Beware of Teachers Speaking About Greeks

I am a fanatic about Homer's Odyssey and all things related to the epic poem. I am such a fanatic that I convinced my colleagues the past 4 years to let me give a 2-day lecture to the entire 9th grade on background information associated with the Trojan War.  I cram 10 years of war and mythology into two 45 minute periods (repeated 7 times for the various class periods).  It is an epic task that I love. I may be the sage on the stage, but I use engaging story-telling techniques so that students can practice auditory processing. For the visual learners, my lecture is supplemented with a PowerPoint presentation and complimentary handouts.

For those students who are absent and those who want to review the presentation at home or on devices in class, I created a video version of the PPT with enhanced notes that students can pause and rewind to gain understanding.  

After the 2-day lecture has concluded, students return to their respective classrooms and complete review activities of the material via review sheets on paper and on Edmodo and group Socrative Space Races. All of this culminates in a multiple choice test taken on Edmodo on the characters and plot of the Trojan War. Once students have demonstrated understanding of the material, study of the text of The Odyssey begins.