Good resources for learning more about Greek Drama...

More of a reminder to myself than anything else, I'm going to write down some books that have been helpful to me in learning Greek drama. The books have to go back to the library and I don't want to forget what they are when it comes time to teach this.

The first is Aristotle Poetics again.

The second is Greek Drama by Harold Bloom.

And again, Greek and Roman Classics a Guide to Humanities by Meyer Reinhold.

Some good resources I've found for teaching literature....

The first is for the Odyssey, a study guide by The Center for Learning which focuses on character issues. It's simply called The Odyssey a Curriculum Unit. Some activities are meant for groups, but I'm just having my students go through them on their own. It covers: Who was Homer, the difference in prose and poetry, folk epics, Greek gods and goddesses, the maturation of Telemachus, and discussion ?'s for each book (I like them better than Omnibus~sorry Veritas Press).
http://www.centerforlearning.org/ViewProductDetails-182-571-38.html

The second is great for epic poetry and greek drama: Aristotle Poetics

The next 2 are out of print, but well worth getting:
Essentials of Greek and Roman Classics by Meyer Reinhold (recommended by a fellow WTM'er). It is in outline format, so information is easily obtained. It gives background information behind the literature along with cliff notes type information.

The Next is a google book, again recommended by a WTM'er, but I had to have a print copy, since I thought it so useful to the teacher. It is called Teaching Literature in the Grammar Grades and High School by Emma Bolenius. It contains great information on all types of literature: poetry, ballads, novels, plays, short stories, oratories and more along with well written instructions in how to teach them. Here's a link to the google book:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=THUWAAAAIAAJ&dq=teaching+literature+in+the+grammar+grades+and+high+school&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=yUiphTgxWP&sig=N2-7DbJMixnkgKMO7GconwF_I6E&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result

Questions to ask during The Odyssey

Here are some excellent questions to ask during your reading of the Odyssey (taken from Teaching Literature in the Grammar Grades and High School by Emma Bolenius).
1. Where was Ulysses' home?
2. Why was Ulysses forced to take these long journeys?
3. Trace his wanderings.
4. Who are the chief characters in each book?
5. What are the chief events in each?
6. What was the most thrilling scene?
7. What characters do you like the best?
8. What was the cause of the Trojan War?
9. On which side are you?
10. What monsters have you met?
11. What is your idea of a hero?
12. Who comes nearest to it in this poem?
13. Which of the women do you like best?
14. What sports did the Greeks like?
15. What was their idea of heaven/hell?
16. What were their methods of fighting?
17. How do these methods compare with those used today?
18. Which Gods and Goddesses exerted a bad influence?
19. Which were good?
20. What have you learned about the home life of the Greek? Social life? Amusements? Religion? Traveling? Treatment of servants?
Possible essay questions:
1. Compare Athene and Aphrodite
2. Which is the better ideal for woman?
3. Compare Helen and Penelope
4. Compare Ulysses with our modern conception of a hero. How did Ulysses fall short?

Worksheets to go with The Odyssey:

Here's a link from The Web English Teacher: What makes a Poem an Epic?
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson_images/lesson587/HeroCycle.pdf
I can't get the link function to work so you'll have to copy and paste.

Preparing for The Odyssey....What is an epic?

Epic poetry has its roots in oral, rather than literate tradition. These stories were originally passed on by bards, or professional poets who made their living by singing folk tales and epic poems to audiences. While the details of the poem often shifted from one telling to the next, the most important elements of the story always remained the same.

The epic elevates man to the level of gods and goddeses, monsters and miracles. The reader views life from above, spread out before him. For nearly 3000 yrs, Homer has held the place of the master minstrel. Little is known about the author, claimed to be a blind Ionian singer, claimed by 7 cities of Asia Minor. The epics have been treasured for yrs. Alexander is said to have slept with them under his pillow in a box of gold. (Miller, Erin)

Epic derived from the Greek word "epos," means word, saying or speech. An epic is a long, narrative poem written in a dignified style on a majestic theme, relating the adventures of a legendary hero. Elegant and distinguished language is applied to everyone from the king to the common servant. The plot is straightforward and unifies around a central character. By use of epithet and repitition, to prompt the memory of the poet who is reciting it and to keep the plot fresh in the mind of the audience/reader.

What is an epithet? An epithet is a descriptive word or phrase often used as a metaphor or appositive to describe a character, such as "bright eyed Athena," "sensible Telemachus," and "rosy fingered dawn."

Epics have nine main characteristics:
Opens in Media Res (in the middle of the story)
The setting is vast, covering many nations, the world, or the universe.
Begins with an invocation to a muse
Starts with a statement of the theme (an epic will state the problem and often its solution in the beginning.
The use of epithets.
Includes long lists.
Features long and formal speeches.
Shows divine intervention on human affairs.
"STAR" heroes that embody the values of the civilization.

The hero generally participates in a cyclical journey or quest, faces adversaries that try to defeat him in his journey, and returns home significantly transformed by his journey. The epic hero illustrates traits, performs deeds, and exemplifies certain morals that are valued by the society from which the epic originates. (Wikipedia)

Slowing down on the Bible study...

As we race through the Bible it occurred to me that this may not be a good thing to do! I want my kids to enjoy the Bible and learn from it too along the way, so we'll be deviating from the Omnibus schedule and instead of reading large chunks in a couple of days we'll read about 15 minutes/day and see how far we get. We'll continue the rest of the books as scheduled.

1 Samuel

1 Samuel is a book of leadership and God's interactions with those leaders. This is a great time to reflect on leadership, as our country goes through elections. As you read, make notes of positive and negative leadership traits.

On to 1 Samuel...

What mistake do you think Eli made in raising his sons? Why do you think he did this?

Code of Hammurabi & Moses lesson plan

In planning my week, I came across this lesson plan for the Code of Hammurabi:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=633
I'm going to use it instead of having the girls read the complete book. Here's the plan for the week in case anyone else is interested:
Day one: Read introduction in Omnibus. Complete activity one of lesson plan. Complete assessment one from lesson plan.
Day two: Complete activity two and three from lesson plan. Complete assessment 2.
Day three: Complete activity four and assessment 3 from lesson plan.
Day four: Complete assessment 4.
There are printable pdf worksheets in the lesson plan to for you to use.
Enjoy!