Spin the Wheel of Fortune: A 2-Day Tyche & Nemesis Mythology Lesson for Grades 6-10 (Print + Google Ready)

Engage grades 6-10 with a two-day ELA myth lesson on Tyche & Nemesis—printable, Google-friendly, CCSS-aligned, and packed with visuals.

Why Teach Tyche & Nemesis Now?

In every literature class, recurring themes—tropes—spark student curiosity. Few are richer than the paired figures of Tyche (Fortuna), goddess of fortune and chance, and Nemesis, guardian of justice and conscience. Their stories echo from Wheel of Fortune to modern fantasy novels, giving your middle and high schoolers an instant real-world hook.

Lesson Snapshot

• Grade Bands 6–10 (easily adapted up or down)
• Duration Two 50-minute class periods, plus extensions
• Formats PDF for print • Google Workspace™ for digital 
• Standards Fully aligned to CCSS RL/L/W/SL, TEKS, and Virginia SOL

What’s Inside the Resource?

• 🔖 6 Illustrated Reading Cards—public-domain art, succinct text, perfect for carousel or gallery walks
• 🗺 2 Map Activities—locate temples at Praeneste & Pompeii to ground myth in place
• 🗂 Anchor Chart + Vocabulary Frayer Models—visual tools for quick reference and retention
• ✍️ 20-Question Bank & Exit Tickets—ready-to-use for quizzes or bell-ringers
• 📝 Note-Taking Sheets—three-box Cornell format fosters evidence collection
• ✅ Answer Keys & 2-Point Writing Rubric—transparent grading and sample responses

How Students Benefit

1. Compare Versions: Analyze Tyche and Nemesis across Hamilton, Apollodorus, and pop culture.
2. Build Vocabulary: Master terms like nemesis, fortune, and fate in context.
3. Think Critically: Debate whether chance or conscience drives human action.
4. Collaborate: Engage in “speed-dating” discussions and trivia showdowns.
5. Write Analytically: Respond to prompts with textual evidence—CCSS W.9-10.9 ready!

Teacher-Friendly Features

• Print or Digital: Seamless in-person, hybrid, or remote.
• No Prep Needed: Download, assign, teach.
• Extendable: Connect to my other mythology sets—Furies, Fates, Titans, Iliad.
• Assessment Ready: Exit tickets + rubric give you instant data.

Classroom Idea: Spin Your Own Wheel

Create a cardboard “Wheel of Fortune” with pockets labeled Reward or Rebuke. After reading, students spin and justify—using evidence—whether Tyche’s gift or Nemesis’s judgment fits a mythic scenario. Instant engagement!

Grab the Lesson

➡️ Download on Stones of Erasmus

Let’s Keep the Conversation Rolling

Have a classroom story or a question? Drop a comment below or email me at support@stonesoferasmus.com. I love hearing how teachers spin mythology into gold!

PDF Copy for Printing

Icarus Falls to his Death; a Cautionary Tale from Greek Mythology

"Icarus" by Henri Matisse

How many stories exist about a father who loses his son? How many tales recount a son who falls away from his father? Throughout literature, how often do we encounter the theme of a flawed father whose ambition causes him to lose sight of what’s closest to him—or a son whose first taste of freedom is so great, he cannot contain it?

Visualizing the Story of Icarus in Art

Image source: Icarus (from the Four Disgracers) by Hendrick Goltzius, 1588.

The myth of Daedalus and Icarus is one such story—a cautionary tale originating from Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean. Thanks to writers like Ovid and Apollodorus, this myth has survived for millennia. In both versions, the essential plot remains: Icarus, the son, is ultimately undone by his own ambition. His tragic fall has been memorialized in art and literature ever since.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, you can view Hendrick Goltzius’s engraving of Icarus from his series, “The Four Disgracers.” Here, Icarus is depicted plummeting, his body monstrous and his expression a blend of rage and regret. His father, Daedalus, is distant in the composition—still flying while Icarus is banished by the sun’s blazing glory. Goltzius captures the tragic moment, forever suspending Icarus between hope and doom.

In Célestin Nanteuil’s depiction, Icarus appears as a fallen angel—wings broken, body delicate, lying lifeless on the rocks beside the sea. Here, the tragedy is more peaceful, yet no less poignant.

Kid Icarus from Nintendo

Before I learned about Greek myth, my brothers and I played Kid Icarus on Nintendo. In the game, a boy-angel named Pit struggles to fly, searching for agency and purpose. The game bears little resemblance to the original myth—except for the wings. Unlike Pit, Icarus of myth is trapped by the limits set by his father, and the story becomes a meditation on family, agency, and the hazards of reckless freedom.

The Origin Story of Daedalus Foreshadows the Fate of Icarus

Film still from Jim Henson's "Storyteller" version of the Icarus myth

According to some sources, Daedalus, Icarus’s father, fled Athens for Crete after causing his nephew’s death. In the Storyteller adaptation by Jim Henson Studios, this moment of envy and loss haunts Daedalus, foreshadowing Icarus’s fate. In Crete, Daedalus builds the Labyrinth for King Minos and is eventually imprisoned with his son. Their dramatic escape—on wings fashioned from wax and feathers—becomes the heart of the myth. Daedalus warns Icarus: fly too low and the sea’s spray will weigh you down; fly too high and the sun will melt your wings. Of course, like most teenagers, Icarus cannot resist. The taste of freedom is too sweet.

What is the Moral of this Greek Myth?
Traditionally, the myth of Icarus is a warning: ignoring wise advice leads to disaster. But as storytellers like Henson suggest, the tragedy is also inherited—Daedalus’s own failings shape Icarus’s fate. It recalls the story of Abraham and Isaac, and the universal question: must the son pay for the sins of the father? This timeless myth invites us to imagine a different ending—one of redemption, not just ruin.

The Story of Icarus Resonates With Me Personally
The struggle for agency—breaking away from the nest—is a universal experience. From the Christian parable of the Prodigal Son to the modern classroom, we are all seeking both freedom and belonging. As a teacher, I’ve returned to this myth many times. My students always ask, “Why didn’t Icarus just use better glue?” A fair question!

Teaching the Myth of Icarus and Daedalus in Middle and High School
The myth of Icarus and Daedalus remains powerful for students today. I’ve created a classroom-ready 3-day lesson plan that you can use with any text version of the story, guiding students through close reading, visual analysis, and creative writing. Artistic retellings—from Goltzius to Nintendo—invite deep discussion and critical thinking.

Classroom Resource: Daedalus & the Labyrinth

Dive deeper into the myth with this interactive, standards-aligned resource!
Perfect for ELA and Humanities teachers, this lesson features readings, visual organizers, critical thinking questions, and creative writing prompts—all inspired by Daedalus and his legendary maze.

Explore more resources for teaching mythology and literature at Stones of Erasmus on TpT!

Teaching: 5 Middle and High School Lesson Plans You Can Use in Your Classroom (Right Now)

Hallelujah! Look at Some New Stuff I Created: A suite of lessons in a series I am creating called Philosophy in the Classroom and some gnarly lesson plans I am making about an American Girl living in China in the 1920s - it's called Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz . . .

Why I Use the word "Love" all the time

I read a long time ago (in an ancient teaching book of which I conveniently forgot the name) that educators should avoid saying "love" or "I love" to their students when discussing their work. For example, you're not supposed to say, "Hey, I love that paragraph you wrote!" Well, I disobey that rule. I love my students and because I teach Ethics and Language Arts to ELLs; so, I am always using the word love.

Check out some gnarly resources I just made:

I am building a Philosophy in the Classroom series of resources so teachers can introduce their students to philosophical thinking even if they themselves do not have a philosophy degree. I have three resources up and running (it's a work in progress - but, damn, the three things I just made are really good :-)). Do my kids love 'em? Of course. Do yours? They will!

Novel: Check out a free sample of a lesson on Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz

I just taught the novel Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz to my English Language Learners (they range in grade level but most are 9th and 10th-grade Mandarin speaking ELLs. They loved the book. But this book is also amazing for Sixth graders (or advanced Fourth and Fifth graders) - however, my kiddos loved it because it was just the right reading level they needed - not too easy but challenging enough to keep them on their toes!

Let's hear from you!

I have been a teacher for ten years, and it never gets old. I love kids, and I love talking with them, discussing ideas, and seeing where a lesson will go. I am privileged to share my resources with you, kind educators. Be real. Gotta go.

My teacher's store: Stones of Erasmus

My Pinterest: Greig Roselli

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When a Classroom Lesson Does Not Go As Planned: Where the Wild Things Are

Max sails to the island of the Wild Things
(Image Credit: Max Sendak)

Notes from my teacher diary on a lesson that went south:

Human nature is funky. Take Max, from the Sendak story: brazen and ferocious, ruler over the beasts. Example: stretch your brain and your brain bleeds. The kids become restless. The Wild Things pervade. I forgot to get the book to read to my students and therefore the entire lesson faltered a bit. I wonder sometimes if words can ever be restored; can a word marry itself with unadulterated passion? Can Max ever reconcile the beast-logic with home?

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