when the activity is complete or create a photo compilation of the event.

Brainstorming Sessions

What is brainstorming? It is bringing up a real-world problem (problems that are meaningful may include classes to take, extracurricular school activities, college to attend, what job to attain) and trying to find solutions. However, there are some very important rules regarding the sharing of ideas and solutions. Most importantly, there is no such thing as a dumb idea! All ideas are welcome and encouraged. Out of someone's zany idea might come a perfect solution to a problem. Take a look at the Rules for Brainstorming Sessions and try it at your next family dinner.

Understanding What Is Read

Reading the words and sentences in a text is only half the job. The other half requires understanding what is read. The purpose of reading is to get meaning from the written passage. Sometimes children learn to read the words of a text, without understanding the information within it. Comprehension is the ability to understand what is read and it is important to becoming an accomplished reader. This requires children to develop more sophisticated reading skills in order to analyze texts when learning across all content areas.

Think Aloud

Children learn when they make connections between what they hear and what they know. One method parents can use to help make these connections is called a think aloud, where you talk through your thoughts as you read. Use the think aloud method with anything you read. This method can be applied to a television show, a play, or even a movie. Ask questions that encourage your child to draw conclusions, predict what happens next, or determine motivations.

Concept Maps

Concept maps build off a child's prior knowledge. They allow for connections to be visualized as seen in this concept map example. It is helpful to understand a passage by drawing important concepts into a web or map. This helps your child see the relationships of concepts. Some concepts to map include: main idea, characters, sequencing of events, single character attributes, or major events leading to the climax.

Text Coding

Watch the Text Coding Video to see how to help your child identify important concepts when reading informational texts. Strategies like numbering paragraphs and highlighting repeated words will help guide reading for understanding.

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Reading begins by connecting printed symbols with sounds. Next, the reader applies the rules of letters and sounds to identify words. Older readers use these same skills to break down complicated vocabulary into understandable units or syllables. All these important skills help to "crack the code" of reading and writing for understanding.

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In this activity students will be asked to think of real life experiences that are similar to what they are reading. Often times, it is easier for us to understand what we are reading if we can make connections in either our life or something we have seen/watched. Students will discuss with a partner and come up with a list of 3 real life similarities. They will then share them with the class.

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Students will get a large blank white paper. They will create a timeline. Throughout the book they will add events to the timeline. This will give the reader a good understanding of the timeline of events of the story. This will help them to see what happened first, next, etc.

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A lot of books have a lower level version available online.  I would have  the student read this version at home, because I do not want them embarrassed reading it in front of their peers.  If they read this "Easier to understand" book at home it will help build their fluency and they will have a better understanding of the story while in class with their peers.  They are more likely to engage in class discussions if they understand what they read.