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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1900 America: Primary Sources and Epic Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using Walt Whitman's Song of Myself and Hart Crane's The Bridge as models, class groups first craft their own epic poems for 1900 and, using primary sources, create a multi-media presentation that captures the sights and sounds of life...
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PPT
Curated OER

An Introduction to the Odyssey

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Epics, like the Odyssey, were told over the span of several days and drew quite a crowd. Before starting the famous work with your class, review this presentation to gain some insight into the structure and history of epic poems. 
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Odyssey List 2 Vocab Worksheet

For Students 8th - 10th
One of two epic poems attributed to Homer, The Odyssey is full of unfamiliar language. With this two-page activity, your class will study new words like victuals, forlorn, and pine. Unfortunately, the specific section these words come...
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Unit Plan
4
4
KIPP 3D Academy

Epic Poetry Unit

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
The Odyssey is the core text in this unit study of the hero's journey motif. Along the way, kids research Greek and Roman history, mythology, art, and epic poetry. The 104-page packet is perfect for homeschool or classroom situations and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Louisiana's Tragic Hero - "Evangeline"

For Teachers 8th
"Ye who believe...List to a Tale of Love in Acadie." Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline," launches a study of tragic heroines, epic poetry, the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada, and their subsequent migration to Louisiana. The...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

The Epic Poem in History

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Teachers can help students understand the connection between epic poetry and modern stories and songs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ballad Blast

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students write epic poems, songs, or ballads to describe adventures of their own. They discover that storytellers often told stories as epic poems, songs, or ballads. They share and discuss some of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beowulf

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students read the epic, Beowulf and examine the nature of good and evil. They compile a list of questions about loyalty tests and take turns asking and answering them. they create Beowulf comic strips and research other epic tales.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Epic Improvisation

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Really? Rapping The Odyssey? Really. A discussion of the oral tradition of story telling and its links to Epic poetry sets the stage for a series of activities that encourage improvisation to integrate music into other classrooms....
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Handout
Curated OER

Those Wacky Greek and Roman Gods: A Quick Cheat-Sheet

For Students 6th - 10th
Here's a handy two-page reference that briefly identifies major Greek and Roman mythological figures.
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PPT
Curated OER

Epic Poetry: Literary Terms for Story Analysis

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
What do Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Odyssey have in common? Why, they are all epics, of course, and are presented here as examples of the literary term. If you are beginning a study of epics, consider previewing the terms included...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners analyze the epic poem form and its roots in oral tradition. For this epic poetry lesson, young scholars research the epic hero cycle and recognize the pattern of events and elements. Learners analyze the patterns embedded in the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Ancient Greece

For Students 5th - 7th
In this ancient Greece worksheet, students read a factual story giving the basic history of the Minoans and Mycenaeans. Students answer 8 questions.
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Handout
Steven Kreis, PhD

The History Guide: Homer and the Greek Renaissance

For Students 9th - 10th
Presents a clear, readable summary of ancient Greek history from the Archaic period through the Renaissance which included Homer's epic poems. Explains major historical events and cultural trends as background for those reading Homeric...
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eBook
Blackdog Media

Classic Reader: Authors: Homer

For Students 9th - 10th
This site features the author Homer including the full text of the epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey written in prose.
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Handout
University of Victoria (Canada)

The U Vic Writer's Guide: Literary Term: Epics

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
The University of Victoria's English department gives a comprehensive definition of the "epic" poetic form. Short examples included.
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Primary
CommonLit

Common Lit: Excerpt From "The Odyssey: The Sirens" by Homer

For Students 9th - 10th
"The Odyssey" is an epic poem about a Greek hero named Odysseus, also known as Ulysses in Roman myths, and his 10-year journey home after the fall of Troy. In this excerpt, Ulysses encounters the Sirens while at sea. A specific purpose...
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Website
Luminarium

Luminarium: The Works of Milton

For Students 9th - 10th
This site contains links to Milton's poems, sonnets, and prose, as well as complete text to his epic poems "Paradise Lost" and "Paradise Regained."
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Unit Plan
McGraw Hill

Glencoe Literature Library: "Beowulf" Study Guide [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Introduce yourself to Anglo-Saxon literature by reading "Beowulf" and exploring its plot, themes, and characters with the help of this study guide. Check out a helpful "family tree" of the epic poem's characters, study new vocabulary...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs: The Story of India: Ramayana

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief description of the Ramayana, one of two great epic poems of ancient India.
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eBook
Blackdog Media

Classic Reader: Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the full text of the nine-book epic novel/poem Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning; it is a first-person account by the title character Aurora Leigh.
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eBook
Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg: The Iliad by Homer

For Students 9th - 10th
Resource presents multiple digital formats of this literary work. Edward, Earl of Derby did this translation of Homer's epic.
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eBook
Blackdog Media

Classic Reader: Aeneid by Virgil

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the full text of the Latin epic poem Aeneid by Virgil that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans.
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Primary
Blackdog Media

Classic Reader: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Prose Version) by Anonymous

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the full text of a prose version of the Medieval British Literature epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, author unknown. It also provides prefaces for the first and second editions and notes about the work.

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