Project Exchange

The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling

By Justin Wells Marin School of Arts and Technology

Driving Question  What's this?

How are you an epic storyteller?

For 3000 years, artists have been inspired by Homer's Odyssey and retold its hero journey in countless ways. Now it's our students' turn, as artists with their own individual talents, to continue the tradition of retelling The Odyssey.

The culminating project of the reading of Homer's Odyssey will be the Mosaic Retelling Project. Each class will split up the important plot events of the entire Odyssey, analyze their parts closely, and then create pieces of art that retell these parts of The Odyssey in whatever way the students are inspired.

In the end, the class will assemble all its artistic retellings into a mosaic for an evening presentation of The Odyssey to the school community.

How the students retell their section of The Odyssey is entirely up to them; any art form is acceptable: drama, music, poetry, painting, sculpture, animation, comics, puppetry, film, radio, dance, the list goes on. Student imagination sets the limits of what is possible.

 

Subject Area(s): Language Arts, Visual and Performing Arts

 

Teaching Days to Complete: 8+ weeks

 

Keywords  What's this?

Odyssey, oral storytelling, Homer, Greeks, ancient literature, hero journey

 

Outcomes  What's this?

 

21st Century Leadership Skills  What's this?

Communicate Effectively and Persuasively, Manage Projects Effectively, Express Creatively

 

Graduation Portfolio Tasks  What's this?

Literary Analysis, Creative Expression, Multimedia Project, Public Speaking


MEDIA GALLERY

Scylla and Charybdis: a retelling

Video (4.9 M)

 

Student Artwork Sampler

Video (52 K)

 

The Last Temptation of Odysseus

Audio (5.5 M)

 

An Interview with Justin Wells
Aaron Curtiss


The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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Block A Program
Justin Wells

Exhibition Night: The Mosaic Retelling
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Block B Program
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Exhibition Night: The Mosaic Retelling
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Block C Program
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Exhibition Night: The Mosaic Retelling
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Block D Program
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Exhibition Night: The Mosaic Retelling
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Block E Program
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Exhibition Night: The Mosaic Retelling
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Conventions of Epic
Justin Wells

Reading The Odyssey
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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Diagram of the Hero's Journey
Justin Wells

Reading The Odyssey
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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Odyssey Bookmarks
Justin Wells

Reading The Odyssey
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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Project Overview
Justin Wells

Project Kick-Off
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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Reading Journal Assignment
Justin Wells

Reading The Odyssey
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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Sample Reading Schedule
Justin Wells

Reading The Odyssey
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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Scylla and Charybdis: a retelling
Justin Wells

Exhibition Night: The Mosaic Retelling
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
Video

Student Artwork Sampler
Justin Wells

Exhibition Night: The Mosaic Retelling
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
Video

The Last Temptation of Odysseus
Justin Wells

Project Kick-Off
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
Audio

Why We Are Reading The Odyssey
Justin Wells

Book Kick-Off: In Medias Res
The Odyssey Mosaic Retelling
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