Mr. VerlinSouth Philadelphia High SchoolSeptember 24, 2014

Preliminaries Respond to the following prompt in your

journals: In their journals, the students will respond to the following prompt: “What is a hero? How does one achieve heroic status?”

Objectives: The students will be able to define the

motif of “dragon slaying”. The students will be able to identify the

elements of a heroic quest. The students will be able to identify the

trials and rewards of Theseus’s heroic quest.

Focus Lesson: Theseus… Stories often come alive when

they’re read aloud. Today, we will be listening to the Theseus story read from audio. While you listen, be sure to pay particular attention to the 5 trials of Theseus. You will be asked to identify and explain them later in small groups.

Focus Lesson: Identifying… Divide into small groups of 3 or 4. Complete the handout provided. Each group will report out.

Homework Assume that Theseus deliberately

deserted Ariadne on the island of Naxos. Write a letter to Theseus in Athens from Ariadne’s point of view. The letter should express Ariadne’s feelings about Theseus’s choice to set sail for Athens without her after she had helped him escape the Labyrinth.

Due in 1 week (30 homework points).