Ulysses Reading Group Format
It is worth noting in the beginning that this is what I do at my school with my students. The format of this particular reading group is structured based on my particular AICE/Cambridge 10th graders. Their summer assignment was to read my annotated copy of "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot and answer 14 analysis questions throughout. Obviously, the students will struggle through this process. However, I want to assess their grit and see what they come up with on their own. This is followed by a review and discussion of those questions. This preface is valuable as Eliot and Joyce were contemporaries and when Eliot reviewed Ulysses, he wrote that it was "the most important expression which the present age as found." Just as Joyce used Homer's Odyssey as a scaffold for his novel, Eliot used the Fisher King legend of Arthurian lore as a scaffold for his poem. This sets up the Joyce unit nicely. A copy of my annotated version of "The Waste Land" with questions can be found below.

summer_reading_for_general_paper.docx | |
File Size: | 169 kb |
File Type: | docx |
The next unit is "The Dead" with all of the bells and whistles found on this website. This segues into the unit on A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, again found on this website. So it isn't until these students have a solid foundation before they tackle Ulysses. After all, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is a prequel of sorts to Ulysses.
The time frame for this reading group is roughly 29 weeks or 3/4 of the school year. We meet every Monday after school in our Learning Commons for an hour (sometimes a bit longer) to discuss the reading that was assigned. Some episodes may take 2 weeks due to their length while others can fit within 1 week. However, this may vary and change as the year progresses. We review the PowerPoint slides and discuss any topics of interest to the students. If any students are interested in remediating grades in class, we look at what standards they missed and come up with an assignment in regards to Ulysses that can assess those standards to ensure mastery. With that being said, any of the Florida State Standards can be assessed using this text and reading group depending on how the teacher structures an assessment. Most of the time, the students go well above and beyond the call of duty here. Below you will find an example of this year's rough planning calendar to show how the episodes are divided and tackled over holiday breaks.
The time frame for this reading group is roughly 29 weeks or 3/4 of the school year. We meet every Monday after school in our Learning Commons for an hour (sometimes a bit longer) to discuss the reading that was assigned. Some episodes may take 2 weeks due to their length while others can fit within 1 week. However, this may vary and change as the year progresses. We review the PowerPoint slides and discuss any topics of interest to the students. If any students are interested in remediating grades in class, we look at what standards they missed and come up with an assignment in regards to Ulysses that can assess those standards to ensure mastery. With that being said, any of the Florida State Standards can be assessed using this text and reading group depending on how the teacher structures an assessment. Most of the time, the students go well above and beyond the call of duty here. Below you will find an example of this year's rough planning calendar to show how the episodes are divided and tackled over holiday breaks.

ulysses_reading_group_planning_calendar.docx | |
File Size: | 22 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Of course, the format of every reading group is dependent on the reading group so consider this all a template and make it your own. Enjoy!
YouTube AudioBook
Thanks to the work of Kenneth Whitacre, Ulysses is available for free as an audiobook on YouTube. It is divided into various installments. Click below to read/listen. Enjoy!
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
B.E.S.T. Standards
For Reading Only: Standards: ELA.10.R.1.1, ELA.10.R.1.2, ELA.10.R.1.3, ELA.10.R.3.1, ELA.10.R.3.2, ELA.10.R.3.3, ELA.10.R.3.4, ELA.10.C.2.1, ELA.10.C.4.1, ELA.10.V.1.1, ELA.10.V.1.2, ELA.10.V.1.3
For Thesis-Style Paper Option: Standards: ELA.10.R.1.1, ELA.10.R.1.2, ELA.10.R.1.3, ELA.10.R.3.1, ELA.10.R.3.2, ELA.10.R.3.3, ELA.10.R.3.4, ELA.10.C.2.1, ELA.10.C.4.1, ELA.10.V.1.1, ELA.10.V.1.2, ELA.10.V.1.3, ELA.10.C.1.4, ELA.10.C.1.5, ELA.10.C.3.1
For Thesis-Style Paper Option: Standards: ELA.10.R.1.1, ELA.10.R.1.2, ELA.10.R.1.3, ELA.10.R.3.1, ELA.10.R.3.2, ELA.10.R.3.3, ELA.10.R.3.4, ELA.10.C.2.1, ELA.10.C.4.1, ELA.10.V.1.1, ELA.10.V.1.2, ELA.10.V.1.3, ELA.10.C.1.4, ELA.10.C.1.5, ELA.10.C.3.1