So Homer invoked the muses to guide the retelling of the great warrior Odysseus, separated from home and family for 20 years, 10 at war and 10 journeying home to rocky Ithaca. Starting today, students will hear "The Odyssey" told in three parts over three days. Through the descriptive language of this story, students will experience Poseidon's churning of the seas, will hear the song of the Sirens, and will bear witness to the integrity and loyalty of Odysseus to resist temptations and find his way home. Following each story segment, students are discussing the imagery and themes that arise, all of which lead back to the essential question begged by the myths: what does it mean to be human?
Friday's field trip to Smith College promises to be thought-provoking and engaging as students visit the museum, botanical garden and greenhouse, and Paradise Pond. The ELA portion at the pond will bridge themes and ideas of "Plastic Entanglements" with those of the River of Words project (see attached link). I have worked with ROW collaborators Margaret Babbott, Carol Berner, and Nancy Allen to create curriculum that stimulates students to think about entanglements in the natural world and our own place within it. This will be achieved through a physical activity involving yarn, individual observations of nature, and an interactive poetry writing activity inspired by "Plastic Entanglements". We will follow up this day's events with poetry writing and an art project--details to come in future blogs!
River of Words Project
(be sure to click on 2019 winners/finalists--our own Trey Rivera, now in eighth grade, was a finalist for his poem, "The Mill River"!)
HOMEWORK:
Monday/Tuesday: essay due; submit to google classroom by Wednesday.
Wed-Fri: god(dess) chart due by 5/29
work on project! due by 6/10
