The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan Chapter 16 “We Take a Zebra to Vegas “ The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan

Myths in this chapter The Land of the Lotus Eaters (from the Odyssey) The Trojan War

Vocabulary sarcastic- saying something that has a tone of teasing to it defenseless- unable to protect oneself metamorphosis- a change pathetic- feel pity for destination- the place where the journey ends decency- being decent, polite and respectful *mournful- full of sadness befriended- made friends with advice- to offer an opinion or recommendation deception- the act of tricking, deceiving torment- torture replica- a copy of something relieved- happy something is over sympathetic- feel sorry for jarred- to have an unpleasant effect on one’s nerves, feelings or thoughts

Journal Topic Have you ever had a fight with your parent? What was it about? How did you resolve the problem? Describe your dream vacation. Where would you go? What would you do?

Correct This Sentence On june 15 2010 percy annabeth and grover takeing a trip to los vegas? On June 15, 2010, Percy, Annabeth and Grover took a trip to Las Vegas.

Setting Truck on the way to Las Vegas Arriving at the Lotus Casino

Characters Ares Percy Annabeth Grover Eddie Maurice Animals Bellboy Darrin

Method of Narration Chronological order

Conflicts Percy vs Ares Grover vs “humane” zoo transport Annabeth vs nature (spiders) Percy vs power of the Lotus

Point of View First - Percy

Symbols The Humane zoo transport – how zoos are NOT humane The returning backpack

Literary devices Irony – The name on the truck Sarcasm -

Important Quotes

Discussion Question The god Ares says he loves America. He calls it “the best place since Sparta.” What does he mean? Do you think this is a fair critique of American society? Why or why not?

Study Questions What’s in the backpack Ares gives Percy? If you were him, would you have accepted this gift? What news does Ares give Percy about his mom? Annabeth says Percy wasn’t smart to anger Ares. Was Percy right to talk back to him? Why or why not? What do the beads mean on Annabeth’s necklace? Percy says that Annabeth should write her father a letter. What would you advise her to do? Percy’s dream has three different parts – what does he see in each scene? How does Grover make sure the animals will be safe after they are released? Percy, Grover and Annabeth are attracted to different types of games at the Lotus Casino. What does each one like, and what does this tell you about their personality? When does Percy start to realize the casino is a trap? How does Percy snap Annabeth out of her trance?

Write a Summary

Activities   Journal: The Perfect Trap. The Lotus Casino is designed to make kids never want to leave. Do you think it would keep you entranced? Write a description of a place that would be a “perfect trap” to keep you there forever. What would such a place look like? What activities would be available? What kind of food? Journal: Time Travel. Time travels slowly in the Lotus Casino. Darrin has been there since the 1970s but he’s still a kid, and it seems to him that he’s only been there a few days. Would you like to spend some time in the Lotus Casino? How far ahead in time would you like to travel before you stepped outside? Remember, though, you could never go back. A virtual trip to Las Vegas. In this chapter, Percy and his friends arrive in Las Vegas. What do you know about the city’s attractions? A good place to start researching is www.lasvegaskids.net for kid-friendly activities. Pretend you are going to Las Vegas. Make a top ten list of activities you would want to do. (Not gambling!)

Bibliography Card Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. New York: Miramar Books, 2005.