Reaching Olympus: Teaching Mythology Through Reader's Theater Plays, the Greek Myths Volume I - Greek Myths

The Reaching Olympus series uses classroom-tested Reader's Theater plays specifically designed for 6th-12th grade students to retell the great myths and legends of world mythology. Reader's Theater is 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!

Volume I of the Greek Myths in the Reaching Olympus series features nine classic myths in interactive-script form, including Perseus and the quest for Medusa?s head, Atalanta the female warrior, Jason's legendary quest for the Golden Fleece, Narcissus and Echo, Oedipus Rex, Orpheus and Eurydice, the inventor Daedalus, and the flight of Icarus.

Each play is prefaced by a teacher guide providing 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 fifty different items to locate, a bonus myth (Bellerophon and Pegasus), 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 (including the National Council of Teachers of English Convention) on the many benefits of using Reader's Theater in the secondary classroom. He is the author of two series that teach mythology to young people, the Reaching Olympus series and the Mythology for Teens series. He currently teaches high school in the Ozark mountains, where he lives with his wife and two children.