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Copywork
About This Passage
Two sentences that do something funny and serious at the same time. The first sentence sounds enormous (the end of the world!), and the second sentence sounds tiny (a great afternoon ruined). Putting big and small next to each other is one of the oldest jokes in writing, and Riordan uses it here to show that big things often start in the middle of small ordinary days.
The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car. Up until then, I was having a great afternoon.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
Tell someone what happens in this chapter in order. When you get to the most important part, slow down and tell it carefully — what happened, why it mattered, and what you think about it.
Discussion Questions
- Percy was driving even though he was not quite old enough. His stepdad Paul let him do it because he trusted Percy. Is trust something you should let someone have BEFORE they prove they can be trusted, or only AFTER? What in the story makes you think so?
- Percy says he was having a great afternoon RIGHT before everything went wrong. Why do you think the writer wanted Percy to be happy first? What does it tell you about how big problems often arrive?
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Critical Thinking
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