Integrated Unit-



Kerry Smith

Integrated Unit-

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

For this assignment I chose the book, The Lightning Thief, which is part of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series. The Lightning Thief tells the story of a troubled teen (Percy Jackson) who has issues fitting in. When Percy discovers that his differences stem from his peculiar birth, he decides to use his family position to help stop a war between the gods.

I choose The Lightning Thief because I felt that it would be an interesting and engaging read for students in a middle grades classroom. The fantasy genre of the book combined with the raw human emotions and struggles make it accessible to all students. The action in the book doesn’t hurt either!

I planned my integrated unit for a sixth grade classroom, and subsequently divided the texts into nine sections that I thought they could handle reading at a time. I chose sixth grade because of the mythology tie-in for this grade on the NC Standard Course of Study. Each section has before, during, and after reading tasks for the students to complete. I tried to make the questions and activities fun and engaging, yet still instructional. My hope for students who read this novel is that they will take away from it a general understanding of Greek mythology and a deeper understanding of the characters, imagery, and themes that novel contains. I also want students to see that you don’t have to be a hero to make a difference in the world; students can make a difference! Skills that students will use throughout this unit include: characterization, identifying major themes throughout the novel, responding to the text in a variety of ways, and using a variety of strategies to extend their reading vocabulary.

Section 1: pages 1-40

Before Reading:

Internet Workshop-Students will complete an internet workshop on Greek Mythology in pairs using the following website:

Students will answer the following questions:

1. Click on the link to the Twelve Olympians. Who were the 12 major gods?

2. What is Mount Olympus?

3. Hit the back button your browser to return to the home page. Click on the link to Greek gods for Kids. Read over the list of gods (and their descriptions) and choose two gods to research further. Click on the gods name to get more information on him or her, and provide a brief description of each.

4. Think about what you learned today: If you were to have one of the gods for a parent which one would it be and why?

During Reading:

Discussion Groups-

The students will be placed in discussion groups on the first day of reading. Some of the discussions will be in these small groups and others will be whole class.

1. (Stop after pg. 11 and ask) Describe Percy as a student. What troubles does he have in school? Why do you think the author is telling us this?

1. (Stop after pg. 15 and ask) Describe what happens to Percy at the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts. What do you think this means?

2. (Stop after pg. 33 and ask) What is Percy’s relationship with his mother like? Why does he think she has bad luck?

After Reading:

Initial Reflection-Students will write a short 3-4 sentence initial reflection of the book. They will be asked to reflect on and answer the following questions: What do you think of the book so far, Which character do you think you will connect with most? Why?

Section 2: pages 41-81

Before Reading:

Students will work on vocabulary activities.

During Reading:

Discussion Groups-

1. (Stop after pg. 43 and ask) What does Percy know about his father? What do you think this could mean?

2. (Stop after pg. 81 and ask) What does Percy find out about the Greek gods at camp half blood? What do they have to do with camp?

After Reading:

Story Quilt- Students will choose a line from this section of the text that they feel summarizes the section well. The students will need to copy this line down onto a blank sheet of paper and decorate it however they see fit. Students need to remember to include the page number where the quote was found. The students also need to include a brief one to two sentence explanation of why they picked their particular line.

Section 3: pages 82-122

Before Reading:

Students will share their story quilts with the class.

During Reading:

Whole Class Discussion-

1. (Stop after pg. 92 and ask)What happens to Percy in the girl’s bathroom? How do things look for Percy now?

2. (Stop after pg. 122 and ask) Name some of Percy’s experiences with water so far. Given what the author has already told us about this character, what do you think he’s up to?

After Reading:

Toondo-Students will use the site to create their own cartoon using an incident in this section. For example, Students could create a toondo from the girl’s bathroom incident or capture the flag. An example toondo will be made in class to help familiarize the students with the process, and the students will be using a teacher made login for this site.

Section 4: pages 123-163

Before Reading:

Students will share their toondos with the class.

During Reading:

Whole Class Discussion-

1. (Stop after pg. 129 and ask) How does the author let us know that something has changed?

2. (Stop after pg. 145 and ask) Why is Percy more excited about his upcoming quest to the Underworld than scared? What other feelings does he have about his assignment?

After Reading:

I AM poem- Students will write an I AM poem on a character of their choice using the following model. I AM poems are written in first person from the voice of the character the student has chosen.

I am

I wonder

I hear

I see

I cry

I am

I pretend

I feel

I touch

I worry

I am

I understand

I say

I dream

I want

I am

Section 5: pages 164-204

Before Reading:

Students will share their I AM poems with the class.

During Reading:

Discussion Groups-

1. (Stop after pg. 176 and ask) What’s happening here?

2. (Stop after pg. 194 and ask) Percy keeps having strange dreams. What do you think the author wants us to know?

After Reading:

Memorable Characters-Now that students are fully into the novel it is time for them to identify memorable characters. Students need to choose 4 characters that they think are most important to the story and write a 3-4 sentence description of each.

Section 6: pages 205-245

Before Reading:

Students will work on vocabulary activities.

During Reading:

Discussion Groups-

1. (Stop after pg. 211 and ask) What does Percy's fight with Echidna reveal about his character? What new things does he discover about himself?

2. (Stop after pg. 229 and ask) The god, Ares, says he loves America. He calls it "the best place since Sparta." What does he mean? Do you agree with his assessment of America? Why? Why not?

After Reading:

Stretch to Sketch Activity-Students will select either a scene or emotion from this section of text and find an image to represent it. The image can be hand drawn, a photograph, or an online picture. Students must then write a one to two sentence interpretation of their visual and why they chose it.

Section 7: pages 246-286

Before Reading:

Students will share their stretch to sketch activities with the class.

During Reading:

Whole Class Discussion-

1. (Stop at pg. 265 and ask) What is the author’s message here?

2. (Stop at pg. 279 and ask) What’s happening here?

After Reading:

Letter- Students will write a letter to a character of his/her choice in the voice of Percy. The letter needs to be at least 3-4 sentences long, and has to be based off a situation, emotion, or thought found in this section of the text.

Section 8: pages 287-327

Before Reading:

Students will share their letters with the class.

During Reading:

Discussion Groups-

1. (Stop at pg. 314 and ask) What do you think the author is setting up?

2. (Stop at pg. 317 and ask) How does the last line of the prophecy-you shall fail to save what matters most in the end-come true? Did Percy make the right choice?

After Reading:

Wordle-Students will create a wordle using the website . The students will need to select at least 10 key words from this section of the text to use in the creation of their wordle. An example wordle will be made in class to help familiarize the students with the process, and the students will be using a teacher made login for this site.

Section 9: pages 327-354

Before Reading:

Students will share their wordles with the class.

During Reading:

Whole Class Discussion-

1. (Stop at pg. 334 and ask) When describing the effects of Mist, Chiron says, "Remarkable, really, the lengths humans will go to fit things into their version of reality." How is this true in the novel?

2. (Stop at pg. 342 and ask) When Percy finally meets his father, Poseidon seems distant and hard to read. Percy says that he is actually glad about this. "If he'd tried to apologize, or told me he loved me, or even smiled-that would have felt fake. Like a human dad, making some lame excuse for not being around." Do you agree with Percy? Why or why not?

3. (Stop at pg. 353 and ask) What else do you think the prophecy -you shall fail to save what matters most in the end-means? Do you think that Percy made the right decision in this situation?

4. Do you think made the right decision not to stay at camp half blood for the school year? Why or why not?

After Reading:

Animoto Video-Working with a partner, students will create an animoto video () as a final activity for the book. Students will select pictures from the internet or create hand drawn pictures (that I will help them scan in) to complete this project. The students will select photos and music that they think helps explain the book and give it meaning. An example video will be made in class, and students will be using a teacher made login for this site. The video must be less than thirty seconds, and the partners must write a brief explanation of their video. These videos will be shared with the class.

Supplemental Books and Other Resources:

Scholastic, Inc. (2010). The lightning thief discussion

guide. Retrieved from

This website was used as a resource in the creation of some of the discussion questions for this unit.

ABC. (2003). Winged sandals. Retrieved from



I chose this website because it has some really cool videos that retell Greek myths in a way that I think students will really enjoy. These videos can be watched during the students free explore time or as a class.

Riordan, R. (2007). Rick Riordan. Retrieved from



I chose Rick Riordan’s website as one of my resources for several reasons. The site has many great resources and supplemental activities that kids can engage with and learn from. I also feel that it is important for students to know about the authors of the book they are reading. If students enjoy this type of book, the site can also introduce other literature for further reading.

Atsma, A.J. (2008). Theoi Greek mythology. Retrieved from



I chose this website because I felt it offered a lot of information on one site. Students can find information on Titans and Titanesses, Giants, Greek gods and goddesses, and much more. This would be a great resource for students to research topics in the book further or to just explore.

Gazelle, F. (2010). Greek mythology. Retrieved from



I chose this website because I felt that it was very student friendly. It offers a section on gods, heroes, and the relevance of mythology today. This is another great resource for students to use as they read the book.

Sagmiller, G. Dyslexia my life-information and advice on

dyslexia and learning disabilities by a dyslexic.. Retrieved from

I chose the above website on dyslexia not only because it is a topic mentioned in the book, but also because of the amount of students who struggle with it. I thought it would beneficial for the students to take a closer look at this topic.

Osborne, M.P. (1989). Favorite Greek myths. NY: Scholastic, Inc..

This book is a retelling of some of the most popular Greek Myths. I choose this book, because it was on an easier reading level than The Lightning Thief, and would be a good resource for students to find out more information about mythology and the gods.

Fisher, L.E. (1988). Theseus and the minotaur.. NY: Holiday House.

This book tells the story of the Theseus and the Minotaur. This story is one of the first mentioned in The Lightning Thief. I chose this book for students who want to know more about this topic.

McCaughrean, G. (2005). Hercules. Chicago: Cricket Books.

Hercules is one of the previous heroes mentioned in the book. I chose this book for students who interested in learning more about Hercules.

Smith, C.R. (2008). The Mighty 12:superheros of Greek mythology.

N.Y.: Little Brown.

In the internet workshop, the students are asked to research the “mighty 12.” I chose this book as a resource to further supplement that activity. This book goes into detail about each one of the “mighty 12.”

Orgel, D. (1999). We the Godesses: athena, aphrodite, and hera.

N.Y.: DK Pub.

This book tells more about three of the most important goddesses of Greek mythology. I chose this book for students to explore the females of Greek mythology.

Davis, K.A. (1999). Look what came from Greece. Danbury, Conn.:

F. Watts.

In The Lightning Thief it mentions that the gods have had a hand in our American architecture among other things. Percy is told to look around at certain landmarks in the U.S. and to see their Grecian influence. I chose this book to help students explore this topic more.

Rockwell, A.F. (1996). The One eyed giant and other monsters from

Greek myths. N.Y.: Greenwillow.

There are many monsters mentioned in The Lightning Thief. I chose this book on Greek monsters to help students explore them more. Some of the monsters highlighted in the book are: Typhon, the Hydra, the Cyclops, Medusa, Argos, and the Minotaur.

Storrie, P.D. (2008). Perseus: the hunt for medusa's head: a Greek

myth. Minneapolis: Graphic Universe.

In The Lightning Thief, Percy mentions Perseus as being his namesake. This book is a graphic novel that tells the tale of when Perseus, son of Zeus, takes on Medusa. Students who chose to can read this book to learn more about these two characters from the book.

|Activity | |

|(All activities must be complete to earn full credit) |Points Earned/Total Points Possible |

| | |

|Internet Workshop |___________/15 |

| | |

|Initial Reflection |___________/5 |

| | |

|Story Quilt |___________/5 |

| | |

|Toondo |___________/5 |

| | |

|I AM poem |___________/5 |

| | |

|Memorable Characters |___________/5 |

| | |

|Stretch to Sketch |___________/5 |

| | |

|Letter |___________/5 |

| | |

|Wordle |___________/5 |

| | |

|Animoto Video |___________/15 |

| | |

|Vocabulary Activities |___________/15 |

| | |

|Participation in Class Discussions |___________/15 |

| | |

|Total Points Earned |__________/100 |

The Lightning Thief Activity Rubric

Student Name:______________________________

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