This strategy fulfills almost the same urge to fulfill predictions as the tea party strategy, but with the added benefit of being more readily transferrable to a whole-class format.
The KWL format more explicitly engages prior knowledge, so it may work more readily for genres such as realistic or historical fiction. The most challenging aspect of this strategy is the "Want-to-know" column. This could be because it translates as vulnerability on the students' part or perhaps because it indicates that work needs to be done!
In the case of The Odyssey, a lesson or project focusing on developing background knowledge regarding mythology would be useful prior to attempting this strategy. The know column could be filled with the information they had already gathered about mythology and the world in which Odysseus resides. Especially after explaining the background of the Trojan war, students might be more motivated to then wonder how Odysseus might get home when under the influence of all of the characters in the "know" column.
The first two columns, being completed as a pre-reading activity, can then be placed aside. You might choose to incorporate these into your classroom décor as a functional piece. As you progress through the story, you can make satisfying additions to the Learned column. This serves the purpose of marking progress as well as providing a sweeping review of what you have already covered for those students with absences or off days.
"The K-W-L Chart (Ogle, 1986) has been a very popular way for teachers to help students link background knowledge, purpose, and summarization in an effective way. This technique is excellent for beginning units of study where students will be gathering information over a multilesson time frame. Before reading, give students an outline divided into three sections: “Know,” “Want to Know,” and “Learned.” In the “Know” column, have students list what they already know about the topic. In the “Want to Know” column, have students list what they want to learn about the topic. These two columns are completed prior to beginning the unit and reading new text. Some teachers find that asking students to generate lists in small groups rather than as an entire class helps students develop more effective questions for the “Want to Know” column. After reading the text and completing the unit of study, ask students to complete the third column of the chart by filling in what they have learned during the lesson. . . The use of multiple sources motivates students and increases student interest. The K-W-L Chart is most effective when it is used for a large unit of study where the students will be spending some time rather than for a single lesson."
Tankersley, Karen. Literacy Strategies for Grades 4-12 : Reinforcing the Threads of Reading, Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ugalib/detail.action?docID=3002120