Daedalus Inventor | Greek Mythology Series for Middle and High School ELA

Is Daedalus a murderer or a hero? Explore the complex story of the famous Athenian inventor Daedalus with this engaging, academic-standards aligned, lesson resource and activity.

Who is Daedalus?

Daedalus, the brilliant craftsman of ancient Athens, is more than just a mythic figure—he is the original architect of ambition and ingenuity. Renowned for building the Labyrinth of Crete, Daedalus finds himself entangled in a perilous web of politics, betrayal, and survival. His story spans multiple episodes: the tragic fate of his nephew Talos, his service to King Minos, and his eventual flight from Crete using wings fashioned from feathers and wax. Alongside his son Icarus, Daedalus dares to defy the limits of human invention. Students will be captivated by this layered narrative of genius, loss, moral complexity, and the consequences of hubris. Use Daedalus’s myth to ignite classroom discussions and make meaningful connections to literature, visual art, science, and popular culture.

Be sure to consult the “Further Reading Guide” and included links to discover myth-inspired books, curated websites, and additional content about the Daedalus myth cycle.

Here’s what you get out of the box:

• This resource includes PDF, Google Workspace
• 3-day Lesson Plan with lots of extension activities.
• 1 Key Characters and Places Anchor Chart (with map activity)
• 5 Reading Cards
  • Daedalus and Talos (Dictionary of Ancient Greek Biography and Mythology)
  • Daedalus: Architect of Ingenuity and Avatar of Perseverance
  • Daedalus: Excerpts from the Epitome (A summary of Apollodorus’s Library)
  • Art and Literature Connection: Ixion Room from Pompeii
  • The Myth of Pasiphaë and Daedalus
    • Includes 5 high-quality illustrations from art history. Note art from the Baroque, Renaissance, and ancient times may include nudity.
• 2 Half-sheet Exit Tickets (with academic choice)
• 23-count Question Bank
• 2 Note-taking Templates
• Cornell Notecatcher and an optional illustrated standard notecatcher
• Frayer Model Vocabulary Cards (with suggested vocabulary)
• Answer Keys for student-facing materials and a Lesson Pacing Guide
• Rubric for Written Responses (both formative and summative)
• Further Reading List for you and your students

Suggested Classroom Use:

• English Language Arts or Humanities Class
• Unit on the Tragic Hero in Greek Mythology
• Unit on Ancient Greek Myths
• Lesson on Moral Complexity in Characters from World Literature
• A lesson paired with Icarus, Theseus, or Europa

Note: The story of Daedalus has been told in many different ways. Use this lesson to teach any version or adaptation of the myth you plan to share with your students. You can find Daedalus’s story all over the web and in many literature textbooks. I like to use the reading cards in this resource and the lesson activities as part of my units on Apollodorus’s Library, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.