This KS2 smart task places pupils in the role of detectives trying to prove that the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur may actually have been been a fact. First they have to think carefully about what sort of evidence MIGHT have survived. Showing a video clip or animation, (unfortunately the original film used in the lesson is now defunct), will not only refresh pupils’ memory of events but will also allow them to be thinking about what might have survived as they see on-screen images of key objects that were part of the story. So what might we find if we were archaeologists setting out to dig for evidence?
Clearly the black sails will no longer be with us, or Ariadne’s thread ; but what about the maze itself? And where did it all take place? Might there be any remains of the palace itself?
With pupils’ appetite whetted, introduce the main task in the form of a treasure hunt. Secreted around the classroom are 10 separate ‘finds’, placed in numbered envelopes. The low-numbered envelopes are easier for pupils to grasp so it might be better to direct some pupils to start there, to give them confidence before tackling
