Lesson 16 Reading: The Trojan War

The Trojan War

For use after Lesson 16.

Sight Words to Know

his

they

of, who, one, from

then, that

I'll, let's, don't, that's, there's, we'll

all, for

this, them, with

why, when, what

have

the

Sight or Common Words Child Should Be Becoming Familiar With

very

come, something

says, said

everyone

been

know

into

should

only

Words above Instructional Level (From Context, Parent)

Point out what a child knows about the word; briefly explain rules he doesn’t know yet.

cheat, choose, show

drank, think, long, thing

wall, roll, now, Troy, course, world, war, horse, wood, guard

once, most, meant, love

goddess, across, idea, inside, away

golden, apple, beautiful, Trojan, silly, beauty, truly, woman, women, other, soldier, people

Hera, Aphrodite, Athena, Paris, Helen, Odysseus

            Once the gods and goddesses had a huge feast. They ate and drank and had a very good time. But then something rolled across the floor. The queen of the gods, Hera, picked it up. It was a golden apple.

            “It says it’s for the most beautiful,” she said. “That must mean me! I’ll keep it.”

            “Now, Hera,” said Athena, who was the most wise of all the gods and goddesses, “I think that’s meant for me. Why don’t you let me take it?”

            “Don’t be silly,” said Aphrodite. She was the goddess of love and beauty. “That’s mine, of course. Hand it to me.”

            “There’s only one way to solve this,” said Athena. “We’ll ask the most handsome man! That’s Paris, from Troy.”

            So the goddesses made a trip to Troy to ask Paris who the apple was truly for. But all of them tried to cheat!

            “I am queen,” said Hera. “If you choose me, I will let you rule the world!”

            “I am very wise,” said Athena. “If you choose me, I will show you how to win fights! Everyone will look up to you!”

            “I am the goddess of love,” said Aphrodite. “If you choose me, I will give you the most beautiful woman in the world as your wife!”

            “I choose Aphrodite!” said Paris. And so when he made a trip to Greece to make peace, Aphrodite gave him his prize. Helen, who had long golden tresses and was more beautiful than all the other women, fell in love with him. And she went back to Troy with him.

            But Helen had been a Greek king’s wife. And now the Greeks were mad. They got all of their boats and all of their soldiers and sailed to Troy. There was a huge war. Lots of people died in the strife, Greek and Trojan. At last a Greek king named Odysseus had an idea.

            “Let’s make them think we left,” he said. “We’ll sail our boats out of sight. But we’ll leave a big wood horse on the coast. They will think it’s a gift to make peace. But we will hide our best soldiers in it. When the Trojans take it inside their walls, we will come out and fight. Only Troy’s walls have held us back!”

            The Greeks loved the plan. They hid their boats and left the horse on the coast. The Trojans did not know what to do. But in the end they said it would be bad luck not to take the Greeks’ gift. They dragged the horse into Troy.

            The Trojans should not have trusted the Greeks. As soon as night fell, they came out of the horse. They killed the guards and let all the other Greek soldiers in! They killed more and more people and drove the rest away. Then they looted Troy. They stole all of the Trojans’ best things.