Fish, fowl, foul fish, or foul fowl? Just what is a siren? Young scholars listen to a video clip and draw what they imagine when they hear the word "siren." After watching several videos depicting sirens, class members read "The Sirens' excerpt from The Odyssey, annotating the text to support their claim of whether a siren is a part bird or fish.

Concepts

the odyssey, mythological characters, myths, drawing conclusions, diverse perspectives, perspectives, socratic discussion

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Instructional Ideas

• Set aside extra prep time to prepare the handouts and set up the videos
• Post the siren sketches about the classroom

Classroom Considerations

• Instructors must locate, copy, and print the article "Siren" from the Ancient History Encyclopedia
• Projection equipment with speakers and internet is required for the slide show and the video clips

Pros

• An engaging way to encourage scholars to do a close reading of The Odyssey
• Teacher notes offer suggestions for how to support instruction

Cons

• It does not provide a link to the "Sirens" article in the Ancient History Encyclopedia

Common Core

RL.9-10.1