MODULE 1

NAME: SCORE:
GRADE AND SECTION:
LESSON 1:
DAEDALUS AND ICARUS
Nick Pontikis
Daedalus-his name means “skilled worker”-was a famous architect, inventor, and master craftsman known for having
created many objects that figure prominently in various myths. He had a beloved son named Icarus. Among the many
inventions and creations crafted by Daedalus were the wooden cow he constructed for Queen Pasiphae, the Labyrinth
of the Minotaur at Knossos on the island of Crete, artificial wings for himself and his son Icarus, and he was even said to
have invented images. The infamous Labyrinth was so cunningly crafted that Daedalus himself could barely find his way
out after constructing it. With countless winding passages and turns that opened into one another, the Labyrinth
appeared to have neither beginning nor end. Daedalus built the maze to imprisonthe Minotaur, half man - half bull beast.
His homeland was Athens but his parentage is uncertain. Alcippe, Merope, and Iphinoe are all mentioned at different
times as being his mother. His father’s identity was never precisely established, but many claim that it was Metion, son of
Erectheus.

For a short time, his apprentice was his sister’s son Perdix. But Daedalus was so proud of his achievements that he could
not bear the idea of a rival. His sister had placed her son Perdix under his charge to be taught the mechanical arts. Perdix
was an apt scholar and showed striking evidence of ingenuity. Walking on the seashore, he picked up the spine of a fish.
According to Ovid, imitating it, he took a piece of iron and notched it on the edge, and thus invented the saw. Perdix also
put two pieces of iron together, connecting them at one end with a rivet, and sharpening the other ends, and made a pair
of compasses. Daedalus was so envious of his nephew’s accomplishments that he seized an opportunity to toss him from
the hill of the Acropolis. As he was plunging to his death, however, the goddess Athena turned Perdix into a partridge to
save him. Other sources claim instead that his apprentice was his nephew Talos. They say that it was Talos, at the age of
twelve, who displayed a skill that nearly rivaled his mentor’s. Daedalus, fearing that the boy would surpass
him in talent, murdered the boy by tossing him from the Acropolis of Athens.

He was then tried at the Areiopagus, which was the ancient Greek court, and banished from his home city of Athens. He
fled to the island of Crete, where he began to work at the court of King Minos and Queen Pasiphae, in the magnificent
palace of Knossos. It is said that Daedalus was the first to conceive masts and sails for ships for the navy of Minos, helping
Crete become a naval power. The statues he carved were so exquisite, they looked as if they were alive. It is said that they
would have escaped were it not for the chain that bound them to the palace wall. Daedelus also constructed a wooden
cow for the queen to hide in to satisfy her amorous longings for a white bull sent by Poseidon. When the dreadful
Minotaur was born, Daedalus built the Labyrinth to contain the monstrous half-man, half-bull. For years, Minos demanded
a tribute of youths from Athens to feed the creature as punishment for the accidental killing of his son while he was visiting
Athens.

Eventually, the Athenian hero Theseus came to Crete to attempt to slay the Minotaur. Princess Ariadne, daughter of King
Minos and Queen Pasiphae, fell in love with Theseus and asked Daedalus to help him. Daedalus gave her a flaxen thread
for Theseus to tie to the door of the Labyrinth as he entered, and by which he could find his way out after killing the
monster. Theseus succeeded, and escaped Crete with Ariadne. Minos, enraged at the loss of his daughter, not to mention
the killing of his pet Minotaur, shut Daedalus and his son Icarus into the Labyrinth, knowing that Theseus could not have
accomplished the deed without inside help. Daedalus managed to get out of the Labyrinth - after all, he had built it and
knew his way around. Daedalus decided that he and his son Icarus had to leave Crete and get away from Minos, before
he brought them harm. However, Minos controlled the sea around Crete. The King kept strict watch on all vessels,
permitting none to sail without being carefully searched by his soldiers. Since Minos controlled the land and sea routes,
and there was no route of escape there; Daedalus realized that the only way out was by air. But only the gods could fly!
To escape, Daedalus built wings for himself and Icarus, fashioned with feathers held together with wax. Daedalus tried
the wings on himself first and was satisfied that his plan would work.

Before taking off from the island, Daedalus warned his son to follow closely behind him. He sternly cautioned Icarus not
to fly too close to the sun, as it would melt his wings, and not too close to the sea, as it would dampen them and make it
hard to fly. They successfully flew from Crete, but Icarus grew exhilarated by the thrill of flying and began getting careless.
The father and son passed the islands of Samos, Delos and Lebynthos, and the further away from Crete they flew, the
more cocky became Icarus. Forgetting his father’s stern advice, Icarus flew too close to the sun god Helios, who was pulling
the sun behind his chariot high in the sky. The wax holding together his wings softened and melted from the heat and, try
as he might, Icarus could not prevent the feathers from falling off his body. Furiously he flapped his arms, but soon no
feathers at all were left and he fell to his death, drowning in the sea, as his helpless father watched his son perish with
anguish.
His father cried, bitterly lamenting his own arts, and called the land near the place where Icarus fell into the ocean Icaria
in memory of his child. The Icarian Sea, where he fell, was forever named after him and it is said that the great hero
Heracles (Hercules), who was passing by, gave him proper burial. Daedalus grieved for his dead son and then continued
to Sicily, where he came to stay at the court of Cocalus in a place called Camicus. On the island’s south coast, Daedalus
built a temple for Apollo, and hung up his wings, as an offering to the Olympian god. But vengeful King Minos wasn’t quite
done — he then went in pursuit of Daedalus, hoping to locate and trick the great inventor into revealing himself.
At each city he visited, Minos offered a reward to whoever could thread a spiral seashell, a seemingly impossible task.

Eventually, Minos came to Camicus in Sicily and presented the contest at Cocalus’ court. Cocalus knew of Daedalus’ talents,
and gave the shell to him. The clever Daedalus tied the string to an ant, placed the ant at one end of the shell, and allowed
the ant to walk through the spiral chambers until it came out the other end. When Minos saw that someone had solved
the puzzle, he demanded that Cocalus surrender Daedalus, for he insisted that only he would have been inventive
enough to solve the task. King Cocalus promised to do so, but he persuaded Minos to first take a bath and stay for some
entertainment. Minos agreed, and was consequently murdered by Cocalus’ daughters, who had been totally impressed
by the toys and gifts which Daedalus had bestowed upon them. Daedalus eventually left Camicus, much to the dismay of
King Cocalus and his daughters, and ended up in Sardinia with a group led by Iolaus, who was a nephew of Heracles.

Task 1: FACTS AND DETAILS

1. Who hires Daedalus?

2. What does Daedalus design to hold the Minotaur?

3. What does Daedalus invent to help him and Icarus escape from the

Labyrinth?

4. What does he warn Icarus not to do?

5. What happens to Icarus?

Task 2: WHAT’S GOING ON?

1. Why did Minos imprison Daedalus in the Labyrinth?

2. Why did Minos think that, if Daedalus can’t find his way out, “so much the better”?

3. Minos tells Icarus that the plan is dangerous. Why does he want them to take this risk?

4. Why did Daedalus leave his wings on the altar of Apollo? Why wouldn’t he want to fly some more?

Task 4: DIGGING DEEPER

1. In a short paragraph, describe how Daedalus planned to escape from the island prison of Crete.

2. Do you think Daedalus’s plan is a good one? Explain your answer.

3. Which events in the myth could have happened in real life?

4. If you had access to building resources and materials, how would you design a flying machine to help you escape from
the island prison of Crete?

Task 5: FACT OR NOT

Tell whether the statement is a fact or not. Draw WINGS before each number if the statement is a fact and SUN if
otherwise.

_______ Daedalus was an inventor.

_______ King Minos wanted to kill the Minotaur.

_______ It would be easy to find your way out of the Labyrinth.

_______ Icarus design his own wings.

_______ The wings were made of chicken feathers.

Task 6: AGREE OR DISAGREE

State whether you agree or disagree with the given statements and find evidence from the text to support your claim.

1. King Minos is cruel.

Evidence:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Daedalus is talented.

Evidence:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Icarus is foolish.

Evidence:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Daedalus and Icarus should have stayed in the island after escaping from the Labyrinth.

Evidence:__________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Daedalus is responsible for his son’s death.

Evidence:__________________________________________________________________________________________

Task 7: IMAGE IN MY MIND

Your teacher will group you into five. Illustrate the images in your mind as you encountered the following in the story.

Group 1: The Labyrinth

Group 2: Icarian Sea

Group 3: Minos’s shell

Group 4: Minotaur

Group 5: Icarus’s wings

Task 8: TIMELINE

Read the text once again. Create a graphic organizer of what happened in each of the following places:

1. The palace of Minos

2. In prison

3. Icarus in the sea

4. Sicily

Task 9: CHARACTER PORTRAIT

Extract actions, dialogues, and thoughts of Daedalus from the text you have read, then write a description about the
character.

Task 10: GRAMMARIAN FOR A DAY

A. Scan the paragraphs below. Underline all the pronouns used by the author.

He was then tried at the Areiopagus, which was the ancient Greek court, and banished from his home city of Athens. He
fled to the island of Crete, where he began to work at the court of King Minos and Queen Pasiphae, in the magnificent
palace of Knossos. It is said that Daedalus was the first to conceive masts and sails for ships for the navy of Minos,
helping Crete become a naval power. The statues he carved were so exquisite, they looked as if they were alive. It is said
that they would have escaped were it not for the chain that bound them to the palace wall. Daedelus also constructed a
wooden cow for the queen to hide in to satisfy her amorous longings for a white bull sent by Poseidon. When the
dreadful Minotaur was born, Daedalus built the Labyrinth to contain the monstrous half-man, half-bull. For years, Minos
demanded a tribute of youths from Athens to feed the creature as punishment for the accidental killing of his son while
he was visiting Athens. Eventually, the Athenian hero Theseus came to Crete to attempt to slay the Minotaur. Princess
Ariadne, daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphae, fell in love with Theseus and asked Daedalus to help him.
Daedalus gave her a flaxen thread for Theseus to tie to the door of the Labyrinth as he entered, and by which he could
find his way out after killing the monster. Theseus succeeded, and escaped Crete with Ariadne.

B. Pick at least five (5) sentences with pronouns. Rewrite the statements and make the pronouns reflexive. Make sure
these pronouns reflect back to the subject of the sentence.

1. ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

5. ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

C. Construct your own sentences by using the following pronouns as reflexive pronouns.

1. (him) _________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2. (her) __________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

3. (them) ________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

4. (it) ___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Task 11: MEN UNDER THE LENS

A. Make a list of all the personal challenges Icarus and Daedalus needed to overcome to escape from the cruel living.

Icarus’ Personal Challenges Daedalus’ Personal Challenges

B. Pick out similar personal challenges you have experienced, as the two characters

Task 12: IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Daedalus tries to make Icarus pay attention to his instructions, but Icarus got excited and doesn’t obey the rules.

• Write an essay about a safety rule that you think is important but people often ignore because it seems like following it
will ruin the fun.

• Convince your readers why they should obey this safety rule.

Task 13: IMPRINT IN PRINT

Look in today’s paper for a story about an engineering solution to a problem. This could be anything from coordinating
traffic lights, avoiding local flooding problems to developing a new type of rocket ship. Create a chart showing the
problem, the solution, and the basic tools (inclined plane, lever, screw, wheel) and forces (gravity, inertia, etc.) involved.

Task 14: DESIGN

Daedalus is an engineer and designs different inventions in this story. Research on careers in the field of engineering on
the following aspects from the library or the internet:

1. Types of engineering careers

2. What these types of engineering careers contribute to society?

3. What qualifications each type require?

Share your answer with the class.

Task 15: DEALING WITH PERSONAL CHALLENGE

Below are some personal challenges encountered by Icarus and Daedalus. How would you deal with these challenges if
you encounter them?

1. abuse of power

2. self destruction

3. foolishness

4. lack of contentment

5. aggressiveness

6. hard headedness
7. impetuousness

8. hostility

9. pride

10. boastfulness

11. egocentricity

12. procrastination

13. compulsiveness

14. envy

Task 16: THE WORRY SHEET

Things that worry us could be great challenges. What worries you at this moment?

What can you do about it? Accomplish the chart below:

I worry about What I should do about it

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

Task 17: STRESS TABS

Stress is a personal challenge. It affects your studies and slows you down in accomplishing a lot of things. Use the chart
below to identify what causes you stress and how does it affect you. What causes your stress? How does it affect you?

Task 18: PEER PRESSURE

Peer pressure is another personal challenge to overcome. How would you respond to a friend who pressures you to do
the things described below?

Let’s go and see this much talked about movie on the internet. Let’s cut classes! It’s my treat! Don’t worry!

I._________________________________________________________________________________________________

My brothers are asking me to join their fraternity. Tonight’s going to be the initiation rites. Would you like to join us?
I:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cecil is keeping a cheat sheet of the examination in her bag. She wants us to see it.

I:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Khris broke into his dad’s room and took adult materials with him. Let’s check them out.

I:_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Task 19: REACT TO THE MAX

Your instant reactions tell something about yourself. How would you react in each of the following situations? Write
your answer in the thought balloon.

1. You are not invited to your friend’s party.

2. Your parents broke their promise to send you on a trip.

3. You failed the test.

4. Your best friend spilled out your secret.

Task 20: MATTER OF JUDGMENT

Weighing two or more things to solve a problem could be a real challenge. If you were a judge and is to set free one of
the following prisoners, who would it be and why?
Check the box of your choice and justify your answer on the space provided below.

______ 1. Murderer who has eight (8) children

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

______ 2. Thief who stole your mother’s wedding ring

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

______ 3. Convicted rapist who claims he’s innocent

______4. Innocent man convicted of a crime but became a drug pusher while in prison

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Task 21: THE GREAT EIGHT

A. Across Thy Mind (ATM) [Logical-Mathematical]

• Make a survey within the group on how disciplined the members are using the following scale: Well-Disciplined,
Moderately Disciplined, Not

Disciplined.

• Make a tally of your data according to categories.

• Construct a graph of the data.

• Interpret your graph and make a conclusion.

B. Youth Power [Verbal-Linguistic]

• Imagine you are a Sangguniang Kabataan officer and your task is to write a barangay ordinance that will require the
youth to participate in the community service activities.

C. A Tree for a Day [Naturalistic]

• Picture yourself as a tree and express how you feel to the residents of your community who do not care about the
environment. Write a letter that will appear on your tree trunk or leaves.

D. Goal Setting [Intrapersonal]

• Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses.

• Set a plan of action on how you would transform your weaknesses into strengths and how you would further improve
your strengths.

E. Water Proof!

• Draw an interpretation of the line “The Filipino Spirit Is Water Proof!” This should show how Filipinos face calamities.

F. Strong U [Bodily-Kinesthetic]

• Make a dance interpretation of the song “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson.

G. Sing [Musical]

• Sing a song that is in line with any of the following themes:

• Nature

• Discipline

• Patriotism

H. Ma’am May I? [Interpersonal]

• Interview your teacher about the challenges he/she has to deal with in his/her job and how personal discipline helps
him/her make his/her work better.
Task 22: MY PURPOSE

Create a Personal Mission Statement and discover your purpose. To write your mission statement, begin by answering
these questions:

1. What do I value most in life? (List those things.)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is my life’s purpose?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. What legacy do I want to leave my school?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Now, considering the answers to those questions, draft a personal mission statement.

My Mission Statement

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________