Reaching Olympus: The Greek Myths, Heroes, Beasts, and Monsters

Reaching Olympus: The Greek Myths, Heroes, Beasts, and Monsters by Zachary Hamby. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780982704905.

The Reaching Olympus series uses classroom-tested Readers Theater script-stories specifically designed for 6th-12th grade students to retell the great myths and legends of world mythology. Readers Theater script-stories are an innovative and powerful teaching tool that allows students to break away from silent reading and share in an "acting-out" experience where words and myth come to life! This volume in the Reaching Olympus series features eleven classic myths in script-story form, including Perseus and the quest for Medusas head, Atalanta the female warrior, Jasons legendary quest for the Golden Fleece, Narcissus and Echo, Oedipus Rex, Orpheus and Eurydice, the inventor Daedalus, Pegasus the winged horse, and the flight of Icarus. Each play is prefaced by a teacher guide, which provides a synopsis of the myth, relevant background information and commentary on the myth, anticipatory questions for pre-play discussion, essential questions to help analyze the "big ideas" behind each myth, recall questions to check reading comprehension, and instructions for teaching commonly-tested terms and literary devices using each play. Supplemental materials include a temple-building game, a find-it puzzle with many different items to locate, two bonus myths, a glossary of important characters, and a name pronunciation guide. Zachary Hamby is a professional author and illustrator and an experienced educator. He has spoken at many educational conferences on the many benefits of using Readers Theater script-stories in the secondary classroom. He currently teaches high school in the Ozark mountains, where he lives with his wife and two children.