EarWorm Challenge, using music to engage students

In 9th grade English we read The Odyssey, we read the Fagles translation and we read the whole thing.  I try to leverage the students interests into projects that get the students to think about the major themes in the story and to work together.

This class began with a journal prompt inspired by my own chance encounter with the word "earworm."


As the students shared their journals (very high energy) I played pieces of some of the songs.  Inspiration hit a second time and I designed the "Earworm Challenge" this challenge is essentially a mashup of some song and images or scenes from The Odyssey.  I asked the students to focus on books 1-6 and told them the videos had to be 30 seconds long or more.

Here is a sampling:



Another great example The discussion in class, the energy, the engagement it is everything I am looking for.  And yes there is a direct connection between "call me maybe" and the scene where a naked and dirty Odysseus approaches the beautiful princess Nausicca.

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