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The Odyssey: read and explore

Odysseus sails for home across a wine-dark sea.

About this reading

Author
Homer
Form
novel
Subtitle
translated by Samuel Butler
Catalog year
1900

Choose this reading by interest and comfort with the language. This catalog does not assign a school grade. Preview the text before reading with a child; classic works can contain unfamiliar language and historical attitudes.

Read The Odyssey

Preview the language: Book 1

THE GODS IN COUNCIL—MINERVA’S VISIT TO ITHACA—THE CHALLENGE FROM TELEMACHUS TO THE SUITORS. Tell me, O Muse, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy. Many cities did he visit, and many were the nations with whose manners and customs he was acquainted; moreover he suffered much by sea while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home; but do what he might he could not …

Choose a phrase from this opening. What does it suggest, and which words support your interpretation? Read on to test your first impression.

A reading activity for The Odyssey

  1. Before opening the text, read the title and this catalog description: “Odysseus sails for home across a wine-dark sea.” Write one question you hope the reading will answer.
  2. Read a short passage. Choose one sentence that helps you understand what is happening and explain which words support your interpretation.
  3. Choose one unfamiliar word. Guess its meaning from the surrounding words, then check a dictionary or discuss it with a reading partner.
  4. Return to your original question. Explain what the passage answered and what you still need to read to find out.

These are suggested discussion tasks, not a scored assessment or a claim that finishing the text establishes mastery.

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Source edition: Project Gutenberg record for The Odyssey. This link identifies the catalog source; it does not imply endorsement.

Use this activity with a learner

Educators and independent learners

Learning goal: Read The Odyssey by Homer, then support an interpretation with words from the text.

Before you begin: Preview the language and historical context. Select a passage appropriate for your learners.

Check understanding: Ask for one observation, the evidence that supports it, and a question to investigate next.

Catalog inclusion does not assign a school grade. Preview historical language and themes before using a work with children.

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The Odyssey — Read and Explore | Lesson Worlds