I've mentioned before how much I
love the Percy Jackson series. There are 5 in the original series, and there are 2 so far in the extended series. The most recent book is
The Son of Neptune.
I love the series because they are imaginative, adventurous, and educational. I seriously missed out on 2 night of sleep because I had to finish the book!
The main character, Percy Jackson, finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, who is the Greek god of the sea. It's though Percy's adventures with his friends from Camp Half Blood that the reader is introduced to Greek mythology and all it's sorted stories.
Now, I know what you're thinking...
"But the book title is The Son of Neptune. And Neptune was a Roman god!"
How right you are! The extended series is about another Camp that is for the Roman half- bloods. Fascinating, right?
You might remember from {
THIS} post that we studied the Roman gods when we studied space. In fact, we learned the stories behind all the planets on our Solar System, and created a Family Tree of the Roman gods.
Well, imagine my students' surprise when we were walking through the halls on the way to the bathroom and we see this on a 5th grade door!
And, the door was covered in other 'houses' with more Greek names! It was time to investigate!
As it turns out, Ms. Guardiani's class was reading the Percy Jackson series, and learning about Greek mythology at the same time! Their door was covered in the different Camp Half- Blood houses, and each student got to choose which house he/ she would want to join.
Now my students refused to leave the door alone and wanted to have an entire conversation in the hallway about the different gods and goddesses that they remembered. I, on the other hand, was hungry and wanted my students to hurry so we could go to lunch.
This was my solution- I asked Ms. G if she had 1 or 2 responsible students who would be able to teach my students about the Greek gods on their door. This way my students would have their curiosity appeased, 5th grade would get to show off what they've been learning, and everyone would have a lesson in across-level cooperation. Score!
So, without further ado.... Here are two wonderful 5th graders from Ms. Guardiani's class to tell you about what they've been learning about Greek mythology! (according to Percy Jackson!)
I also went to Wikipedia for the 'real' definition.
In
Greek mythology,
Demeter (
/diˈmiːtər/;
Attic Δημήτηρ Dēmētēr.
Doric Δαμάτηρ Dāmātēr) is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over
grains and the
fertility of the earth.
In
Greek religion and
mythology,
Athena or
Athene, is the goddess of wisdom, courage,
inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics,
strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill.
Artemis was often described as the daughter of
Zeus and
Leto, and the twin sister of
Apollo. She was the Hellenic goddess of the
hunt,
wild animals,
wilderness,
childbirth,
virginity and young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows.
The god of travel, messengers, trade, thievery, cunning wiles, language,
writing, diplomacy, athletics, and animal husbandry. He is the
messenger of the gods, a
psychopomp who leads the souls of the dead into
Hades' realm, and the son of
Zeus and
Maia.
Queen of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings and empires. She is
the wife of Zeus and daughter of Cronus and Rhea. She was usually
depicted as a beautiful woman wearing a crown and veil and holding a
royal, lotus-tipped staff.
Aphrodite is the
Greek goddess of
love,
beauty, pleasure, and procreation.
He is the son of
Zeus and
Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of
technology,
blacksmiths,
craftsmen,
artisans,
sculptors,
metals,
metallurgy,
fire and
volcanoes.
The god of wine, parties and festivals, madness, drunkenness and
pleasure at forever young. He was depicted in art as either an older
bearded god or a pretty effeminate, long-haired youth.
The god of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and the
creator of horses; known as the "Earth Shaker". He is a son of
Cronus and
Rhea and brother to
Zeus and
Hades.
The god of war, bloodlust, violence, manly courage, and civil order. The son of
Zeus and
Hera, he was depicted as either a mature, bearded warrior dressed in battle arms, or a nude beardless youth with helm and spear.
The god of music, healing, plague, prophecies, poetry, and archery; associated with light, truth and the sun. He is
Artemis' twin brother and Hermes' elder brother, and son of
Zeus and
Leto.
And last, but not least, the Head-honcho of the gods... Zeus.
The king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky,
weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and fate. He is the youngest
son of
Cronus and
Rhea, whom he overthrew after
Cronus swallowed his brothers and sisters and he is brother-husband to
Hera.
