R E A D - A L O U D S L I D E S Mount Olympus • Prometheus and Pandora • Demeter and Persephone • Arachne the Weaver • Theseus and the Minotaur • Daedalus and Icarus • Hercules • Other Adventures of Hercules • Atalanta and the Golden Apples Stories of the Ancient Greeks

L E S S O N 1 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to learn what makes the Greek myths fiction and why the ancient Greeks thought they were nonfiction. Mount Olympus

SHOW IMAGE 1A-1 Mount Olympus Leonidas woke early to help his father, Cyrus, harness their horses. They were traveling to Olympia to sell pottery and watch footraces held in honor of Zeus, leader of the mythical Greek gods and goddesses.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-2 Mount Olympus Leonidas and Cyrus securely (tightly) fastened the horses to the cart, loaded their pottery, and began their journey to Olympia.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-3 Mount Olympus Cyrus explained that Olympia was home to an important sanctuary (a special, holy place) devoted to Zeus, where sporting competitions honored the twelve gods of Mount Olympus.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-4 Mount Olympus Cyrus described how the gods and goddesses could feel emotions like humans, but also had special powers to control the seasons, weather, and war.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-5 Mount Olympus Zeus, leader of the gods, controlled the wind, rain, and lightning after defeating the Titans. His brothers Hades and Poseidon ruled the underworld and the sea.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-6 Mount Olympus Hades ruled the underworld, or land of the dead, and wore a helmet that made him invisible.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-7 Mount Olympus Demeter, goddess of the harvest, looked after the fields and crops. Hera, Zeus's wife, was queen of the gods and goddess of women's lives.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-8 Mount Olympus Cyrus named more gods: Hephaestus, god of fire; Aphrodite, goddess of love; Athena, goddess of wisdom; and Ares, god of war.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-9 Mount Olympus The twins Apollo (god of music, poetry, and light) and Artemis (goddess of the hunt), along with Hermes (messenger of the gods) and Dionysus (god of grapes), completed the twelve. Zeus was strongest of all.

SHOW IMAGE 1A-10 Mount Olympus Arriving at Olympia, Leonidas saw spectators (observers watching the races) all around. Looking toward cloud-covered Mount Olympus, he imagined he could catch a glimpse (a brief look) of a palace with twelve golden thrones.

L E S S O N 2 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to find out more about Pandora's box, discuss the conflict of the myth, and find out what this myth tries to explain. Prometheus and Pandora

SHOW IMAGE 2A-1 Prometheus and Pandora Long ago, Titan brothers Prometheus ("foresight," thinking ahead) and Epimetheus ("hindsight," thinking afterward) each created living things: Prometheus made humans from river clay, while Epimetheus made animals and gave them all the best gifts, like fur and sharp senses.

SHOW IMAGE 2A-2 Prometheus and Pandora Zeus found Epimetheus's animals amusing (pleasantly funny), but doubted humans were worth keeping. Prometheus convinced Zeus to give humans a chance to prove themselves.

SHOW IMAGE 2A-3 Prometheus and Pandora Prometheus felt sorry for humans, who had no fur, light, or way to cook. He asked Zeus for fire, but Zeus refused, saying fire was only for the gods.

SHOW IMAGE 2A-4 Prometheus and Pandora Zeus believed the ridiculous (laughable, silly) humans could not be trusted with fire. Determined anyway, Prometheus hid a burning coal inside a hollow plant stalk and secretly carried fire down to Earth.

SHOW IMAGE 2A-5 Prometheus and Pandora Furious that humans now had fire, Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a mountainside forever.

SHOW IMAGE 2A-6 Prometheus and Pandora Zeus decided to also punish humans by having the gods create a new woman, Pandora ("all gifts"), giving her beauty, intelligence, curiosity, and persuasion, along with a sealed box she must never open.

SHOW IMAGE 2A-7 Prometheus and Pandora Pandora was sent to Earth with the closed box. Though warned never to open it, her curiosity grew until one day she lifted the lid.

SHOW IMAGE 2A-8 Prometheus and Pandora Out of the box burst terrifying (frightening) evils — greed, hate, anger, disease, and death. Pandora managed to close the lid just in time to keep one thing inside: hope.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Prometheus and Pandora 1. Literal — Who made the first creatures, according to Greek mythology? (Prometheus made humans; Epimetheus made all other animals) 2. Literal — What punishments does Zeus give for the stolen fire? (chains Prometheus to a mountain; sends Pandora with a closed box of unpleasant things to the humans) 3. Literal — What does Pandora do with the box, and what happens? (She can't resist and opens it; terrifying evils and sorrows come out and cause people pain.) 4. Evaluative — What does the expression “opening Pandora's box” mean, and how does it relate to this myth? (a source of unexpected trouble that's best avoided, however tempting) Check for Understanding — What does this myth attempt to explain? (how humans and animals were created; how evil and sorrow came into the world)

L E S S O N 3 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to find out if this myth helps explain something in nature or teaches a moral lesson, and to describe the resolution of the conflict. Demeter and Persephone

SHOW IMAGE 3A-1 Demeter and Persephone Demeter, goddess of the harvest and agriculture, had a daughter, Persephone, who was full of happiness, warmth, and light — as long as they were together, it was summer year-round.

SHOW IMAGE 3A-2 Demeter and Persephone While Demeter tended crops in the fields, Persephone wandered off picking flowers, drifting farther and farther from her mother's sight.

SHOW IMAGE 3A-3 Demeter and Persephone Hades, god of the underworld, wanted Persephone as his queen. He tore open the ground and spirited (carried off mysteriously) Persephone away to the underworld in his chariot.

SHOW IMAGE 3A-4 Demeter and Persephone Demeter searched all night for her missing daughter, growing older and filled with despair (loss of hope) as she failed to find her.

SHOW IMAGE 3A-5 Demeter and Persephone The sun god Helios told Demeter that Hades had taken Persephone to be his queen. Grief-stricken, Demeter neglected the crops, and the world grew barren.

SHOW IMAGE 3A-6 Demeter and Persephone Seeing that people would starve, Zeus traveled to the underworld to persuade Hades to release Persephone — but the rule was that anyone who ate food of the underworld must stay forever. Persephone admitted she had eaten six pomegranate seeds.

SHOW IMAGE 3A-7 Demeter and Persephone Zeus made a deal: for each seed eaten, Persephone would spend one month in the underworld, and the rest of the year with her mother. When they are together, it is spring and summer; when apart, Demeter pines (longs) for her daughter and the world turns to autumn and winter.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Demeter and Persephone 1. Inferential — What supernatural characters are in this myth? (Demeter, Persephone, Zeus, Hades, Cerberus, Helios) What is Hades the mythical god of? (the underworld) 2. Literal — Why does Hades spirit Persephone away? (He wants to make her his queen.) 3. Inferential — How does Demeter feel when Persephone goes missing, and how do you know? (sad — she grows older, loses her light and happiness, and stops helping crops grow) 4. Literal — Why does Zeus try to persuade Hades to return Persephone? (He knows the people will starve if nothing grows.) 5. Inferential — What is the resolution to the conflict? (Persephone spends six months with Hades and six months with Demeter.) Check for Understanding — What event in nature does this myth explain? (the changing of the seasons)

L E S S O N 4 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to find out what animal an arachnid is, and to find out what this myth explains about nature. Arachne the Weaver

SHOW IMAGE 4A-1 Arachne the Weaver Arachne was a gifted weaver whose tapestries were so lifelike people traveled far to see them. Visitors always added that she was almost as skilled as Athena, goddess of handicrafts — which began to flatter (compliment), then annoy, Arachne, until she boasted she was the best weaver in the world.

SHOW IMAGE 4A-2 Arachne the Weaver Word reached Athena on Mount Olympus. Disguised by magic as a bent old woman, she visited Arachne's studio to see if the rumors were true — and Arachne repeated her boast.

SHOW IMAGE 4A-3 Arachne the Weaver Athena revealed herself in a puff of smoke. Frightened but defiant, Arachne challenged the goddess to a weaving contest to prove who was truly the best.

SHOW IMAGE 4A-4 Arachne the Weaver Arachne and Athena wove side by side. When they finished, Arachne proudly pointed out the realistic features (parts) of her own work.

SHOW IMAGE 4A-5 Arachne the Weaver But Athena's tapestry, woven with rippling streams, floating clouds, and the gods in their majesty, was clearly superior (far better). Devastated, Arachne declared she would never weave again.

SHOW IMAGE 4A-6 Arachne the Weaver Athena grew stern (harsh, firm) and told Arachne she must not waste her gift. Touching Arachne's shoulder, Athena transformed her into the very first spider — an arachnid — so she would weave forever.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Arachne the Weaver 1. Evaluative — Imagine you are Arachne. How would you feel if people always compared your work to Athena's? (Answers may vary.) 2. Literal — How does this story conclude? (Athena turns Arachne into a spider.) 3. Inferential — What in nature does this myth explain? (how the first spider came to be) 4. Evaluative — Do you think this is really how the first spider was created, or is it fiction? Why? 5. Evaluative — Think-Pair-Share: What lesson do you think Arachne learns in this story? (not to be too boastful; to use the talents you have)

L E S S O N 5 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to find out what the mythical creature is, who the hero is, and what he does to save the day. Theseus and the Minotaur

SHOW IMAGE 5A-1 Theseus and the Minotaur Prince Theseus, son of King Aegeus of Athens, arrived home just as his father revealed terrible news: King Minos's black-sailed ship was returning to Athens as it did every nine years.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-2 Theseus and the Minotaur King Aegeus explained that after his son died in an accident in Athens, King Minos conquered the city and now demanded seven young men and seven young women be sent into the labyrinth (maze) every nine years.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-3 Theseus and the Minotaur The labyrinth was an enormous maze designed by the inventor Daedalus, home to the Minotaur — a monster half-bull, half-man — that hunted down anyone who entered. No one had ever escaped.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-4 Theseus and the Minotaur Theseus convinced (persuaded) his father to let him take the place of one of the youths, vowing to stop the Minotaur and return safely under white sails.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-5 Theseus and the Minotaur Princess Ariadne, King Minos's daughter, was moved by Theseus's courage and secretly sought help from Daedalus, creator of the labyrinth, on how to save him.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-6 Theseus and the Minotaur Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of string, instructing him to tie one end at the entrance and unwind it through the maze so he could find his way back out after defeating the Minotaur.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-7 Theseus and the Minotaur Theseus entered the labyrinth, tying the thread and unraveling (unwinding) it with each step as he searched for the Minotaur.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-8 Theseus and the Minotaur Face to face with the beast, Theseus vaulted (jumped over) its charges again and again until the exhausted Minotaur crashed into a wall. Theseus then wrestled and defeated it.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-9 Theseus and the Minotaur Following the string back out, Theseus and the other Athenians escaped the labyrinth and met Ariadne at the harbor before sailing for home.

SHOW IMAGE 5A-10 Theseus and the Minotaur Theseus forgot to change his ship's sails from black to white. Seeing the black sails, King Aegeus believed his son had failed, and in his grief he fell into the sea — now called the Aegean Sea in his memory.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Theseus and the Minotaur 1. Literal — What does this myth explain? (how the Aegean Sea got its name) 2. Inferential — Why does King Minos send fourteen Athenian youths into the labyrinth every nine years? (He is angry and grieving over the loss of his son and blames the Athenians.) 3. Inferential — Why does Princess Ariadne help Theseus even though she knows her father would be furious? (She thinks he is an extraordinary man.) 4. Literal — How does Theseus defeat the Minotaur and escape the labyrinth? (He ties a thread to the entrance, unwinds it as he goes, vaults over the Minotaur's charges, defeats it, then follows the string back out.) 5. Inferential — Why is Daedalus important in this story? (He created the labyrinth and told Ariadne how Theseus could find his way out.) Check for Understanding — How is Theseus courageous? (He volunteers to stop the Minotaur, which no one has escaped, and succeeds.)

L E S S O N 6 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully and set a purpose for reading, thinking about characters you have already learned about. Daedalus and Icarus

SHOW IMAGE 6A-1 Daedalus and Icarus King Minos had no proof (evidence), but suspected Daedalus helped Theseus and Ariadne escape Crete. As punishment, he imprisoned Daedalus along with his son, Icarus.

SHOW IMAGE 6A-2 Daedalus and Icarus Minos locked father and son in a high stone tower overlooking the ocean, believing there was no way to escape past the cliffs and raging tides below.

SHOW IMAGE 6A-3 Daedalus and Icarus Daedalus and Icarus lured sea birds to their window sill (the horizontal piece at the bottom of the window) and secretly plucked feathers, hiding them with wax from their candles to build wings.

SHOW IMAGE 6A-4 Daedalus and Icarus Daedalus warned Icarus about the dangerous currents (strong flows of air) near their tower, and cautioned that flying too high could melt the wax in their wings.

SHOW IMAGE 6A-5 Daedalus and Icarus The two leapt from the tower window and began to fly. Icarus, overjoyed by the thrill of flight, forgot his father's warning and soared higher and higher.

SHOW IMAGE 6A-6 Daedalus and Icarus The sun's heat melted the wax, and feathers began falling from Icarus's wings. Desperately (frantically, with panic) he tried to follow his father, but he plummeted (fell straight down) into the sea while Daedalus watched helplessly.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Daedalus and Icarus 1. Inferential — What problems happen in this myth? (Daedalus and Icarus are imprisoned; Icarus falls into the ocean because his wings melt) 2. Literal — Why does King Minos lock Daedalus in a high tower? (because he helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur; so he cannot escape) 3. Literal — Why does King Minos also lock up Icarus? (He is Daedalus's son, punished in place of Princess Ariadne.) 4. Inferential — How does Daedalus plan to escape? (He builds wings from feathers, wax, and thread, planning to fly on the air currents.) 5. Inferential — Does the plan work for both of them? (Daedalus escapes safely, but Icarus flies too close to the sun, his wings melt, and he falls into the sea.) What lesson can we learn? (It is important to listen to important warnings.)

L E S S O N 7 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to decide if you think the main character in today's Read-Aloud is a hero. Hercules

SHOW IMAGE 7A-1 Hercules A family fled in fear at the sight of Hercules approaching — a reaction the mightiest of heroes, son of Zeus, had grown used to.

SHOW IMAGE 7A-2 Hercules Hercules had incredible strength — he could reroute rivers and defeat fierce monsters — but he could not control his own temper, causing a commotion (noisy fuss) and harming others when he became angry.

SHOW IMAGE 7A-3 Hercules The Greeks banished Hercules for being a threat despite his good deeds, forcing him to wander aimlessly (without purpose) for three years, still helping people in dreadful (terrible) danger without being thanked.

SHOW IMAGE 7A-4 Hercules One day, a lone horseman rode straight toward Hercules despite his warnings to stay away.

SHOW IMAGE 7A-5 Hercules The rider was Theseus, his old friend, who invited Hercules to Athens and told him to seek guidance from Apollo, the god of wisdom and truth, to master his temper and find peace with his past.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Hercules 1. Literal — Who is Hercules the son of? (Zeus) 2. Literal — What kinds of good deeds does Hercules perform with his strength? (carves a new path for a river; defeats fierce monsters; saves people in dreadful situations) 3. Inferential — Why did the Greeks stop thinking of Hercules as a hero? (his dreadful temper made him hurt people) 4. Inferential — What lesson did Hercules learn when the Greeks banished him? (He learned he wasn't helpful if he also hurt or scared others; he learned to help even without thanks.) 5. Inferential — Why does Theseus want to help Hercules? (He is a true friend and believes in justice.) Check for Understanding — Is Hercules a hero in this story? Why or why not?

L E S S O N 8 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to find out whether or not your predictions about Hercules's adventures are correct. Other Adventures of Hercules

SHOW IMAGE 8A-1 Other Adventures of Hercules At the temple of Delphi, Hercules asked Apollo for guidance (advice). The answer: go to King Eurystheus and complete whatever tasks he commands — beginning the famous Twelve Labors of Hercules.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-2 Other Adventures of Hercules King Eurystheus's first labor: subdue the dangerous Nemean lion, whose magical hide could not be cut by any weapon.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-3 Other Adventures of Hercules Hercules found the sleeping lion and shot an arrow at it — but the arrow simply bounced off its magical hide, and the enraged lion charged.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-4 Other Adventures of Hercules Hercules struck the lion with his heavy club, powerful enough to fell an elephant — but the club merely shattered against the lion's magical hide.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-5 Other Adventures of Hercules Hercules wrestled the lion, grabbing its paws so it couldn't fight back, and used his immense strength to subdue it.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-6 Other Adventures of Hercules Realizing the lion's hide was the key to its power, Hercules cleverly used the lion's own claws to cut off its skin, completing his first labor.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-7 Other Adventures of Hercules For his next labor, King Eurystheus demanded three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides — a secret location no human had ever found, guarded by magical sisters who wanted to keep people from trampling (stomping over) the garden.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-8 Other Adventures of Hercules Hercules sailed into unknown waters searching for weeks, until he realized someone else might know the way.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-9 Other Adventures of Hercules The Hesperides were daughters of the Titan Atlas, who was condemned by Zeus to hold up the entire sky on his shoulders forever — explaining, to the ancient Greeks, why the sky stayed above the earth.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-10 Other Adventures of Hercules Hercules offered to hold up the sky while Atlas fetched the golden apples, hoping to clear his reputation (people's opinion of him) as a man of bad temper.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-11 Other Adventures of Hercules Atlas returned with the apples but, enjoying his freedom from the sky's immeasurable (impossible to measure) weight, offered to deliver them himself instead of taking the sky back.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-12 Other Adventures of Hercules Hercules tricked Atlas into briefly taking back the sky so he could adjust his cloak — then simply thanked Atlas and walked off with the apples, leaving the Titan holding the sky once more.

SHOW IMAGE 8A-13 Other Adventures of Hercules After completing all twelve labors, Hercules was finally free — and this time, wherever he went, he was thanked for his heroic deeds.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Other Adventures of Hercules 1. Literal — What guidance does Apollo give Hercules? (to go see King Eurystheus and do as he commands) 2. Literal — What does King Eurystheus tell Hercules to do? (complete the Twelve Labors of Hercules) 3. Inferential — What makes the Nemean lion hard to subdue, and how does Hercules defeat it? (a magical hide no weapon can cut; he uses the lion's own claw to cut its hide) 4. Inferential — Why is the golden apples labor difficult? (No one has traveled to the Hesperides; the location is secret; no one knows if the apples exist.) 5. Inferential — How does Hercules get the apples? (He holds the sky for Atlas while Atlas fetches them, then tricks Atlas into taking the sky back.) 6. Evaluative — Think-Pair-Share: If someone has a “herculean task,” what kind of task is it? (a very difficult one)

L E S S O N 9 • R E A D - A L O U D Purpose for Listening Listen carefully to find out what role the golden apples play in the myth and what the characters do with them. Atalanta and the Golden Apples

SHOW IMAGE 9A-1 Atalanta and the Golden Apples A king and queen had a daughter, Atalanta, who was intelligent, beautiful, a skilled (gifted) huntress, and the fastest runner in the world.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-2 Atalanta and the Golden Apples When her parents urged her to marry, Atalanta agreed only on her own terms (conditions): she would marry the first man who could beat her in a footrace.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-3 Atalanta and the Golden Apples Atalanta defeated every suitor tremendously (greatly) easily, enjoying herself — until the goddess Aphrodite, watching from Mount Olympus, decided she could not allow this mockery of love to continue.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-4 Atalanta and the Golden Apples Aphrodite had her son Eros shoot an arrow of love into a traveler named Hippomenes just as he glimpsed Atalanta running by, and he instantly fell in love with her.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-5 Atalanta and the Golden Apples Aphrodite gave Hippomenes three golden apples, promising Atalanta would not be able to resist (say no to) picking them up during the race.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-6 Atalanta and the Golden Apples Hippomenes challenged Atalanta to a race, telling her he ran not to become king, but because he loved her.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-7 Atalanta and the Golden Apples As Atalanta pulled ahead, Hippomenes tossed a golden apple aside — she couldn't resist chasing it, giving him precious time.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-8 Atalanta and the Golden Apples Hippomenes threw the third apple into tall grass, and Atalanta again turned aside to search for it while he kept running toward the finish.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-9 Atalanta and the Golden Apples As Atalanta closed the gap in the race's final steps, she found herself wondering if marrying Hippomenes would really be so terrible — and he crossed the finish line just ahead of her.

SHOW IMAGE 9A-10 Atalanta and the Golden Apples Atalanta kept her word and married Hippomenes, and in time she loved him as much as he loved her — he never minded that she could still outrun him.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS Atalanta and the Golden Apples 1. Literal — What makes Atalanta special or different from others? (a skilled huntress, a princess, and the fastest runner in the world) 2. Literal — How does Atalanta react to her parents' wish for her to marry? (She agrees, but only to someone who can beat her in a footrace.) 3. Inferential — Why does Atalanta give these terms? (She believes no one will accomplish the task.) 4. Inferential — Why doesn't Aphrodite like Atalanta's terms? (Aphrodite is the goddess of love and wants Atalanta to fall in love and marry.) 5. Inferential — How does Hippomenes finally beat Atalanta in the race? (He distracts her with three golden apples from Aphrodite.) 6. Literal — Is Atalanta tremendously happy or sad that she married Hippomenes? (tremendously happy)