The Lightning Thief Chapter 12 We Get Advice

The Lightning Thief Chapter 12 We Get Advice from a Poodle A Teacher’s Guide to The Lightning Thief © 2005 Rick Riordan (www. rickriordan. com) p. 45

Vocabulary • • *indignantly- angrily nostalgic- the wanting of a happier time or place *despair- loss of hope *chasm- a deep gap in the ground, a gorge treacherous- dangerous

Journal • Describe a vivid dream you’ve had. If you honestly can’t remember any dreams, describe a dream you remember a friend or relative telling you about. Do you think dreams ever give important information? • Do you think animals can understand when you talk to them? Have you ever had a pet you understand very well?

Activities • Even though cell phones are dangerous, the students must send a text message to Chiron. It must be 150 characters or less including spaces, punctuation and words.

Important quotes Read Grover’s account of the search for Pan in chapter 12. Percy wonders if this is a hopeless quest, trying to reclaim the spirit of the wilderness. Do you think the search for Pan is an appropriate metaphor for modern man’s relationship with nature? Is “the wild” being lost forever?

Study Questions – As You Read • Why does Grover want a searcher’s license? • Why does Grover’s dream sound so hopeless to Percy? • What new information do you learn about Grover’s past and how it relates to Annabeth? • According to Grover, why did Percy mail Medusa’s head to Mount Olympus? • Describe the place Percy sees in his dream. • What terrible realization does Percy make toward the end of the dream? What does the voice want from him? • Who do think is talking to Percy in the dream? Who is this voice from the pit? • Who is Gladiola? • What is Grover’s plan to get money for the trip? • If you were offered the choice in Percy’s dream – to save your own parent’s life or complete your quest and prevent a terrible war – what would you choose?

Activity • Text message to Chiron. In an earlier chapter, Percy mentions that cell phones are a no-no for half-bloods because monsters can trace the signals. But what if Percy had no choice? Imagine Percy has to send a text message to Chiron about their situation as it stands at the end of Ch. 12. He wants Chiron to know what’s going on, but he has to keep it brief so the monsters don’t trace the call. A text message can only be 150 characters, maximum (including spaces and punctuation). Write the best message for Percy to send Chiron. If you wish, perhaps you can arrange to submit this assignment as an actual text message to your teacher.