By Amy Wallot
amy.wallot@education.ky.gov
Wearing a crown and carrying a staff, both made of black construction paper, 4th-grade student James Smith brought Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, to life for his classmates.
The skit was part of a presentation in Lauren Coomes’ 4th-grade class at Estes Elementary School (Owensboro Independent). Her students were reading The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the popular Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, out loud in class together.
Coomes said the students were struggling with some of the terms mentioned in the book, like Achilles heel. And they didn’t have a lot of knowledge about the gods and goddesses mentioned in the book.
To fill in the knowledge gap, Coomes had her students work in groups of 2-3 and research a Greek god or goddess. They then had to give a short presentation to the class and were encouraged to include illustrations, costumes and skits.
“It’s been a fun thing, but it has also helped them out in understanding the references in The Lightning Thief,” she said.

Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2015

Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2015

Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2015

Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2015

Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2015

Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2015

Photo by Amy Wallot, Feb. 5, 2015
It was a fun project
Great Job Ms.. Coomes. Your lesson really engaged the children and forced them to think outside their box.
that was fun