SHORT TERM GOALS:

1. To help students become familiar with the geographical locations of the adventures of Odysseus by relating these adventures to the Mediterranean Sea region.
2. To provide students with an opportunity to utilize various mapping skills, such as using scales, creating legends, and measuring distances.
3. To allow students to create a visual representation of the Mediterranean Sea area by use of a salt dough mixture.

TIME ALLOTMENT: 5 hours

CONTENT AREAS ADDRESSED:

1. Social Studies
2. Geography
3. Math
4. Art
5. Language Arts

CONCEPTS ADDRESSED:

1. Map skills: Scales and Legends
2. Measurement
3. Spatial awareness
4. Time

MATERIALS:

1. Recipe: Each student needs 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and enough water to form a pasty mixture
2. Various colors of paint, paintbrushes
3. A piece of cardboard about 12 inches by 12 inches for each student
4. Toothpicks
5. Stickers for labeling
6. Pencils, markers
7. Maps of the world and the Mediterranean Sea area
8. Atlases
9. Teacher copy of the book The Voyage of Odysseus by James Reeves

PROCEDURE:

1. Show the students a world map and point out the general region of the Mediterranean Sea. Next show the students a specific map of the Mediterranean Sea area. This map should include the northern parts of Africa, the western parts of the Middle East, and the southern parts of Europe.
2. Make a connection between the map of the Mediterranean Sea and the geographical setting of The Odyssey. All of the adventures within The Odyssey take place within this region of the world. The countries of Italy, Sicily, Greece, Turkey, and Libya are the major land areas within the story. The Mediterranean Sea, Ionian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, and the Straits of Gibraltar are the major waterways within the story of Odysseus. Before making their maps, the students should be familiar with the geographical locations of these land areas and waterways. A geographical guide is included.
3. The two cities of Troy and Ithaca should also be discussed with the students because they are the beginning and ending points of the story of Odysseus. To make these two cities clearer on the salt dough map, the students can use toothpicks to identify the cities.
4. For this lesson, the students are going to be creating individual salt dough maps of this Mediterranean Sea region in order to keep track of the journeys of Odysseus. Within the story, the specific names of the land areas and waterways are not addressed. However, the students should be familiar with these areas in order to translate the information from the story of Odysseus to their maps.
5. Introduce the concepts of scales and legends to the students. Scales create a correlation between the distance on the map to the actual distance on the Earth. Legends contain symbols and other specific information to help the viewer understand the various features of the map.
6. Now the students can combine their ingredients to make the salt dough mixture. Create a station where students can go to measure their ingredients. Adding the flour and salt together and then continually adding a little bit of water (until the mixture is pasty) makes the best mixture.
7. Once the mixture is created, the students can start making the Mediterranean Sea area landforms on the cardboard. Display atlases around the room for the students as references in order to make accurate maps of this area. Students will also create a scale for their own map, which represents the correlation between the distance on the salt dough map to the actual distance on the Earth. Students will be able to use the scales found in the atlases to create an accurate scale for their individual map.
8. Once the maps are created, the mixture will need to dry overnight before continuing the lesson. After the maps are dry, the students can begin painting the land and sea areas, labeling the land and sea areas, and creating a legend for the map. The countries and waterways discussed at the beginning of the lesson should be included on the map, as well as the cities of Troy and Ithaca.
9. After each read aloud, time should be given to the students to keep track of the journeys of Odysseus. Stickers, markers, toothpicks, and other items should be handy for the students to use in order to keep track of the adventures of Odysseus.
10. On the last day of this activity, when Odysseus has reached his home of Ithaca, the students should complete their salt dough maps by having the full route of Odysseus marked on the maps, as well as all of his adventures identified.
11. With all of these markings on the maps, the students can practice a variety of map skills. Ask the students to find the distances from certain stopping points on the journey of Odysseus to other stopping points on his journey. For example, students can calculate the distance from Aeolous Island to Circe's Island and Cyclops Island to Sea Kings Island using the scales on their maps. Students can also find the shortest route from Troy to Ithaca, but they must stay clear of other islands within the seas.

ASSESSMENT:

1. Observation Checklist
2. Salt Dough Map Work Rubric

EXTENSIONS:

1. The following web site is very useful for information about the city of Ithaca, which is the home to Odysseus. This web site gives a variety of maps and information about this city in Greece.

   http://www.odysseas.com/ithaki.html

2. As an alternative to this assignment, students can work in pairs or groups to make larger maps of this Mediterranean Sea area. Students can use a larger piece of cardboard, as well as make calculations on how to increase the materials needed to make a larger salt dough mixture.
3. The students can research the accuracy of the geographical locations found within The Odyssey. There is some discrepancy concerning the actual locations of the adventures of Odysseus. Students should make comparisons and contrasts between the information found during their research to the salt dough map locations discussed during class.

REFERENCES:

Hammond World Atlas. (1988). Maplewood, New Jersey: Hammond Inc. [ISBN: 0-8437-1135-3]

Milch, R. (1966). Cliff notes: The Odyssey. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliff Notes, Inc. [ISBN: 0-8220-0921-7]

Reeves, J. (1973). The Voyage of Odysseus. New York: Blackie and Son Limited. [ISBN: 0-87226-091-7]

Go To:

An "Odyssey" Of Ocean Myth Lesson

Read Aloud: The Voyage of Odysseus Lesson

Table of Contents

St. Norbert College Ocean Voyager's Page