Epic Based Learning

Or Scaffolding for Evidence-Based Writing in Literature

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app

The Challenge: Teaching academic writing to 9th graders at a very small private high school.  Almost 1/3 of the 100 students were on the learning specialists caseload for one reason or another.  The school did not track students, or have an English placement test.  The classes were small (12-20) and the parents were supportive and invested in their students education.  

At back to school night I would warn the parents that reading The Odyssey would be challenging and I would share the reading schedule and notes format with them. When a parent asked why I wanted the kids to struggle I answered "Most of my students walk in the door knowing they can amazing and capable people and their experience in school is that they can do well enough just by giving half of their attention to something.  They see me at a barrier between them and what they want to be doing.  I heap Homer on them until they need me and I become a valuable partner in the learning.

It already is challenging, we use community to make it rewarding.

Scaffolding is about creating resources that make support easy to get.  I love videos or recordings for this.

Supply NoteTaking Templates You can make your own from any number of online sources.

Create a Reading Schedule, if you are in a tech-rich environment, get these on a calendar with notifications.  Consider using Remind 101 to send assignment notifications to students and parents.  This is a long book and clear expectations are important, as is flexibility.  Falling behind is hard so I learned to work closely with my school's learning specialist.

Create Clear Expectations on Reading quizzes with Presentations

Make sure to vary the format and format of the quizzes, this DIY quiz takes longer than the normal quiz, but students really connected with the content.  I let them use their notes so they have a short-term motivation to create good notes.  This quiz uses some of the graphic novel version of The Odyssey I share with them in class.

Record Lectures Book 5 preread

Find Fun ways to share and build comprehension, like this Odyssey Puppet Show



or this game of Human Tableau or this 

Odyssey EarWorm Challenge


Or team up with the Greek/ Latin teacher for an cross curricular connection

Help students be successful on the final writing by having them write a mini-version half way there, like this Hero Mini Essay

Have students gather information and then share it using Socratic Seminar

Socratic Seminar Forms:
Hero Evidence Collection 
Disguise Evidence Collection



A recording of my class doing a Socratic Seminar





The Odyssey Essay Prompt  Why do I have 2 Copies?  Maybe this one is better

Screencast response to student writing

Odyssey Essay Response 

Help with the reading if you have students that are dyslexic, using a livescribe pen like this matches it up with line numbers

Read to your students.

Odyssey Book 8 complete
brought to you by Livescribe


Overall, stretch yourself to create and connect as many resources as you can, and teach everything you expect.