Reaching Valhalla

Book excerpt: Dwarves craft their marvelous treasures in cavern forges, dragons slumber on piles of stolen treasure, wizards plot revenge with their terrible powers, and giant monsters threaten all that is good-this is not Lord of the Rings. It is Norse mythology In this book you will discover the rich mythology that has inspired everything from Beowulf to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien to the Thor superhero series. In this textbook 13 script-stories re-tell the most popular Norse myths-tales of might Thor, wise Odin, and wily Loki. Also included is the Saga of the Volsungs, often called the Iliad of the Norsemen. Supplemental materials include a Ragnarok end-of-the-world battle game for up to thirty players, a Valhalla Find-It picture puzzle, a glossary of important characters, and a name pronunciation guide. The Reaching Olympus series uses classroom-tested Reader's Theater script-stories specifically designed for 6th-12th grade students to retell the great myths and legends of world mythology. Reader's Theater is an innovative and powerful teaching tool that allows students to break away from silent reading and share in an "acting-out" experience where words and myth come to life Each script is prefaced by a teacher guide providing a synopsis of the myth, relevant background information and commentary on the myth, anticipatory questions for pre-play discussion, essential questions to help analyze the "big ideas" behind each myth, recall questions to check reading comprehension, and instructions for teaching commonly-tested terms and literary devices using each story.