The Iliad, The Odyssey, by Gwen BowerS and The Aeneid NEW YORK • TORONTO• LONDON • AUCKLAND • SYDNEY MEXICO CITY • NEW DELHI • HONG KONG • BUENOS AIRES Read-Aloud Plays: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid © Gwen Bowers, Published by Scholastic Teaching Resources To my dad for always expecting my best, and to the St. Charles class of 2005 for bringing these characters to life, and to Bernard and Dorothy Evslin and Ned Hoopes for breathing life into my childhood with their inspired stories of heroes and monsters. I would like to thank Shanna Streich and Jenn Durrant for their advice, support, and friend- ship. I would also like to thank my editor, Sarah Longhi, and everyone who had a hand in making this book, for their faith and encouragement. Thanks to Lucy Hughes for help at the British Museum Library Reading Room. Thanks and gratitude to Professor Barbara MacLachlan for her scholarship and classes in ancient epic. And a super-special thanks to Renato, Patrick W., Alex, Adam, Patrick D., Richard G., Peter, Mikey, and Derrick (my first Achilles) for their unbounded enthusiasm for the ancient world! Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the reproducible pages from this book for class- room use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Permissions Department, Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012-3999. Cover design by Jason Robinson Interior design by Melinda Belter Cover Illustrations by Jeff Carino Interior illustrations by George Ulrich ISBN-13 978-0439-62918-8 ISBN-10 0-439-62918-7 Copyright © 2006 by Gwen Bowers. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 Read-Aloud Plays: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid © Gwen Bowers, Published by Scholastic Teaching Resources CONTENTS Introduction Is It Possible to Teach Classical Literature to Middle School Students? Yes! . 4 If You Choose to Produce the Plays: Some “Don’t Sweat It” Basics . 6 Activities for Building Background Pronunciation Is a Key to Success . 8 Introducing Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses . 10 Fascinating Facts . 13 Activities for Extending Learning Map Adventure Through Ancient Lands . 14 Using Art to Convey Meaning: Greek Vases . 19 The Plays An Introduction to The Iliad .. ....................................22 The Iliad (a read-aloud play) . 25 Story Summary 1 . 33 Story Summary 2 . 35 Themes for Reflection . 37 Test . 38 An Introduction to The Odyssey ................................... .39 The Odyssey (a read-aloud play) ................................ 41 Story Summary 1 . 56 Story Summary 2 . 58 Themes for Reflection . 60 Test . 61 An Introduction to The Aeneid ................................... .62 The Aeneid (a read-aloud play) . 64 Story Summary 1 . 74 Story Summary 2 . 76 Themes for Reflection . 78 Test . 79 Answer Key ...................................................80 Resources . 81 Read-Aloud Plays: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid © Gwen Bowers, Published by Scholastic Teaching Resources INTRODUCTION Is It Possible to Teach I background and history that describe the tale Classical Literature to I activities that help you teach the content and Middle School Students? YES! assess students’ learning About the Plays There is no better time to address universal issues like friendship, suffering, and betrayal than in the How do the three epic tales retold in these plays preteen and teen years, and there are no better exam- relate to each other? The Iliad, a story about the ples to use than these incredible stories— bitter war between the Greeks and Trojans over the The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid—which work capture of the Spartan queen Helen by Trojan their way into so many aspects of our culture today. prince Paris, is a prequel to The Odyssey and The Invite your class to discuss Aeneas’s position as an Aeneid. The Odyssey tells of the Greek warrior immigrant displaced by war, and see if students can Odysseus’s adventurous journey home after the make the connection to current events. Let that Trojan War. The Aeneid is the story of the refugee student who can’t sit still choose his favorite part to Trojan prince Aeneas and his long journey to find read ... and watch him take on the role of a great a new homeland. hero or petulant Olympian. Studying these classics together helps students I have written these classics-inspired plays and to better understand relationships among a family of activities for my own middle school readers, who characters and deities that were at the cultural heart need highly motivating material to learn new of the ancient Greco-Roman world. Yet, it’s also information and to build reading skills. Each year, important to recognize and point out to students these plays captivate all types of learners—from the that The Iliad and The Odyssey have a very different most challenging to the most conscientious and historical and cultural context than The Aeneid. self-motivated. Students gain insights into the cul- A blind Greek poet, Homer, is thought to have ture of ancient Greeks and Romans, and they committed to memory the first two epic poems in become invested in the characters who drive the the mid-800s B.C. Recent linguistic research suggests action in these famous stories. At the same time, the that the rhythm and rhyme of the poems and the dialogue format helps them use expression and repetition of character epithets assisted Homer and phrasing, and repeated rehearsals build fluency and those who came afterward in recalling the story for comprehension. audiences. A standard text of both The Iliad and This resource provides you with everything you The Odyssey was written down by scholars at the need to teach the classic stories in an exciting and Great Library at Alexandria in about 600 B.C., fun-filled way: which means the tale, having been retold many I short, engaging plays that represent the times over, likely changed quite a bit from Homer’s entire plot of each classic story original telling. 4 Read-Aloud Plays: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid © Gwen Bowers, Published by Scholastic Teaching Resources The Aeneid has a more certain stamp of Here are some ways to build background authenticity. It was conceived in the form of a writ- before you begin teaching with these plays: ten document by Virgil, a well-educated writer in L STOCK YOUR CLASS LIBRARY WITH ANY first-century B.C. Rome, who counted among his RELATED RESOURCES ON THE ANCIENT WORLD. friends some of the most famous Roman citizens of Give students time in class to browse through the his time, including the Emperor Augustus. Virgil books. Make sure to have available a copy of each of promised the emperor he would write an epic poem the classics translated in verse or prose form so that that traced Augustus’s Roman lineage back to the students can compare these texts to the plays they ancient heroes and gods of the past—an epic to are reading. Take the opportunity to set the stage for match The Iliad in stature and to establish Roman a scene by reading aloud a vibrant, thrilling passage roots in the classical tradition. Though Virgil died from the unabridged text. This connects students before he had completed The Aeneid, his work was more closely to the format and style of the original quickly published and immortalized by the Romans. epic and helps them fill in details and become more invested in the story. For recommended translations How to Use This Book of the epics, see Resources, page 81. This book offers a creative way for teachers of litera- L READ ALOUD TO YOUR CLASS EXTRA TALES ture, history, and drama to introduce students to the WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN TROJAN GOLD, short best tales from the ancient world. While a detailed takes on classic stories associated with the characters treatment of classical literature lies outside the scope and events of a play. You’ll find these tales in the of this book, these plays and companion activities are introduction to each play. The letter marked next to designed to build essential background and improve the story in the introduction appears beside the students’ comprehension—and to motivate students related scene in the play. You might read all the tales to want to learn more about these ancient cultures. prior to reading the play and revisit them during In the first section of the book, you’ll find a set your read-through, or share each story when you of activities to build students’ background knowledge and your students reach the part of the play that and extend their learning about the classics. Follow- builds on the tale. ing these activities are three plays—adaptations of the L EXPLAIN TO STUDENTS THAT THEY WILL epics written for middle school readers—with com- ALWAYS ENCOUNTER VARIATIONS IN EACH TELLING panion activities. Each play section includes a script, OF THE EPIC THEY READ. To demonstrate how vari- stories from mythology related to the epic story, a ations occur in stories told in the oral tradition, such map activity, fill-in-the-blank summaries, themes for as The Iliad and The Odyssey, whisper a sentence in a writing or discussion, and a test. You may want to student’s ear and have him or her pass the message work through the three plays and their activities in along so that each student whispers the message in order since the stories build upon one another, or another student’s ear.