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How We’re Making Homer’s Odyssey Accessible

Tell me ODYSSEUS: The TellmeOmuse Teaching Program for Homer’s Odyssey is designed to make Homer’s epic more accessible for today’s teachers. To do that:

We’ve made Homer’s Odyssey easier and more enjoyable to teach by turning the 12,000-line epic into easy-to-use, manageable teaching components and materials.

We’ve also made Odysseus’ story more familiar, relevant, and meaningful by connecting the stories of the past with the realities of the present.

Look inside

  • Page Example Contents
  • Page Example SEA to HOME
  • Page Example ODYSSEUS' Family
  • Page Example The Cicones
  • Page Example The Cyclops

Odysseus in the Classroom to Enhance Reading Comprehension

The momentum behind the mission of Tell me ODYSSEUS is the belief that one of the best ways to inspire reading and enhance the comprehension of what is being read is to bring Odysseus and his story into today’s classrooms.  Tell me ODYSSEUS provides the tools to help teachers create that epic literary experience.

Odysseus – A Hero With A Reputation For Boldness

When Odysseus returned home after nearly twenty years of war and wanderings, he faced 108 seemingly unconquerable Suitors.  Apparently nobody – up until Odysseus arrived that is – was bold enough to face these Suitors.  And until Odysseus returned home, it seemed the only thing that people back in Ithaca could do was talk about Odysseus and what he would do if only he were there to deal with this hopeless situation.  Odysseus had the reputation of doing what was needed to get the job done.  And then Odysseus came home.  He lived up to his reputation.  He took on the 108 Suitors.  He won the battle.

Three thousand years ago Odysseus faced 108 Suitors. Today, it often seems as though there are at least as many unconquerable issues facing the field of education.

People have been telling Odysseus’ story for centuries and though he’s been in the classroom, he has yet to enter with the force needed to address the most important issue (among the many) facing education today—the need to read, and the need to understand what is being read.

A Literary Experience Of Epic Proportions

The time has come to bring ODYSSEUS and his timeless story about conquering obstacles and overcoming challenges into today’s classroom with enough passion and enough force to create a literary experience of epic proportions. To do that, Odysseus needs today’s teachers.  And to help today’s teachers, we offer Tell me ODYSSEUS.

The Vision

Students eagerly and actively participating in a vibrant community that increasingly inspires them to talk about Odysseus and read his story, as they begin to experience his story as their own story - familiar, relevant, and meaningful.

Homer's Odyssey. It never gets old.

Purchase Tell me ODYSSEUS

Nearly 300 pages of clear, comprehensive, and easy-to-use teaching materials packaged into a colorful 3-ring sea-blue binder. 

A key component in making Homer’s Odyssey accessible was to make Tell me ODYSSEUS flexible.  Teachers using Tell me ODYSSEUS have recognized this flexibility and have appreciated the options the teaching program provides.  1.  Whether you are new to the teaching profession or have been teaching for many years, new to the Odyssey or very familiar with the story; 2. Whether your Odyssey Unit lasts a few weeks, an entire semester, or a full year; and 3. Whether you are teaching the entire 24 Books of Homer’s Odyssey or selected stories only - the Tell me ODYSSEUS teaching program provides you with options, guides you in making your choices, yet ultimately allows you to make the decisions about how you want to teach the Odyssey based on your preferences and classroom realities. Odyssey teachers with 10+ years of teaching experience and their own well-designed lesson plans have told us that Tell me ODYSSEUS has given them new ideas, new information, and new ways to teach Odysseus’ story that are easily integrated into their existing materials.

Your teaching program is not what we typically see in catalogs, this is not your mainstream curriculum.  We normally do not purchase curriculum – but this was different.  I don’t need something that tells me how to teach.  I need information. I used the Odyssey teaching program as a reference resource.  It helped me fill in the details and deepen my understanding.
Margaret Groninger, Teacher, Mamaroneck High School, Mamaroneck, NY

Thanks for your new map and the workshop!  It reminded me why I fell in love with being an English major in college and it made me feel like I was back in school discussing great literature! 
The nice thing is: I am excited about teaching the Odyssey again.  And, despite the fact that I could have just used last year’s lesson plans, I seem to be re-vamping and extending my entire unit.
 John Roukis, New York City Public School Teacher, Manhattan Village Academy

To learn more about the features of the Tell me ODYSSEUS Teaching Program and to purchase the program, visit the TellmeOmuse Online Store.

Read more reviews of the Tell me ODYSSEUS program at Tell me What the Teachers are Saying.