Lesson 35: The Lightning Thief, Comparison Writing, Part 5

This launch helps students reconnect with prior learning about Percy’s journey and shift their attention to homecoming as a moment of reflection and decision-making. Students are guided to recall key events from the end of Chapter 22 and consider how those events reshape Percy’s understanding of belonging. The focus is on activating prior knowledge while preparing students to compare mythic and modern ideas of home. This sets up a conceptual bridge between conflict resolution and thematic interpretation.

Quick Write

Have students take out their final Chapter 22 annotations from Lesson 34 and place the Odyssey excerpt beside them.

Say these Directions: In Lesson 34, we saw that Percy’s journey ended with betrayal, prophecy, and a hard choice about who he wants to be. Today, we are looking at the very last step of a hero’s journey—the return home—and comparing Percy’s ending to Odysseus’s famous return in The Odyssey. This helps us answer our unit question by showing how Riordan keeps an old myth pattern but changes what courage looks like for a modern hero.

Write your response to the following question:

• Ask: How is courage defined differently in each text?

  • Courage is defined differently in The Odyssey and The Lightning Thief because each story defines “home” differently. In The Odyssey, Odysseus shows courage through loyalty and reverence when he finally returns to Ithaca, recognizing his homeland and responding with gratitude and respect for the place he fought to reach. This suggests that courage is tied to endurance and reclaiming what was always his. In The Lightning Thief, Percy’s courage is more complicated because returning home requires him to face emotional uncertainty about where he belongs. Even though he is reunited with his mother, he also understands that Camp Half-Blood is now part of his identity, so he must accept a divided sense of home. This shows that modern courage includes making thoughtful choices about identity and belonging, not just returning to a place safely.

• Ask: After a dangerous journey, why might going home take courage instead of feeling easy?

  • Going home can take courage because the hero is different now. Percy has to face a changed family situation and decide where he belongs, and Odysseus has to trust that Ithaca is really his home again after being gone for so long.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: We will now shift from naming why homecoming can be hard to studying how two different heroes show courage when they return.

Language Study

Frame this work as a study of register and audience. Affirm that different ways of speaking are meaningful and valid; today, students are practicing the more formal style expected in explanatory writing.

Target Sentences

• “Honestly, I didn’t expect to end up back here.”

• “And the traveler returned to his homeland with great relief and honored the land that had supported him.”

Display and read aloud both sentences. Explain that the first sentence uses a conversational voice, while the second sounds formal and ceremonial. Tell students that strong explanatory writing does not copy either voice exactly; instead, it chooses clear, formal language to explain ideas.

Teach:

• Say: When I write an explanatory comparison, I do not copy Percy’s casual voice or Homer’s ancient-sounding translation. Instead, I ask, “What idea do I need to explain?” If my first draft says, “Percy is kinda brave because home is messy,” I can improve the expression by revising it to “Percy demonstrates courage because returning home requires him to face family responsibility and uncertainty about belonging.” That revision is more formal, more precise, and better for analysis.

Say these Directions: Let’s practice changing everyday talk into formal explanatory writing. We are still keeping the idea, but we are improving how it is expressed in an academic paragraph.

• Ask: How could we revise this sentence into a stronger formal comparison?

  • “Odysseus is super happy, but Percy is kinda torn.”

    • Odysseus returns with open joy, whereas Percy’s homecoming is more conflicted because he feels both relief and responsibility.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Now that we have practiced revising into formal expression, we are ready to gather comparison evidence that can support a full paragraph.

Part A: Match the Meaning of Home (RL.6.9) (15 minutes)

This section guides students in comparing how Percy and Odysseus each experience homecoming as a moment of courage and identity. Students focus on selecting meaningful textual details that represent each hero’s return rather than retelling events. The emphasis is on analyzing how each text constructs the meaning of “home” differently. Students begin to connect textual evidence to broader thematic ideas, such as belonging and heritage.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: We are going to compare the most meaningful return-home details in two texts. As you read and discuss, focus on details that reveal what home means to each hero, not just what physically happens.

First, read Book 13 in Homer’s The Odyssey. Then, use the Venn Diagram graphic organizer to record one strong detail from Odysseus’s return, one strong detail from Percy’s return, and one idea both homecomings share.

Teach:

• Say: A strong comparison matches details that do the same kind of work in both texts. In the Odyssey excerpt, Odysseus kissing the earth is not just an action—it shows that home is tied to heritage and ritual. In Percy’s final return, the important detail is not only that he goes back to New York, but that he has to choose how home now includes both his mother and Camp Half-Blood. When I pair those details, I can explain that both heroes are brave, but Percy’s courage looks more complicated and modern.

• Ask: In the moment when Athena clears the mist, what detail best shows what home means to Odysseus?

  • The strongest detail is that Odysseus kisses the earth and prays to the nymphs. That shows home means more than a place to him; it is part of his heritage and something sacred that he thought he might never see again.

• Ask: In Percy’s final return to New York and his reflections about his mother and camp, what detail best shows what home means to Percy now?

  • Percy’s return shows that home is connected to responsibility and choice. He cares about being back with his mom, but he also knows Camp Half-Blood is now part of who he is, so his sense of home is split between two worlds.

• Ask: Based on both texts, which character’s homecoming is more complicated, Percy’s or Odysseus’s?

  • Percy’s homecoming is more complicated because he is not simply reclaiming one clear homeland. Unlike Odysseus, who celebrates Ithaca right away, Percy has to figure out how regular life, family care, and the demigod world can all fit into his future.

Students should be able to explain at least one meaningful similarity and one key difference between the two homecomings. Their responses should connect specific textual details to interpretations of courage and belonging. This prepares them to synthesize comparison into formal writing. Students should leave understanding that comparison requires explanation, not just identification.

Part B: Write the Return (W.6.4) (15 minutes)

This section supports students in transforming comparative thinking into a cohesive explanatory paragraph. Students use structured writing models to organize claims, evidence, and analysis across both texts. The focus is on maintaining a formal academic tone while clearly expressing comparison and interpretation. Students are guided to build paragraphs that move logically from evidence to meaning.

Modeled Writing

Display the following writing model if needed for support and guidance:

Percy’s return to New York is similar to Odysseus’s return to Ithaca because both heroes come home after danger and feel relief. However, the two scenes show courage in different ways. In The Odyssey, Odysseus kisses the earth and then prays, which shows that home is connected to heritage and deep gratitude. In the final pages of The Lightning Thief, Percy’s return is more complicated because he must think about his mother’s safety and also accept that Camp Half-Blood is now where he belongs. This shows that a modern hero can be brave not only by surviving danger, but also by facing a divided sense of home with honesty and responsibility.

Teach:

• Say: When I draft this paragraph, I start with a sentence that compares both heroes right away. Next, I add one detail from Odysseus and one from Percy, and after each detail, I explain what it reveals about courage. Then I use a connector such as however or whereas to show the contrast clearly. Finally, I end with a sentence that explains why Percy’s homecoming feels more modern and complicated.

Say these Directions: In your journal, write one explanatory paragraph answering: How does Percy’s return to New York compare to Odysseus’s return to Ithaca in terms of courage?

Use at least one detail from each text, at least one comparative connector, formal academic phrasing, and a concluding sentence.

• Percy’s return to New York compares to Odysseus’s return to Ithaca because both heroes come home after facing great danger. However, Odysseus shows courage through gratitude and prayer when he kisses the earth and prays after recognizing Ithaca. This is demonstrated in the text by stating, “he kissed the earth, the giver of grain.” Percy’s courage is more complicated because his return home includes family responsibility and the realization that Camp Half-Blood is still part of his life. Percy says, “I’ll be back next summer,” which shows that he accepts belonging to both his home life and the demigod world. Whereas Odysseus celebrates one clear homeland, Percy must accept that he belongs to two worlds. This difference shows that Riordan adapts the ancient homecoming myth for a modern hero whose bravery includes emotional honesty and difficult choices.

Students should write a paragraph comparing Percy and Odysseus, using clear transitions and supporting details from both texts. Their writing should explain how each hero demonstrates courage differently in their return home. The conclusion should synthesize how mythic patterns are adapted in modern storytelling. This reinforces the expectation that explanatory writing must connect evidence to theme.

Lesson 35 Writing Rubric: Explanatory Paragraph — Percy & Odysseus Return Home

Writing prompt: Write an explanatory paragraph comparing Percy's return to New York at the end of The Lightning Thief with Odysseus's return to Ithaca, explaining how each hero's homecoming reflects what they learned and what the myth values.

The Look Back section helps students reflect on how their understanding of comparison and thematic analysis has developed throughout the lesson. Students evaluate the strategies they used to move from summary to interpretation. The emphasis is on metacognitive awareness of how evidence and language choices shape meaning. This reflection supports the transfer of skills to future writing tasks.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Before we close, think about what helped you move from plot summary to real comparison today. Then, turn and talk to share your response with a partner. Use one detail from Percy’s return and one detail from Odysseus’s return in your response.

• Ask: Which strategy helped you most today—matching meaningful details, using a comparative connector, or revising into formal expression? Explain how that strategy improved your comparison of Percy and Odysseus.

  • Revising for formal expression helped me most because it made my writing sound more analytical rather than casual. When I wrote about Odysseus kissing the earth and Percy deciding that camp is still part of his home, I used formal language to explain that both details show courage in different ways. It pushed me to say more than “they both go home” and helped me show how Percy’s return is more complicated.

Instruct students to review their annotations from The Lightning Thief and the myths from Investigations 1 and 2 in preparation for the Academic Discussion.

Students should also watch the teacher-chosen clips from the movie version of The Lightning Thief. As they watch, have them write one note in their Journal about how the film version handles Percy’s return or identity differently from the novel.