Now that we have completed our study of Homer’s Odyssey, you have an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the epic through an individual or group creative project. Each project is worth 100 points. A rubric is included with each description. Play to your strengths and have fun! If you have an additional idea for an individual or group project, let me know.
Individual Projects
The Lost Book
Historians have believed for over two thousand years that books are missing from Homer’s Odyssey. You have one of those lost books in your possession. In 2-3 pages, write this lost book. Model your writing after Homer’s Odyssey by including elements of an epic, epithets, and epic similes. Include where Odysseus has been before your lost book, the adventures, creatures, gods/goddesses he encounters, the character trait(s) Odysseus demonstrates, and hint where he would be going next.
Travel Brochure
Homer’s Odyssey describes many exotic and exciting places and creatures, along with Odysseus’s home of Ithaca. With a little imagination, these locations could make perfect vacation getaways.
Create a travel brochure based on locations in the Odyssey. The brochure should be created on 8 ½ X 11 unlined paper (or an electronic file) and be of a tri-fold design. Each location should include a picture, caption, and a 7-10 sentence paragraph describing the destination. Invent a name for your travel agency (address, logo, and slogan), contact information, pricing guide, other tours or travel
packages available.
Create a travel brochure based on locations in the Odyssey. The brochure should be created on 8 ½ X 11 unlined paper (or an electronic file) and be of a tri-fold design. Each location should include a picture, caption, and a 7-10 sentence paragraph describing the destination. Invent a name for your travel agency (address, logo, and slogan), contact information, pricing guide, other tours or travel
packages available.
Literary Head
You will be given an outline of a human head on which you are to create illustrations, drawings, words, or symbols referring to characteristics of an epic seen in the Odyssey (epic hero, epic plot, epic setting, archetypes, epic themes) You will need a total of 15 items on your literary head. Illustrations must be your original work, and each illustration must be numbered. On a separate page, you will write a detailed description of each of your fifteen illustrations, including a relevant direct quotation with line number(s). Descriptions must identify the illustration; explain its significance and how it relates to your overall focus. Descriptions should be 5-7 sentences in length, not including the quotation.
An Epic Presentation
Create a visual presentation (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) of at least fifteen slides that demonstrates the characteristics of an epic seen in the Odyssey: epic hero, epic plot, epic setting, archetypes, and epic themes. Incorporate images, explanations, and direct quotations with line number(s). You will present your work to the class.
Odysseus' Journal
Imagine if Odysseus had kept a journal of letters written home to Penelope and/or Telemachus. In these letters, Odysseus vividly describes his many adventures as he struggles to return to Ithaca. Write a journal of AT LEAST 6 of these letters, using the proper format of a letter. Each letter should be at least one page in length (250 words). Although you do not have to type the assignment, it must be legible.
Oral Interpretation
Choose an excerpt from the poem (2-3 minutes in length) and perform it as Homer might have - dramatically and expressively. Provide a brief introduction to your excerpt. Musical accompaniment optional.
Group Project Choices
Odyssey - The Board Game
With your partner create a board game that will follow Odysseus’ journey from Troy back to Ithaca. Incorporate the following events: The Lotus Eaters, Cyclops, Bag of Winds, Circe, Land of the Dead, Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, Helios’s Cattle, Calypso, returning to Ithaca, killing the suitors, and reuniting with Penelope. You may include other details of his journey as well. It is up to you and your partner to determine how the game is played and how the players will proceed on Odysseus’s journey. The game cannot be only a game of chance - it must demonstrate your understanding of the epic.
Scene from the Odyssey
Adapt (modernize) and present a scene from the Odyssey. Your scene should not be longer than 15 minutes and presented live. While you do not need to memorize your parts, you should be familiar enough with them so as to be able to focus on the presentation. Plan movement and a brief introduction. Props and costumes are optional. You will turn in a copy of your script at the time you present your scene.
Odyssey News Broadcast
Write and present a news broadcast based on actual events from the Odyssey. Broadcasts may present national news, local news, sports, and weather. The total news broadcast should be no longer than 15 minutes in length and presented live. While you may speak from a script, you should be familiar enough with the material to make eye contact with your audience. The newscast should include a station name, opening, and closing. You may also use the Promethean board to project images related to your stories. You will turn in a copy of your script at the time you present your broadcast.