Materials for the lesson

A blue textile about 3 meters.
Balloons in various colors.
An A3 paper to make a boat. A black A4 paper.
A cardboard to stick upon it the paper boat, so it does not fall over.

Toothpicks.
Wide, brown, adhesive, packaging tape.

Teachers’ Bell.

Layout of the classroom

The desks are put aside so there is space for action.

The lesson will take place as a narration (There are many links in English for the adventures of Theseus to help with the narration).

1^st Phase

Preparation:

We inflate the balloons (even better if we could have helium balloons so they could stay in the air without falling).
The balloons will be the heroes of the entire lesson concerning Theseus:
Theseus- Aethra- Aegeus- Minotaur- Ariadne
and the five thieves that Theseus killed.
We write the names on the balloons with a marker.
The balloons of the 5 thieves are tied up upon 5 consecutive desks as the teacher has placed them. The desks are united together with some brown packaging tape (as a line from one to the other) to show the route o Theseus from Troezin to Athens.

2^nd Phase

The teacher narrates the story of Theseus (birth-origin-the lifting of the rock until his departure for Athens).
Then a student takes the balloon of THESEUS and in combination with the teachers narration goes from thief to thief experiencing all the adventures described by the myth (each thief is narrated by one student).

The teacher narrates the dialogues to the student that is Theseus and to each of the five students/thieves.

For example
THESEUS: Hey … Procrustes (he who stretches) let me pass.
PROCRUSTES: first let me measure you….

When the scene is over, the teacher can pop the balloon with a pin therefore signaling the victory of Theseus with all the thieves.

3^rd Phase

The voyage to Crete.

We construct the ship/boat from the A3 paper and stick it on the cardboard so it can move easily on the blue textile. We make a mast with black sails (black A4 paper) and place it with a toothpick on the boat.
The children stretch out the blue textile on the floor as a sea and place the boat upon it. From the one side of the sea is Athens and from the other Crete. If we lift the cloth from one side, the ship slips to the other end or we pull it with a string.
The balloon Theseus meets with King Minoa, Ariadne and the Minotaur.
According dialogues are selected and narrated from the students that are holding the balloons.
THESEUS: I will enter the labyrinth and conquer the Minotaur.
ARIADNE: You will get lost in the labyrinth, take this thread and let it unravel as you pass and when you beat the monster and are ready, follow it to lead you out again.

4^th Phase

The return to Athens takes place in the same way upon the blue sea (textile). The balloon of Aegeus can be left free to fly to the sky (class-ceiling, symbolically when he commits suicide).

The theme of “Theseus” is very rich in Paintings and Sculptures. The teacher could enhance his/her narration with images or projections.