Teaching the Hero's Journey: Studying the Odyssey for 9-10 Grade ELA [S7 EP. 258]

Listen to the full episode below:

Teaching The Odyssey doesn’t have to be stuck in surface-level plot points. It can be the unit where students are guided through their own epic journeys!

In this third episode of our Hero’s Journey series, we’re diving into how we’ve completely reimagined teaching The Odyssey to ninth graders. If you’ve been following along, you know we started this series with an overview of using the Hero’s Journey as a curriculum tool, then explored what it looks like in middle school using The Hobbit. Now we’re shifting the focus to high school—and it’s not just about leveling up content, it’s about deepening the purpose.

We’re talking essential questions, student-centered analysis, and ways to move from plot summaries to powerful conversations, like whether or not you can still be a hero if you never leave home. We’re also sharing how this unit can end with a project that feels more personal, more reflective, and way more meaningful than a traditional essay or presentation.

Are you ready to get more out of teaching The Odyssey and help students get more out of it too? Hit play and don’t forget to download our free Evidence Tracker so students can track their progress and note evidence of their learning!

topics discussed:

  • Our experiences with teaching The Odyssey in the past

  • Where The Hero’s Journey can go wrong

  • How The Hero’s Journey evolves from seventh grade to ninth grade

  • An essential question to use with The Odyssey and why we chose it

  • Ideas for summative assessments that will allow students to apply their journey and answer the essential question

  • Engaging supplements to use alongside The Odyssey

resources:

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More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

Tune in on your favorite podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

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