The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

describes a creature which is half-human and half-goat (Grover is a satyr).

     __________1. It was rude to leave Grover at the bus station.

__________2. Blue food tastes bad.

__________3. Grover has hooves.

__________4. Sally Jackson isn’t smart to stay with Gabe.

__________5. Gabe always plays poker.

     __________6. Dreams always come true.

__________7. Sally wants Percy to be kept safe.

__________8. Percy’s dad has never seen him.

__________9. Gabe is a cruel person.

__________10. Gabe treats Sally badly.

      __________11. Percy has had problems at every school he has attended.

__________12. Percy has been going to the cabin by the beach every since he was a baby.

__________13. Beaches help calm people down.

__________14. Percy’s mom is the nicest person in the world.

__________15. Percy inherited his dad’s black hair and green eyes.

        Percy lies to his mother.

Percy has a dream about a horse and an eagle.

Percy left Grover at the bus station.

Grover stops by the cabin.

Percy asks about his father.

Percy and his mother drive to the beach.

The three of them run for the car.

Percy arrives home.

  Have the student create a character collage on the computer. Have them use clip art to create people who the students feel “look” like the characters they have met so far. (Percy, Grover, Nancy Bobofit, Mrs. Dodds, Mr. Brunner, Smelly Gabe, Sally Jackson) Label each and write a line they said under each picture or a description of him/her.

              *reeked- smelled badly strewn- thrown all over nauseous- feel sick to stomach *sympathy- to feel sorry for scowled- made a face panic- sudden fear pursed- pressed lips together tightly anxiety- worried and fearful *lumber- move slowly rebellious- fighting against rules or authority *resented- felt bitterness toward vivid-clear goading- teasing sternly- strictly, harshly

 Have the student create a character collage on the computer. Have them use clip art to create people who the students feel “look” like the characters they have met so far. (Percy, Grover, Nancy Bobofit, Mrs. Dodds, Mr. Brunner, Smelly Gabe, Sally Jackson)  Label each and write a line they said under each picture or a description of him/her.

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“The best people get the worst luck.” Do you agree? Can you think of a time when something terrible happened to a good person? Conversely, do bad people have good things happen to them? What is the place that you feel most at ease – a place you’d like to be more than anywhere else? Does your family have a favorite or traditional place to spend vacations? If so, describe it. If not, where would you most like to take a vacation if money was no object?

 Does Percy have ADHD? Using the attached worksheet, read the description of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with the class. Based on what they’ve read so far, ask students if this fits Percy or not. Ask them to find at least three things in the book that would support their point of view.

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Percy says he’s been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. About two million kids have this condition in the U.S. Read the three main traits of an ADHD person, below, and think about whether this describes Percy, based on what you’ve read of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief so far.

The three main traits of an ADHD person: Inattention.

Has a hard time keeping his mind on any one thing.

May get bored with a task after only a few minutes. He may give effortless, automatic attention to activities and things he enjoys.

Organizing and completing a task or learning something new is difficult.

Hyperactivity.

Always seem to be in motion. Can't sit still.

          May dash around or talk incessantly. Sitting still through a lesson can be an impossible task. May squirm in his seat or roam around the room. May touch everything, or noisily tap his pencil.

Hyperactive teens may feel intensely restless. May be fidgety or try to do several things at once, bouncing around from one activity to the next.

Impulsivity.

Doesn’t seem to think before he acts. May blurt out inappropriate comments. May run into the street without looking, or get into situations without thinking of the consequences Has trouble waiting for things he wants or taking turns. May grab something from another person or hit someone when they're upset.

WAYS PERCY IS LIKE THIS: WAYS PERCY IS NOT LIKE THIS:

Inattentive hyperactive impulsive

     1. Percy says “the best people have the rottenest luck.” How does this apply to his mom?

2. Describe Gabe.

3. Why is Montauk special to Percy’s mom?

4. Why does Percy’s mom eat blue food, and why does Percy love this about her?

5. How does the title of the chapter, “Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants,” come true?

1. Why does Percy leave Grover at the bus station? What would you have done in his place?

2. Percy says “the best people get the rottenest luck.” How does this apply to his mom?

3. Why doesn’t Percy tell his mom the truth about Mrs. Dodds and the ladies at the fruit stand?

4. How does Percy get even with Gabe as they’re loading up the Camaro?

5. Why is Montauk special to Percy’s mom?

6. Why does Percy’s mom eat blue food, and why does Percy love this about her?

7. What knew information does Percy learn about his dad as he and his mother are roasting marshmallows?

8. Describe Percy’s dream. What do you think it means?

9. How does the title of the chapter, “Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants,” come true?

 Character collage. This activity can either be done with computers and internet clipart, or paper and old magazines. Ask students to make a list of characters they’ve met in the book so far. These include: Percy, Grover, Nancy Bobofit, Mrs. Dodds, Mr. Brunner, Smelly Gabe and Sally Jackson. Have them search and cut out (or copy on computer) photos of people that they think are close to how these characters would appear. Paste these onto a large piece of paper (or into Powerpoint or similar computer program). Students should then label each character and find a quote about them from the book – either a description of the character or something they said. This line should be written underneath each character’s picture. This activity is good for keeping the characters straight, and can be a lot of fun when students start comparing their visualizations of the different characters. Working in pairs is good for this activity.

 Illustrated timeline for the Jackson family. A lot of background information about Sally and Percy’s lives is given in chapter three. Have students create a timeline with 5-10 events mentioned in the book, and draw a picture for each event. Some possible moments to illustrate: Sally’s parents die in a plane crash; Sally meets Percy’s father at the beach; Percy strangles a snake in his crib at day care; the one-eyed man stalks Percy on the playground. This assignment can also be done on computers with Timeliner software ( www.tomsnyder.com

).

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       Read the chapter Read the PowerPoint Write the journal entry Write a summary Do the exercise related to vocabulary Do the study questions Do any extra assignments in folder for this chapter