Odysseus and the Cyclops
Circe Enchants Odysseus
The Call of the Sirens
Odysseus and the Cyclops
Vocabulary
• Use descriptions to determine word meaning: What does the word exit mean in
this book? Look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 9. (Answer: a way
out; Clues/evidence: stood at the entrance of the cave, blocking their exit)
Level S/44
Find It! Level 1 Comprehension
• Identify facts and details: Where did the Cyclops throw a giant boulder?
wheels
as tall as
soldiers
(toward the sound of Odysseus’s voice, page 13)
shepherd
must be
giant
buckets of
milk big
enough for
all men
Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension
• Identify cause and effect: Why did Elpenor think that the shepherd living in the
cave must be a giant? Use a cause-and-effect chart for help in answering the
question. (in the cave there were wheels of cheese as tall as the tallest soldier;
there were buckets of milk big enough for all of the men to bathe in, page 9)
Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension
• Make inferences: Odysseus’s men were not always brave. Find a clue on page 10
that tells you this. (Clues/evidence: Odysseus’s men trembled with fear)
Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension
• Evaluate author’s purpose: Why did the author probably use the metaphor
•
“The giant’s laugh was thunder” on page 9? (to tell readers how loud the giant’s
laugh was)
Analyze text structure and organization: What text structure does the author
use to tell how Odysseus and his men got outside the cave on page 12?
(sequence of events)
Circe Enchants Odysseus
Vocabulary
• Use synonyms to determine word meaning: What does the word swine mean in
this book? Look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 17. (Answer: pigs;
Clues/evidence: She tapped each man with her wand and the men turned to
swine; Eurylochus watched in disbelief as his men were turned into pigs)
Find It! Level 1 Comprehension
• Identify facts and details: Where did Eurylochus hide? (behind the tree, page 17)
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face a thundercloud
shook her head
Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension
• Identify sequence of events: What did Circe’s do after her face became
a thundercloud? Use a sequence of events chart for help in answering 16
questions. (she shook her head; pulled a long stick from her sleeve; said, “You
are pigs;” tapped each man with her wand, page 17)
said you are pigs
Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension
• Make predictions: What clue on page 17 helps you predict that Circe will cause
tapped each man
with her wand
Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension
• Evaluate author’s purpose: The author uses a metaphor to tell how angry
trouble? (Clues/evidence: “It’s that woman. I don’t trust her. Those animals
seem almost . . . human.”)
Odysseus is. Find this on page 18. (Then he was an angry bull.)
The Call of the Sirens
Vocabulary
• Use descriptions to determine word meaning: What does the word perished
mean in this book? Look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 27.
(Answer: died; Clues/evidence: we would all have perished in the whirlpool;
you saved as many men as you could)
Find It! Level 1 Comprehension
• Identify facts and details: How many spears did Odysseus throw at the Scylla?
Scylla
cave home
Both
Charybdis
meant men
would die
rough sea
whirlpool
(six, page 25)
Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension
• Compare and contrast: Look at page 25. What does Odysseus know about
Charybdis and Scylla that is different? What does he know that is the same?
Use a Venn diagram for help in answering key question. (the rough sea was
the whirlpool monster Charybdis; the cave was the home of the six-headed
Scylla; both meant that his men would die, page 25)
Readers’ & Writers’ Genre Workshop
©2011 Benchmark Education
Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
This card may be photocopied for
classroom use only.
Based on the Comprehension
Through Deductive Reasoning
Model developed by Margaret Kilgo.
Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension
• Summarize information: Write a summary sentence for the fifth paragraph on
page 24. (Answer: Odysseus tried hard to get free, but he could not; Clues/
evidence: Odysseus shouted for the gods, for his men, for anyone to free him;
he struggled so mightily against the ropes that his wrists and ankles bled; but his
men had served him well; there was no breaking free of his binds)
Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension
• Evaluate author’s purpose: Why did the author probably end the story with
Odysseus saying “Let’s see what else the gods have in store for us”? (to get
readers interested in reading future stories about Odysseus and his journey)
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