Unit of Work: Rosemary Sutcliffe, Black Ships Before Troy

The story of the Trojan War is foundational to European literature and thought. Rosemary Sutcliffe’s retelling makes the epic accessible to younger students. It rewards close study in junior high-school English because of Sutcliffe’s rich figurative language, vivid character portraits, and seamless blending of the many tales of Troy.

This 96-page unit comprises:

An introduction to Troy, Homer, the Iliad, and the story’s importance - with student research activities.
A 4-6 page worksheet for each chapter (19 chapters) with an explanation of the relevant concept to the story, questions for the chapter, and a visual learning exercise using a famous art-work which depicts the events.
Essay questions suitable for 11-13 year olds
A summative creative writing task
Questions require higher-order thinking skills and encourage writing at length and reading widely to support growing knowledge. Students’ knowledge of the canon of European literature and art should grow considerably over the term with this unit.