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Theseus and the Minotaur: a book club kit
Where it comes from. People in ancient Greece told the myth of Theseus and the maze on Crete more than 2,500 years ago.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Athens must send seven boys and seven girls to King Minos of Crete, who shuts them in a maze called the labyrinth with the Minotaur, a monster. Theseus volunteers to enter first. Ariadne, the king's daughter, gives him a thread to find his way back. He tricks and defeats the Minotaur, and sails home with everyone. At sea he swaps the black sail for a white one made from Ariadne's bedsheet.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Black Sail” and Part Two, “Ariadne's Thread”, pages 1–5 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Heart of the Maze”, pages 6–10 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 3: Part Four, “The White Sail”, pages 11–14 (about 4 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: Theseus and the Minotaur by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- Who is the Minotaur?
The story's answer: A monster in Greek myth with the body of a man and the head of a bull. He lives in the labyrinth on Crete. - What is the labyrinth?
The story's answer: It is the huge maze built on Crete to hold the Minotaur. Nobody who went in could find the way out until Theseus used Ariadne's thread. - How does Theseus escape the labyrinth?
The story's answer: Ariadne gives him a long thread and keeps the other end outside. After he defeats the Minotaur, he follows the thread back through the maze. - Why do the ships have black sails?
The story's answer: Athens's ships carried black sails on their sad trips to Crete. Theseus promised his father to put up a white sail if he came home alive. - What does this myth explain, or try to explain?
Listen for: Many myths explain how something came to be: a season, an animal, a name. - Was the main character right or wrong? Was the ending fair?
Listen for: Myths are often hard on people; let the group disagree.
Did you know?
- People in ancient Greece told the myth more than 2,500 years ago.
- The Minotaur is a monster with a bull's head and a man's body.
- Ariadne holds one end of a long thread, so Theseus can follow it back out of the maze.
Activity: Make a new myth
Each reader explains something they see every day (why cats purr, why puddles dry up) with a short made-up myth of their own, told round the circle in three sentences.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- Theseus promised his father to replace the black sail with a white one if he won.
Words to teach before you start
- tribute: forced payment
- labyrinth: giant maze
- captives: prisoners
- retraced: followed back
- Minotaur: bull-headed monster
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Theseus and the Minotaur book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 14 minutes in all, so plan 2 meetings of about 30 to 45 minutes each, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Theseus and the Minotaur for?
It is written at Peabody level 14, a level 14 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Odysseus and the Cyclops (level 15)
- Icarus and Daedalus (level 12)
- The Trojan Horse (level 12)
- Arachne the Weaver (level 11)
- Gilgamesh (level 17)
- Persephone and the Seasons (level 11)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.