Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur

Year 5 EnglishReading Comprehension8 pages

About this worksheet

A retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur for Year 5, told in five paragraphs over two pages, with nine questions after it. Pupils find details such as how often Athens sent its tribute and which two objects Ariadne gave Theseus. They choose a meaning for labyrinth, explain what reluctantly shows about King Aegeus and infer why Ariadne betrayed her father. The last task is a table of five myth conventions to fill from the story: hero, monster, gods or magic, quest and lesson. Model answers, including a completed table, are on the last two pages. It follows England National Curriculum reading comprehension for Years 5 and 6.

Remix for free

Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur: Reading Comprehension - page 1

Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur: Reading Comprehension - page 2

Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur: Reading Comprehension - page 3

Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur: Reading Comprehension - page 4

Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur: Reading Comprehension - page 5

Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur: Reading Comprehension - page 6

Myth Reading Comprehension: Theseus and the Minotaur: Reading Comprehension - page 7

Curriculum objectives covered

Reading - comprehension

“Increasing their familiarity with a wide range of books, including myths, legends and traditional stories, modern fiction, fiction from our literary heritage, and books from other cultures and traditions”

The whole sheet is built on a Greek myth, and question 9 asks pupils what makes it one.

Reading - comprehension

“Identifying and discussing themes and conventions in and across a wide range of writing”

Question 9 names five myth conventions for pupils to find in the story.

Reading - comprehension

“Drawing inferences such as inferring characters' feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions, and justifying inferences with evidence”

Questions 6 and 7 ask how Aegeus felt and why Ariadne helped Theseus, with evidence from the text.

Reading - comprehension

“Predicting what might happen from details stated and implied”

Question 8 links the forgotten white sails back to the signal agreed in paragraph 2.

What's inside this worksheet

Theseus and the Minotaur

Five paragraphs that run from the tribute of seven young men and seven young women to the black sails Theseus forgets to change.

Retrieval and Vocabulary in Context

Four questions on the tribute, the Minotaur's appearance, the sail signal and Ariadne's two gifts, with a box for each object.

Word Meaning in Context

Pupils tick one meaning for labyrinth from four, then write what reluctantly tells us about how Aegeus felt.

Inference and Myth Conventions

Two reasons for Ariadne's betrayal, backed by a quotation from paragraph 3, and a prediction of what Aegeus will believe when he sees black sails.

Themes and Conventions of a Myth

A two-column table with a short definition of each convention and lines to write an example from the story.

Answers

Model answers for all nine questions. For gods or magic, the key accepts Poseidon or the enchanted thread.

How teachers use it

Before reading

Tell the class to keep an eye on the ship's sails, without saying why. Most pupils will spot the broken promise before they reach question 8.

Guided reading

Give each pair one paragraph to reread and report back on Ariadne. The class then has the evidence for question 7 before anyone writes.

Myth writing unit

Keep the finished conventions table from question 9. It works as a planning frame when pupils write their own Greek myth.

More Year 5 English worksheets

Writing Spelling Grammar and Punctuation

Get started today

Create your own lesson plans, worksheets, and classroom activities in minutes using our AI-powered tools.

Try Chalkie for free