"Myths And Their Transformations,"
	Differentiating the Curriculum Using Heracles - Margaret Abend, Heninger Elementary
	Objectives My first objective is to find an avenue to develop creative writing in my young students. By choosing Heracles, I can expose them to classical mythology and introduce them to early Greek civilization. Working with young second language students, I will be reading the majority of material to them. I want the students to think about what has been read and then be ready to discuss it. After discussions, they will write about Heracles. My second objective is to use Greek mythology, mainly Heracles, to differentiate the curriculum for GATE students. As a teacher working with identified gifted students and other bright students, I want to provide differentiated curricular experiences in depth and complexity as I teach about Heracles. Strategies The strategies used in this curriculum outline will include depth and complexity. Depth refers to the concept of challenging learners by enabling them to venture further, deeper, and more elaborately into the area or areas under study. Depth involves approaching or studying something from the concrete to the abstract, from the familiar to the unfamiliar, and from the known to the unknown. Depth necessitates uncovering more details and new knowledge related to a topic of study. It encourages students to recognize new perspectives. Another way of looking at depth is to mark the difference between a collection of isolated facts and what they become when they are assembled as concepts. Depth involves moving from patterns to trends; it proceeds from rules to structure to ethics, from pragmatism to speculation. As depth moves from the simple to the complex, students' understandings are forged from a solid, factual, and conceptual base. Complexity refers to the concept of broadening the learners' understanding of the area or areas under study by asking him to make relationships and associations between, within, and across the subjects and discipline. It involves making relationships between and among ideas, connecting other concepts, and layering&emdash;a why/how interdisciplinary approach that connects and bridges to other disciplines, enhancing the meanings of ideas. These concepts were developed by Sandra Kaplan, a Clinical Professor of Education at the University of Southern California and president of the National Association for Gifted Students. Dr. Kaplan developed this system under a Federal Javits Grant titled Curriculum T.W.O. Project with the funding of the O.R.E.I. California Association for the Gifted (CAG) and the California Department of Education. She co-authored a document titled "Differentiating the Core Curriculum and Instruction to Provide Advanced Learning Opportunities" to meet the needs of the gifted student. This document further explains the use of depth and complexity. Teaching Heracles using depth and complexity is going to challenge the students to look at the facts from a new point of view. Using depth means digging deeper into the life of Heracles. It will involve studying why he acted as he did. We will look for details to understand the story. I want the students to be able to describe the way they believe Heracles looked, the way he spoke, and to examine his relationship with other characters in the story. We will look at the parts and attributes that make him unique. The concepts taught in depth are language, details, patterns, trends, unanswered questions, rules, ethics, and the "big idea." The concepts used in teaching complexity are over time, points of view, and interdisciplinary connections. Learning the vocabulary will help them become more scholarly. As I read the stories to the students we will learn the pronunciation and meaning to the new vocabulary words. We will search for patterns in Heracles' life: what was repeated and what became predictable. We will note how he used his strength and how losing his temper got him into trouble. We will discover trends that are woven into his life. We will be able to see the problems he had when he acted out of anger. We will look at the causes of the actions that happen, the influences, the forces, and directions that played a part in the trends. There will be many unanswered questions that we can explore. We will look for the discrepancies, missing facts, and unclear or incomplete ideas. We can talk about how he looked. Are the pictures from The Book of Greek Myths by d'Aulaires close to what he looked like? What is their interpretation of how Heracles looked? They will learn about the big idea. We will look at the many characters in mythology and see that Heracles was just a small player in a very large play. They will look at the ethical issues in Heracles' life. I will not deal with the sexual issues; rather we will explore Hera and her treatment of Heracles. We will study Heracles from the viewpoint of people in his time and compare it to the present and to the future. We will discuss what they thought Heracles was thinking as he started out on his labors and if they thought that Heracles believed he was getting a fair task to do. Looking at this myth with different perspectives, we can become historians looking for trends and patterns in mythology, sociologists looking at religion and the role of women in Greek mythology, and we can become anthropologists looking for the culture of Greece. One aspect of depth and complexity is finding a universal theme, one that can be found in every line of study. Some universal themes are systems, conflict, and change. The universal theme I will use is change. It will involve going into the changes in Heracles myths. This will note the changes made as different groups confront the myth over time. We will look at the Disney version and note the changes made from the story as presented in d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. My goal is to challenge the gifted learner, to make each child use his or her critical thinking skills to delve into the story of Heracles. I want them to interpret and to give supporting facts. They will learn to differentiate original elements from modern additions and various revisions. They will write in their journal about what they have learned and any question that they have after each session. Introduction of Depth and Complexity At the beginning of the school year the students will be introduced to the elements and icons of depth and complexity. It is important that the icons are recognized as the means by which students can identify and learn more sophisticated content within the discipline. Understanding the relationship of the icons to the knowing of content is critical so that they do not look at the dimensions of depth and complexity as a gimmick or feature of a game. The icons need to be seen as a method for digging deeper into knowledge and for approaching learning and knowing in a new and different way. The first icon that the students will be introduced to will be "details." This icon looks like a flower. In the center of the flower is the word or idea to be defined. On the petals are written the attributes of the word. Detail collecting is similar to clustering ideas when beginning to write. Learning this icon will be done by having them define objects and ideas using details. "Details" points out parts, attributes, factors, and variables of an idea or object. "Details" help the students elaborate on an idea and to embellish a description. Using "details" they will name the characteristics and dimensions that make the object what it is. Collecting details is a way of having the students comprehend and focus in on the subject. An example of "details" would be to write "Heracles" in the center of the icon and on the petals the twelve labors would be written. Another time we will write the physical attributes of Heracles on the petals. The detail icon can be used to note the examples of his use of his strengths and also his impulsiveness. When they write a description of the lion, they will use the icon as a starting point. Finding details is also used with unanswered questions, patterns, and looking at the big picture. The icon of "language" is a pair of lips. When they see this icon they will look for the technical vocabulary or multiple meaning of words. An example of this would be explaining the word "labors" and going over the other spelling, "labours." We will also look at the Greek spellings of "Herakles" and "Heracles" and the Roman spelling of "Hercules." I will use the language icon to show the proper pronunciation of the many new words. We will learn idioms from the story, such as "Herculean effort," meaning an effort of great exertion. There are words that are unique to the myths that will be learned. For example, they will learn why a book of maps is called an Atlas. The "patterns" icon is represented by the letter Z with five circles on it. The circles are located at each end and angle as well as in the center of the letter. This will help them to focus on sequencing, predicting, guessing, hypothesizing, and identifying the main idea. Patterns are used to identify repetition and predictability. We will discuss what got Hercules in trouble and how he relied on his strength to overcome obstacles. I will tell them the name of the new labor and they can predict how he would handle the situation. We can make up a thirteenth labor and have it follow along the other labors. The students can write a resume pretending to be Heracles. They can write a want ad for the newspaper from Zeus who advertises for a replacement for Hercules now that he has retired to Mount Olympus. The "trend" icon is a line graph. This icon will mean looking for cause and effect, forecasting, and noting influences and forces. It shows directions and course of action that have changed because of an influence. It will also mean sequencing and relating events. An example of this is looking into the influence that Eurystheus had on Heracles' life. We can look at the effects of Hera's curses at this point. We will note the influence that his father, Zeus, the king of Greek gods, had on Heracles' life. We will explore this influence for the positive effects as well as the negative effects. We will talk about heroes and explore the changes over time. I will ask them to tell me about heroes in their lives. Many heroes now are sports heroes, war heroes, musicians, and politicians. They can write a story about themselves as a hero. What area would they choose to be a hero in? What they would do and why? Trends are frequently used when studying a theme or issue over time The icon for "unanswered questions" is represented by three question marks. This will be used to differentiate fact from opinion and to identify discrepancies. Unanswered questions point out discrepancies, missing parts, and unclear or incomplete ideas. We will look at several descriptions of a single occurrence and compare them. There are many versions of this myth. We can discuss the reasons that different storytellers emphasize different thoughts, why they add extra details or leave out details. We can compare and contrast the different versions. We can explore what would have happened if Heracles reacted differently. Unanswered questions are often used with patterns, details, and ethics. The icon for "rules" is an organizational chart. This will be used for exploring why, noting order, determining relevance, and identifying cause and effect. Rules are used with structure, order, hierarchy, and explanations. This is another area where we can discuss the cause and effects of Hera's curse. We will outline Heracles' life and note the major influences that shaped his life. We will look at the ancestry chart of Heracles. We can also discuss what would have happened if some events did not take place. An example is what would his life have been if Eurystheus had been less harsh. Would Heracles actually have been a hero without doing the twelve labors? Was he so strong and courageous that he would have found other means of becoming a hero? This also would be part of "unanswered questions." We can invent a board game about Heracles and note details about his life in the game. We would write the objective of the game and the rules. The icon for "ethics" is a diamond divided in two, one side black and the other side white. Using this icon will help in determining bias, proving with evidence, drawing conclusions, and arguing a point. Ethics is used to look at different points of view and opinions. We will use it to judge decisions that have been made. We will use ethics to discuss his guilt in killing his wife and children. Was he guilty or should Hera share in the guilt? This lesson will be closely guided by me. We can look at how Heracles was willing to do all the labors to atone for his sin. No one could make him do the Labors, he wanted to be forgiven. He did not rebel against almost impossible demands made upon him. We will discuss if they think the labors were significant enough to absolve Heracles for killing his wife and children. I will have the students pretend to be the judge that sentences Heracles. How would they punish him? Ethics is frequently used with language, details, and over times. The last icon under depth is "big ideas." This icon is a triangle over four vertical rectangles. This will be used for stating and making generalizations, identifying a theory, and for stating principles. We will talk about being responsible for your actions and taking the consequences that might be given. This is where we will look at the major events in Heracles' life and make some conclusions based on facts from the myth. We will make general statements based on repeated or recurring data. We will note when he did things that took brute strength, courage, impulsiveness, or a combination of these attributes. The big idea is used to reinforce point of view, developments over time, details, and trends. There are three icons for complexity. The "over time" icon is a circle with the words "past," "present," and "future" written on the line of the circle. This will mean predicting, ordering, sequencing, and relating events. It is used to make predictions based on time relationships and relationships within a time period. We can go over the ways the myth has remained the same over the centuries, the ways it has changed, and what the causes of these changes are. We will compare the difference between the story from d'Aulaires' The Book of Greek Myths and the Disney version. They will discuss the fact that his strength and courage remained unchanged. We will talk about how and why things change over time. We will discuss how heroes have changed over time. We can make Heracles' family tree to tie the different characters together. Over time is used in conjunction with the icons vocabulary, big idea, and trends. "Point of view" is represented by a pair of glasses. When looking for point of view, the students will be giving a different perspective, determining bias, and identifying stereotypes. This is helpful to view multiple perspectives and opposing viewpoints. It clarifies how different roles and knowledge can impact the way something is viewed. We will do some role playing here to bring out different points of view. For example they can take on the roles of King Eurystheus, Heracles, Zeus, or Hera. They can explore how and why these characters had different points of view on the twelve labors. We will explore how roles and responsibilities affect perceptions of something. We will look at how personal relationships to something can obscure or clarify perceptions. We can pretend to be newspaper reporters and pretend to interview the characters from the story. The last icon is a circle, a triangle, and a square. They are touching, and a line runs through the middle of them. This icon establishes "interdisciplinary connections." It is used in connecting, associating, integrating information, and linking ideas. It helps to clarify relationships within, between, and across the disciplines. By studying Heracles we will use mythology to learn geography, art, history, reading, and writing. We can look up Mount Olympus on the map. We will chart where the different labors took him. I will read them various versions of the story, and they can read the stories on their own. We will use the computer to get information from the Internet. We will do creative writing using Greek mythology as the main starting point. We will learn about art from some of the classic art pictures depicting the events in Heracles' life. We will also create our own art inspired by these stories. We can draw the monsters that he fought. We can make a mural of Heracles' life. Heracles Summary Heracles is known as the greatest of the Greek heroes. He has remained popular over the centuries partly because he was a hero who became a god. His father was Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, and his mother was Alcmene, a mortal woman. His name means the "glory of Hera." This is a rather strange name considering the fact that Hera, the queen of the gods, hated him. Hera was jealous because her husband Zeus had "indiscretions" with mortal women. She tried to persecute all offspring that Zeus produced. This was the basis of Hera's curse on Heracles. Before Heracles was born, Zeus stated that the next descendant of Perseus to be born would become the ruler of Greece. Hera knew that Alcmene was due to have Zeus' child. Because of Hera's jealousy of Alcmene and this careless pledge of Zeus, even before his birth, Heracles was deprived of the kingdom of Mycenae in favor of his father's cousin Eurystheus. Hera slowed the birth of Heracles and speeded up the birth of Eurystheus. Because of Hera's interference with his birth, Heracles was subject to Eurystheus during his lifetime. Eurystheus later subjects Heracles to his famous labors. Zeus was furious with Hera for her interference. He made her promise that if Heracles completed ten (later to become twelve) tasks for Eurystheus, then Heracles would become a god. Here we see the origin of the curse placed on Heracles before his birth. This is important because we will see the effects of this curse throughout Heracles' life. Heracles had a twin brother named Iphicles. The boys had two different fathers. Iphicles' father was Amphitryon who was a mortal just like his mother Alcmene. Heracles also was the son of Alcmene but he was the son of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. Both boys were raised by Alcmene and Amphitryon. According to the story told by d'Aulaires, they were treated equally although the parents knew they were half brothers. One night when the boys were just toddlers sleeping in their cribs, Hera introduced two monstrous snakes into their room. While Iphicles started to cry as soon as he saw the snakes, Heracles seized one in each hand and suffocated the snakes. This is how Amphitryon found out which one was his son and which was the son of Zeus. This is the first example of how Heracles' strength will become an important pattern in his life. Heracles grew in physical strength. He had a horrible temper. As a young boy his music teacher told him to practice more because he was lagging behind his class. Heracles didn't take this criticism very well. He hit the music teacher over the head with his lyre and killed him. This was the first time he dealt a fatal blow without intending. He did not intend to kill the poor musician, he just struck out on the impulse of the moment without thinking, hardly aware of his strength. His temper, strength, and impulsive behavior are a pattern that will continue to be defined over time. Heracles married Megara, the daughter of King Kreon. Hera cursed Heracles, this caused him to become insane. During this period of insanity he killed his wife and their children. When Heracles realized the horrible thing that he had done, he was contrite. He wanted to make reparation for this unspeakable act, and he consulted Apollo. Apollo told him he had to go to his cousin, King Eurystheus, and do whatever Eurystheus told him to do. This is the source of the twelve labors. Heracles' willingness to atone for his wrongdoing took both courage and responsibility. These attributes are repeated throughout the story, and they are important in developing Heracles into the hero that he became. The Labors The labors were a punishment for the killing of his wife and children, and they were to help Heracles control his strength. King Eurystheus was the opposite of Heracles in many ways. He was a coward. The whole experience of being subject to this coward was even more punishment for Heracles. However, this made him learn about his strength, and in the long run it produced a better hero. This is a lesson in owning up to responsibilities as well as taking time to reach greatness. There are a total of twelve labors of Heracles. I have given a brief account of each labor but will only go into depth with five of them. Labor One: The Nemean Lion For his first labor Heracles was challenged to kill the monstrous Nemean lion. This was no ordinary lion but a supernatural lion. It had hide so tough it could not be pierced by spears or arrows. Heracles chased this lion into its cave and blocked off the entrance. He went inside the cave with the lion so that the lion would have to fight face to face. It was here in the cave that he strangled the lion with his bare hands. After killing the lion, he skinned the lion and wore the lion's skin as a cloak. He wore the gaping jaws as a helmet. In both Greek and Roman art, Heracles is almost always portrayed wearing the lion skin. I will show several slides that show him wearing the lion skin. Labor Two: The Hydra The second order of King Eurystheus was to kill the Hydra that lived in the swamps of Lerna. King Eurystheus was terrified of his cousin after Heracles returned to town wearing the lion skin. He issued the second labor from a storage jar. The second labor was to kill the Hydra that lived in the swamp of Lerna. This creature had many heads. Every time a head was cut off, two new ones grew in its place. Labor Three: The Cerynitian Hind This labor involved catching a female deer that had golden horns. Because this animal was sacred to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, Heracles did not want to shoot it. He chased it for a year before he caught it and completed the third labor. This labor required Heracles to control his strength because he could not kill the creature. Labor Four: The Erymanthian Boar Like the third labor, the fourth labor was in the Arcadian area of Greece. Heracles was challenged to bring back an enormous boar alive. After much chasing, he managed to drive the boar into a snow bank on Mount Erymanthos. Labor Five: The Augean Stables The fifth labor was to clean out the stables of King Augeas in one day. The stables were very large, and the cattle had deposited their manure there for many years. Heracles used his brain as well as his brawn in this labor. He diverted two rivers through the stable yard and completed the job without all the humiliation that such a job could impose on him. Eurystheus refused to count this as a labor. There are several reasons given. One states that he was paid by Augeas for the work, and d'Aulaires cites the fact that the rivers did the work, not him. Labor Six: The Stymphalian Birds This labor required Heracles to get rid of a swarm of birds that had feathers of brass. Athena gave him castanets. He used them to make so much noise that it drove the birds into the air, and he was able to shoot them down with his bow and arrows. Labor Seven: The Cretan Bull The seventh labor was to get rid of a fire-belching bull. The bull was half-man and half-bull and roamed the Labyrinth of King Minos. Heracles overpowered the monster and shipped it back to Athens. He did not hurt the animal. Labor Eight: The Mares of Diomedes For the eighth labor Heracles was instructed to bring to Eurystheus flesh-eating mares. He was able to round them up, lead them to the sea, and take them to Eurystheus. After he showed them to the king, he released them, and the mares were eaten by wild animals on Mount Olympus. Labor Nine: Hippolyta's Girdle The ninth labor took Heracles to the land of the Amazons to retrieve the girdle or belt of their queen for Eurystheus' daughter. The girdle is a belt to which weapons would be attached; it would also likely have a belt buckle with an ornament or symbol on it. The Amazons were a race of warrior women, great archers who had invented the art of fighting on horseback. Heracles recruited a number of heroes to accompany him on this expedition. Labor Ten: The Cattle of Geryon The tenth labor also took Heracles away from home. He was to steal a herd of red cows from Geryon. Geryon had three heads/or three bodies, in any event his physiognomy was unusual. He had a two-headed watchdog named Orthus. Heracles killed the dog with a club. Heracles got away with the herd but didn't go straight back to Greece. He went through Italy on the way. Labor Eleven: The Apple of the Hesperides The eleventh labor was getting a golden apple that was a wedding present to Hera from Gaia. The apple was in a sacred grove surrounded by a high wall and guarded by Lason, a many-headed dragon. It was also guarded by nymphs called Hesperides. Heracles enlisted the help of Atlas to get the apple. Atlas was a Titan so powerful that he was assigned the task of bearing the world on his shoulders. He was identified with a range of mountains in North-west Africa, called the "Atlas Mountains." In exchange for Atlas retrieving the apple, Heracles had to relieve Atlas of the world that rested on his shoulders. Atlas liked the freedom of not holding the world on his shoulders, and he told Heracles that he would now have to hold the world. Heracles agreed but said he needed to get a pad to put on his shoulder to soften the weight of the world. Atlas agreed to take it back while Heracles found the pad. Heracles just left, and Atlas was once again forced to hold the weight of the world. This is debatable if Heracles used his brain to accomplish this or if Atlas' lack of using his brain played a major role in this trick. Labor Twelve: The Capture of Cerberus For the twelfth and final labor Heracles was told to bring up Cerberus from Hades. Cerberus was the three-headed watchdog who guards the Greek Underworld and who keeps souls from leaving. After he accomplished this, Heracles took Cerberus to Eurystheus, and he was free. Heracles had finally atoned for his sins. Lesson Plans Students will be introduced to the system of depth and complexity from the beginning of the school year. It is important that they understand the elements of the icons as a means to identify and learn in a deeper, more complex manner. They will use this knowledge to delve into the story of Heracles, to search for facts, and to look at the story from different perspectives. I will use Heracles as a springboard across the curriculum. Lesson # 1 Objective: o Introduction to heroes o Find attributes of heroes o Find patterns that all heroes possess o Find the trend in the changes of heroes over time We will begin by brainstorming the word "hero." There will be a large detail icon (a daisy type flower) on the board with the word "hero" written in the center. I will have them tell me their heroes, and I will write the heroes' names on the petals of the icon. I will then use a second detail icon with the word "hero" in the center. I will ask them to tell me attributes of their heroes. As they give descriptions of their ideas of heroes, I will write it on the petals of the detail icon. We will then find the pattern that the heroes have in common. We will look at the different types of heroes, such as a parent, hero found in sports, character from a legend or folklore, politician, television or movie star, singer, or strong man. We will look at the fact that many heroes from history are very courageous and/or very strong. We will compare and contrast the types of heroes and note how they have changed over time. Using the icon for point of view, we will talk about why they have picked certain heroes and why there are so many types of heroes. For a follow up activity they will write friendly letters to their heroes telling them why they admire them. Lesson # 2: Heracles and the Nemean Lion Objectives o Introduce The Book of Greek Myths by d'Aulaires o Learn the language of the story o Locate Greece and Rome on a map o View pictures of the Greek art with Heracles and the lion o Detail the attributes of the lion o Discuss the ethics of Hera's curse o Introduce Eurystheus o Introduction to the labors o Sequence the story o Illustrate Heracles wearing the skin of the lion o Write a list of items that Heracles might have needed I will begin by allowing the students to share their knowledge of myths. I will explain that mythology is important to help us understand how humans felt and thought hundreds of years ago. We will locate Greece and Italy on the map. We will talk about how myths were passed down by storytellers before any were written down. I will begin by introducing the students to d'Aulaires Book of Greek Mythology. I will use this Caldecott winner as the main book for my third grade students because it is an easily understood book with wonderful illustrations. I will read the early life of Heracles. We will talk about the fairness of Hera's curse. We will discuss the possibilities of a curse. We will learn about Eurystheus. We will talk about the word "labor" and its meanings. They will hear about Heracles' first labor, the Nemean Lion. We will put the attributes of the lion on the petals of the detail icon. We will view the picture of the Chryselephantine Tablet with Lioness and the Rhyton in the shape of a lion head. We will view the Attic vase painting where Heracles kills the lion that was ravaging Nemea. We will discuss the cloak that Heracles made. What would they do with an impervious cloak? We will discuss the king's reaction to him as he returns to town wearing the lion skin. They will write stories as if they were Heracles. They will detail the first labor by describing what he had to do and why. They will describe the story using colors, sounds, smells, actions, and feelings. They will illustrate Heracles wearing the lion skin. Lesson # 3: Heracles and the Hydra Objectives o Learn the language o Find the details about the Hydra o Find attributes that make the Hydra dangerous o Discuss the discrepancies in the number of heads the Hydra had o Look for patterns between this labor and the first labor o Discuss the ethics of killing the Hydra o Discuss the reason Heracles saved the Hydra's blood o Discuss Eurystheus' reaction to the slaying of the Hydra o Write the story of the slaying of the Hydra as if you were a reporter o Create a class Hydra We will review the heroic slaying of the lion. We will discuss the origin of the word "hydra." What other words contain the word hydra? We will talk about the significance of using the lion skin, something he fought and overcame, as a weapon to save himself from the Hydra. I will read the story from the d'Aulaires book. I will explain that this story states that it had nine heads but James Riordan's book The Twelve Labors of Hercules states that the Hydra had three heads. We will discuss the dangers of the Hydra and perhaps ways to get around the dangers in order to slay it. We will compare and contrast the first two labors. Does the fact that he was helped with the second slaying diminish the heroic deed? Why he saved the blood and the potential danger of doing so will also be discussed. This is a violent story, we will ask whether violence can be "good " and "bad." We will play act Heracles returning to Eurystheus with the news of the slaying. We will explore the thoughts of Heracles and Eurystheus as they meet. The follow-up project will be to write a newspaper article with the facts of the slaying of the Hydra. Some students will write as a reporter for Eurystheus' newspaper and others will write as supporters of Heracles. As a class project we will create a large multi-headed Hydra. Each student will make a head and neck, and it will be attached to one of the three large bodies that they will make in a group project. Glossary Alcestis (al ces' tis), wife of Amphitryon that Heracles rescued from the underworld. Alcmene (alc me" na), mother of Heracles. Amazons (am' a zonz), a mythical race of warrior women. Heracles' ninth labor was to retrieve the Queen of the Amazon's girdle. Amphitryon (am fit' ri on), husband of Alcmene and stepfather of Heracles. Atlas (at' las), Titan god who supported the heavens on his shoulder. Heracles asks his help in completing the eleventh labor. Cerberus (ser' ber us), the three headed watchdog of Hades. Eurystheus (u ris' the us), the king of Mycenae, the cousin of Heracles. Heracles was subject to him for twelve years as he completed his twelve labors. Hera (he' ra), queen of gods. She was the sister and wife of Zeus. She was the Olympian goddess of marriage and childbirth. She cursed Heracles who became insane and killed his wife and children. Heracles (her' a klez) (Also spelled Herakles or Hercules), the son of Zeus (a god) and Alcmene (a mortal). He is a Greek and Roman mythological hero. He was cursed from infancy by Hera and forced to perform twelve famous labors to atone for killing his wife and children. He was mortal and became a god on Mount Olympus. Hesperides (hes per' i dez), nymphs that guarded Hera's golden apple. Hippolyte (hi pol' i te), queen of the Amazons. Heracles killed her.   Hydra (hi' dra), a many-headed monster who lived in the swamps of Lerna. Killing the Hydra was the second labor of Heracles. When Heracles cut off a head, two more grew in its place. The monster had poisonous blood, and its breath was lethal. Iolaus helped kill the monster by burning the stumps left after the many heads were chopped off. Iolaus (i l la' us), son of Iphicles and Heracles' nephew. He helped Heracles slay the Hydra. Iphicles (if' i klez), twin brother of Heracles, son of Amphitryon and Alcmene. Ladon (la' don), multi-headed serpent that guarded the golden apples with the nymphs called Hesperides. Heracles must get the apples for the ninth labor. Megara (meg' a ra), Heracles' first wife. She is killed by Heracles in an insane rage. Nemean Lion (ne me' an), a monstrous lion with hide that cannot be pierced. Heracles strangled the beast, skinned it, and wore the skin of this creature. Many Greek art works depict him wearing this lion skin. The killing of the Nemean Lion was his first labor. Olympus (o lim' pus), a mountain in Greece where the greater gods were said to have lived. Stymphalian Birds (stim fa' li an), cannibalistic birds with metal feathers that Heracles shot for his sixth labor. Zeus (zus), father of Heracles and husband of Hera. He is the king of gods. Annotated Teacher Bibliography Apolladorus. Gods and Heroes of the Greeks. Trans. Michael Simpson. Boston:University of Massachusetts, 1976. The complete story of Heracles, an excellent source of ancient stories and myths. Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1968. This anthology covers stories of Gods and Heroes. Originally published in the 19th century. Croft, Richard Patrick Peter. Classic Ancient Mythology a Guide to the Legends ofEgypt, Greece and Rome. New York: Crown Publishers Inc., 1988. Background history of and Greek civilization and the significance and importance of myths that are interwoven into their daily lives. Nearly 300 color photographs of these ancient people. Euripides. Alcesti. Trans. Richard Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1955. Euripides wrote the play Alcestis around 450 BC This tells the story of Heracles rescuing Alcestis from death. Graves, Robert. The Greek Gods and Heroes. New York: Doubleday and Company,1969. A good introduction to mythology. A recount of the days when gods and goddesses who dwelt on Mount Olympus ruled over the world of mortals.---. The Greek Myths. New York: Penguin Books, 1955. This complete edition of Greek myths is and excellent source of reference. Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Little Brown & Company, 1942. An excellent overview of Greek and Roman classical mythology. The stories are told with clarity in an organized manner.---. Mythology, Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York: Little Brown & Company, 1940. The myths are retold for today's readers, yet in a manner that preserves the excitement of the original stories. Hesiod and Theognis. Theogony and Works and Days. Trans. Dorothea Wender. New York: Penguin Books, 1973. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. W. H. D. Rouse. New York: New American Library, 1938. Kaplan, Sandra and Betty Gould. The Flip Book. Calabasas: Educator to Educator, 1995. The flip book is to function as a method for developing differentiated learning experiences that correlate with an existing curriculum. Morgan, Robert J. Myths of the World Classical Deities and Heroes. New York: Michael Freidman/Fairfax Publishers, 1995. An informative and entertaining look at timeless figures of Greco-Roman mythology. Filled with beautiful paintings, sculptures, and line drawings that bring the stories to life. Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. Rolfe Humphries. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1955. A collection of all the myths of the time of the Roman poet. Written around 25 BC. Most of the stories involve transformation of gods, goddesses, and mortals changing their shapes to become different things. Winebrenner, Susan. Teaching Gifted Kids in the Classroom. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing Inc., 1992. Practical strategies and techniques that help meet the academic needs of the gifted students in the regular classroom. Annotated Student Bibliography Blaisdell, Bob. The Story of Hercules. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc. 1997. An easy to read story of Hercules, written as an autobiography. The general idea of the story gives a good account of Hercules. This gives a nice introduction into the myth. d'Aulaires Ingri and Edgar Parin. d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. New York: Doubleday, 1962. Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaires, Caldecott award winning illustrators, bring Greek myths to life. The stories are easy to understand and the illustrations are wonderful. Evslin, Bernard. The Hydra. New York: Chelsea House of Publishers, 1989. This gives an account of Heracles' life in an easy to read form. There are many wonderful art photographs including Heracles and the Hydra by Gustave Moreau.---. The Nemean Lion. New York: Chelsea House of Publishers, 1989. This easy to read book gives the history of the Nemean lion. The basic plot is correct, but Evslin adds personalities and a dialogue to make it more realistic for a child. There are many excellent art photographs depicting monsters in mythology. Lasky, Kathryn. Hercules, the Man, the Myth and the Hero. New York: Hyperion Books for Children 1997. An easy to read book that tells the life of Hercules. The illustrations by Mark Hess depict this myth in all its splendor. McCaughrean, Geraldine. Greek Myths. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992. A collection of sixteen Greek myths. The excitement of the stories is captured by the illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark. Philip, Neil. The Illustrated Book of Myths and Teaes and Legends of the World. New York: Darling Kindersley Books, 1995. A collection of many cultures, myths, and stories. Many fine illustrations and photographs. Riordan, James. The Twelve Labors of Hercules. Brookfield: The Millbrook Press, 1997. An easy to read and understand account of Hercules and his labors. The illustrations by Christine Balit enhance the story. Schreiber, Morris. Stories of Gods and Heroes. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Inc., 1960. An easy to read short account of various Greek and Roman myths. The big pictures make it nice to read aloud for a small number of students.