teacher.html

General Information

An Iavdenture is a unique and impressive way for students to learn and use research skills to solve a problem. It is also a fun way to teach any subject that is getting old and difficult for a teacher to present. The iadventure tells the student a story and presents him or her with a dilemma. The student must make a decision, but they need information for this decision. The information comes in the form of a list of websites and a guide that asks questions from these sites.

Click here for more information on iadventures

This iadventure centers around The Odyssey and is designed for a freshman Communication Arts class. Students can work alone on the research, but they need to get into groups of four or five for the final. This unit should take three weeks of 50 minute class periods. The information in this iadventure could be easily be supplemented with books from the school or public library.

Site Map

Below is a site map that will show you the different pages on this iadventure. To get back to this page click on the Back button and you will return to this page.

Teacher Page (You are here!)	Title Page
Surviving The Odyssey (with Introduction)
The Journey		Ithaca
The Gods	Monsters	Ithaca Dwellers	Outsiders
Talk Show Assignment

Background Information

This is the epic poem unit. This topic tells the story of Odysseus' return from the Trojan war. He was kept out to sea for 20 years because he angered the god, Poseidon. His son was desperately seeking him as men wanting to take his father's place took over their castle and deliquesced their food recourses. Some of the students may have a basic knowledge of the Greek gods and what they represented, but many might need to learn that. This iadventure works well with any knowledge base on this subject.

Curriculum Objectives

1. Identify the qualities of epic poetry.
2. Understand the influences of culture and belief systems on literature.
3. Increase reading comprehension.

State Standards

Goal 1-4 Use technology tools and other resources to locate, select, and organize information.
Goal 1-10 Apply acquired information, ideas, and skills to different contexts as students, workers, citizens, and consumers.
Goal 2-1 Plan and make written, oral and visual presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Goal 2-7 Use technological tools to exchange information and ideas.
Goal 4-3 Analise the duties and responsibilities of individuals in societies.
Communication Arts 1 Speaking and writing standard English (including grammar, usage, punctuation, spelling and capitalization).
Communication Arts 2 Reading and evaluating fiction poetry and drama.
Communication Arts 3 Reading and evaluating nonfiction works and material.
Communication Arts 6 Participating in formal and informal presentations discussions of issues and ideas.

State Grade Level Expectations

Reading 1D Read grade-level instructional text with fluency and accuracy.
Reading 2C Use details from text to evaluate proposed solutions.
Reading 3D Read and apply multi-step directions to perform complex procedures and/or tasks.
Information Literacy 2A Analyze. describe, and evaluate the elements of messages projected in various media.
Listening and Speaking 2A In discussions and presentations create concise presentations of a variety of topics, incorporate appropriate media or technology, and demonstrate self control.

Resources Needed

Enough computers with internet connections for each student to have one.
Research guided questions made by the teacher or printed off this web site.
                Surviving the Odyssey Questions
                The Journey Questions
                Ithaca Questions
                The Gods Questions
                Monsters Questions
                The Ithaca Dwellers Questions
                The Outsiders Questions

Assessment
Daily work

Research Guide Name	Points Received	Points Possible
Surviving the Odyssey Questions		38
The Journey Questions		38
Ithaca Questions		38
The Gods Questions		33
Monsters Questions		33
The Men Questions		33
The Women Questions		33
Totals		246

Scoring Guide for
The Odyssey Talk Show

Content	0-13	14-17	18-21	22-26	27-30
All information about the characters are correct.
All characters contributions to the story are discussed thoroughly.
Organization	0-13	14-17	18-21	22-26	27-30
Information is presented in a logical sequence.
Conventions	0-13	14-17	18-21	22-26	27-30
All grammar and usage are correct during the show.
Presentations	0-13	14-17	18-21	22-26	27-30
Character portrayal is correct--student playing the character acts the way the character would.
Portrayal is polished--all words are pronounced correctly and the audience can hear and understand the person.
Creativity	0-13	14-17	18-21	22-26	27-30
Customs, wording, and set show individuality and enhance the performance.
Total

Acknowledgments

The iAdventure idea was created by Mr. Stan Smith from the Warrensburg school district is Warrensburg, MO. This iAdventure was designed for his class, Creating Web Based Resources from University of Central Missouri. I would like to thank Mr. Smith for his guidance on this project. I would also like to thank Mr. Vincent Spallo for being a sounding board for my personal questions about the subject matter and technology at my current school of Excelsior Springs.