Gifted classes don't get to take field trips very often because enrichment teachers have to pull kids out of their regular classroom or core classes, and pull-out scheduling is already complex enough. The movie version of the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series can be a worthy field trip if teachers treat it as more than just a movie.
Why the Lightning Thief is Worth Seeing as a Class
Most students will see The Lightning Thief with family or friends, so administrators and taxpayers might wonder why schools should bear the burden of busing and tickets. One answer is that The Lightning Thief is a book kids love, the complexity of the story lends itself to deep discussion, and enrichment classes need bonding time as much as regular classes, but unless there is a gifted advisory class, it is unlikely teachers and students get to bond as a gifted class.
Of course, students will like seeing the movie as a class because Percy's adventures start with a class field trip incident, the series is immensely popular, and although The Lightning Thief is written at a 4.7 reading level 740 Lexile level, it has a popularity and reading interest level that extends to advanced readers.
Resources for Teachers to Support Seeing The Lightning Thief
If teachers participated in the 2009 Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program, they have already seen the great resources that are available for free on the B&N website. These resources are still available, and can be used as a building block for a mini-unit. On the site, there is:
- a five minute interview with author Rick Riordan designed for an audience of kids
- a free Educator's Kit to download that has various activities for students, including a fiction/nonfiction activity and a freewrite prompt
- the summer reading journal kit for students, which could be used any time of year.
Scholastic also has great Lightning Thief resources, including a list of discussion questions that can be used before and after seeing the movie.
Using the Barnes and Noble summer reading journal, enrichment teachers can have students incorporate outside reading and sustained silent reading to support seeing The Lightning Thief. In addition to reading the Percy Jackson series, teacher should supply students with other mythology and reading resources, such as Rick Riordan's recommended reading list for kids.
If a district has limited resources, enrichment teachers could do activities in class and then schedule an optional meet-and-watch after school activity, which would be a great way to incorporate parents into the classroom.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan was first published by Hyperion in 2005. It is due to be released as a movie by Fox International on February 12, 2010.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
