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Read the Books or play Puzzle games
Read the Books or play Puzzle games
In Sherlock Holmes and the Minotaur's Maze children
are introduced to two great literary characters and two separate literary
genres: Sherlock Holmes representing mysteries and the Minotaur representing
Greek mythology. Throughout the book children can use their deductive
reasoning to follow clues and solve puzzles that help Penelope and Jilly find
the Minotaur. Many are surprised when they discover the Minotaur is not a
horrible creature but a misunderstood prince who is wrestling to control his
temper so he can compete in the Olympics, an event he has worked very hard to
train for.
Subplots in Sherlock Holmes and the Minotaur's Maze
include choosing when to use your brain and when to use your strength to solve
problems, being misunderstood and acting like a bully. In the end
children will find, as do the characters, that using a combination of both
brains and strength wins the day. Buy It Now
In this lively, colorful companion book children
are transported to ancient Greece where they can read the real story of the
Minotaur, the hero Theseus and the great inventor Daedalus who was so clever he
made wings and flew across the sky. In addition a re-telling of the
original Sherlock Holmes mystery The Red-Headed League is included giving
children an easy to read introduction to one of the greatest detective series
ever written. Use this book to encourage children to learn more about famous
sleuths and Greek mythology after their interest has been piqued by reading the
Great Story World Mix-Up Book Sherlock Holmes and the Minotaur’s Maze.
Buy It Now
Buy It Now
Chapter Questions
Chapter questions are a fun, smart way to get
students thinking about what they have just read. The following chapter
questions are designed to enhance cognition, build vocabulary and add
understanding by encouraging students to associate passages with memories and
small moments of their own. Use all or a few of the questions below to
spark conversation and enhance reading groups.
Chapter 1, Kick The Wall
1) Penelope and Jilly are sisters who always go to
the library on rainy days. What were they carrying when the entered the
library?
A) A model of a building that was being displayed
at the library.
2) Penelope built the model in school. What was she
studying and why did she use so many straws?
A) Penelope was studying structures and her class
had built replicas of Ancient Greek structures. The straws were used to
represent all the columns used to create the Minotaur's maze.
3) What did Jilly use to examine Penelope’s model
closely? How else does she use this object?
A) Jilly used a plastic magnifying glass to examine
the model closely. She also used it to look for clues and find the secret
door to Story World.
4) What clue did Jilly find and how did she use it?
A) The clue was a crack in the wall that formed the
words Kick the Wall. When
Jilly and Penelope karate kicked the wall the door to Story World appeared.
Chapter 2, The Golden Wings
1) What are two things Penelope and Jilly found in
the secret room?
A) Columns, statues of strange creatures, jeweled
bands, painted vases, barbells with weights, a globe and a statue of the
Minotaur.
2) Penelope and Jilly broke the map of Story
World into a million pieces. Who was on the two glowing puzzle pieces
they found? What did you learn about them?
A) Puzzle Piece #1 has a picture of the Minotaur.
You learn that he likes to exercise, has horns and a ringed nose like a
bull, is wearing a crown, is a mythical creature,
Puzzle piece #2 has a picture of Sherlock Holmes.
You learn that he wears a checkered cap and cape, is holding a magnifying glass
and is the greatest detective that ever lived.
3) Sparky, the changeling dog appears to guide
Penelope and Jilly to the Minotaur's maze. What does the word changeling mean?
A) Sparky can change into any shape once each
adventure to help Penelope and Jilly.
4) What was lost in the Minotaur's maze?
A) The great inventor Daedalus lost his magic
golden wings that can make him fly.
5) How do Penelope and Jilly get to Story World?
A) They fit the puzzle pieces together.
Chapter 3, The Maze
1) When Penelope and Jilly arrived on the rocky
shores of Crete in ancient Greece they heard a clanging noise, what was it?
A) Talos the robot. He protects the island of
Crete by throwing rocks at enemy ships to sink them.
2) What else did Penelope and Jilly find?
A) They found marble columns carved with pictures
of warriors, ships and a queen, a statue of the Minotaur and the entrance to
the Minotaur's maze.
Chapter 4, Sherlock Holmes
1) Penelope and Jilly argue about going into the
maze. Penelope says they can't and Jilly says they must, why?
A) Penelope thinks realistically. She doesn't
want to go into the maze because she realizes they will get lost inside.
Jilly thinks with her heart, she wants to go in because Daedalus needs
their help.
2) Sparky knows about a magic item that can lead
them through the maze, what is it?
A) A magical ball of thread.
3) Sherlock Holmes comes out of the maze entrance
looking for clues, how would you describe him?
A) Hawkish nose, checkered cape, cap, magnifying
glass, clumsy, focused, detective for hire, looking for clues, confused,
excited, energetic, brave.
4) What are some of the unusual phrases Sherlock
Holmes uses when he speaks?
A) Charmed, I'm looking for clues, the games afoot,
follow the trail while its hot, off we go. (Keep on the look out for other
phrases unique to Sherlock Holmes in the book and write them down. A
clue!(ch5); Elementary, my dear Penny(ch5); Good show, Penny (ch6))
Chapter 5, It’s a Clue
1) Penelope and Jilly find their first clue in the
Minotaur's maze, what is it?
A) A code called a cryptogram, When deciphered it
says Talk to the bird.
2) A Mynah bird is a special breed of bird that can
talk. What other animals can talk? A) Parrots are the only other animal
that an truly mimic human speech though apes have been trained to communicate
using sign language.
3) Who was masquerading as the Mynah bird in the
maze?
A) The evil wizard and his dragon.
Chapter 6, Gorgon Trap
1) Penelope, Jilly, Sparky and Sherlock Holmes find
themselves in a dark corridor, how do the make a light?
A) They wrapped a cloth around a spear and lit it
with a match to make a torch.
2) What do they hear in the dark cavern?
A) Hissing snakes, a Gorgon.
3) What is the Gorgon?
A) A mythological creature with snakes for hair.
A person who looks into her eyes will turn into stone.
4) How does Sparky use his knowledge of myths and
magic to stop the Gorgon?
A) He turns into a mirror so Penelope, Jilly and
Sherlock Holmes can look at the Gorgon without turning to stone. Sherlock
Holmes uses the torch to sear the noses of the Gordon's snakes.
Chapter 7, The Minotaur’s Lair
1) When Penelope, Jilly, Sparky and Sherlock Holmes
enter the Minotaur's lair what is painted on the walls? What are the Olympics?
A) On the wall are pictures of athletes running a
race, throwing a rock called a shot put and receiving medals for the best
athletic performances. The Olympics first started in Greece as a way for
athletes to test their skills and as a celebration of people and what they were
capable of achieving. Winners were crowned with laurel leaves. The word
laurel means crowned in glory.
2) What put Sherlock Holmes in a trance?
A) The song of the Siren Harp put Sherlock Holmes
in a trance. In Greek mythology Sirens were magical creatures that sang
beautiful songs to lure sailors from their ships.
3) The Minotaur bursts out of his lair, how would
you describe him? We're you surprised by his appearance or were there clues
about him earlier in the book.
A) The Minotaur is bull-headed, energetic, funny,
athletic, body builder, loud. The puzzle piece in chapter 2 shows the Minotaur
working out and is a clue about him.
4) How was the Minotaur not what Penelope and Jilly expected?
A) They expected him to be a monster but he was
polite, energetic and eager to show them his room and his talents.
Have you ever had an experience that was not what
you expected? How was it different? (Sample answer: I thought the first day of
school would be scary but instead it was really fun.)
5) The Minotaur blames Daedalus for having him
locked in the maze. Why does Penelope think it is wrong for the Minotaur to
pick a fight with Daedalus?
A) Because finding Daedalus just to have a fight
with him would make the Minotaur sneaky and mean too.
Chapter 8, Penny’s Plan
1) What is Penelope's plan for finding Daedalus?
Do you think it will work? How else could they find him?
A) Penelope knows Daedalus is a great inventor, she
knows he will be tempted to come and see a new invention so she decides to whir
and clank like a machine.
2) The Minotaur was wrong about Daedalus in many
ways, how was he wrong? How does he make things right? Have you ever been
wrong about something you were sure was right?
A) The Minotaur thought Daedalus had him put in the
maze. The real reason he was in the maze was that the Minotaur was scaring
people because he couldn't control his temper. The Minotaur made things
right by returning the golden wings he had found in the maze to Daedalus.
3) Why did the Dragon turn against the Evil Wizard?
A) The Dragon saw that Jilly was being kind and the
Evil Wizard was being mean. The Dragon did not want to be mean too.
Chpater 9, The Great Escape
1) How did Penelope, Jilly, Sparky, Sherlock Holmes
and the Minotaur escape the maze?
A) They used a magic ball of string. Penelope
drew a door on her map.
2) What promise does the Minotaur make to compete
in the Olympics?
A) To control his temper.
3) What new word do Penelope and Jilly create?
A) Swasome, a combination of sweet and awesome.
Bonus Activities
Crazy Maze
Create a maze in your classroom. Use magnifying
glasses to find clues and yes or no questions to provide left or right
directions. End the maze with a golden coin prize.
Curriculum
Logic
Cryptogram Clues
Create a cryptogram. An easy way to do this is too
use the alphabet backwards in your code. A simple cryptogram is below.
Have students work in groups to create their own cryptograms and solve
others. Make sure they provide a few starter letters to get the ball
rolling and use the alphabet in order in their key
Code key
A=Z B=Y C=X and so on.
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
GSV T Z NV RH ZU L L G
A) The game is afoot
Curriculum
Language Arts
Build a structure maze
Build a structure maze using clay and drinking
straws. Put clay on a cardboard base and stick drink straws in the clay a
pattern. Use paper to cut out squares that make a path through the maze.
Curriculum
Structures
Art
Kooky School Maze
Draw a maze map of your school. Include hallways,
classrooms, cafeteria, library, gym. Add what you might find in each place.
If studying folk tales or mythology have the students create their own
mythological creatures that might lurk behind each door.
Curriculum
Creative Writing
Create your own language
Create your own new language with sill word
combinations. Penelope and Jilly combined Sweet and Awesome to come up with
Swasome. How about great and huge to make gruge or lunch and dinner to
make linner. It's fun to come up with crazy words! You can even create
your own language that only your class knows.
Curriculum
Language Arts
Write your own myth/hero story or newspaper
article.
Ancient people used myths to explain things they
didn’t understand like why the sun travels across the sky, why we have seasons,
what thunder is or why the stars come out at night. They also wrote
stories to describe great acts of courage, to give hope or describe foolish
behavior to avoid. These stories were often centered on heroes, monsters,
kings and queens. Be creative and use your imagination! Some ideas
are listed below to help you get your story started.
Curriculum
Creative Writing
The Grand Canyon was
created when a giant drank all the water
Owls only say who
because they asked too many questions
A freezing cold monster
makes it snow when he shivers
The sun is a rocket
flying through the sky with the moon chasing it
A hero/heroine saved
their town by defeating a giant Jello monster
Natural things to
explain could include, thunder, lightning, seasons, weather, waterfalls,
shooting stars, oceans, sky, earth and animal attributes.
Have fun! For more information, to email the
authors or to find out how to have your student's work posted on our site send
your comments to laurahillbooks@gmail.com