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aCTIvITy 1.11
poor Choices: “phaethon”
LearNING sTraTeGIes:
Previewing, Predicting, Close Reading, Marking the Text, Questioning the Text,
Word Map
AbouT The AuThor
Bernard Evslin wrote many books for young people and is best known for his adaptations of tales from Greek mythology. Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, his best-known work, has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 10 different languages. Evslin’s work has won a number of awards, and his book The Green Hero was nominated for a National Book Award.
Myth
spurted: ran quickly, burst ahead
My Notes
Learning Targets
• Identify the key plot elements of conflict and climax in a myth.
• Analyze in writing how character is developed through words and actions and how character contributes to the overall theme.
Preview
In this activity, you will read a myth and analyze its plot and characters.
Setting a Purpose for Reading
• As you read, mark the text as you learn or infer details about the character Phaethon.
• Circle unknown words and phrases. Try to determine the meaning of the words by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary.
Phaethon
by Bernard Evslin
Chunk 1
1 Long ago, when the world was very new, two boys were racing along the edge
of a cliff that hung over a deep blue sea. They were the same size; one boy had black hair, the other had yellow hair. The race was very close. Then the yellow-haired one spurted ahead and won the race. The loser was very angry.
2 “You think you’re pretty good,” he said. “But you’re not so much. My father is Zeus.”1
3 My father is Apollo,” said the yellow-haired boy, whose name was Phaethon.2
4 “My father is the chief god, king of the mountain, lord of the sky.”
5 “My father is lord of the sun.”
6 “My father is called the thunderer. When he is angry, the sky grows black and
the sun hides. His spear is a lightning bolt, and that’s what he kills people with. He hurls it a thousand miles and it never misses.”
1 Zeus [züs]: King of the gods in Greek mythology 2 Phaethon [fā´ә thon]
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SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 7
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