Oral Tradition, Part 4 7 th Grade Literature

Background  This week’s selections include a Greek myth, and American trickster tale, and a Hispanic folk tale.  Myths– attempt to answer basic questions about the world and are considered truthful by their originators.  Folktales– are told primarily for entertainment and feature humans or humanlike animals

“Phaethon”  Greek myth  Attempts to explain a natural event or answer a basic questions about the world  Phaethon is the son of the god Apollo, and this myth explores how his mistake led to the creation of deserts and drought.

“The Force of Luck”  An American folktale from the Southwest.  Reflects a mixture of Spanish, Mexican, and Native American  Like many Hispanic tales, change is explained as being part of God’s will.

“Brother Coyote and Brother Cricket”  An American trickster tale from Texas  Many American tales celebrate mind over might, or brains over brute strength.

Part 4: Nothing Stays the Same  Vocabulary: Write the following words in your LNb on a page titled Oral Traditions, Part 4. Then look up the meaning of the words in your glossary. You may split the list with your partner, if you wish.  Abodecrude  Acknowledgeassault  Contendvainglorious  Squander  Anguish  Bartering  Benefactor

“Phaethon”: Connecting  Connecting is something that active readers do.  They connect their own experiences (or experiences of people they know or characters they have read about) to what is happening in the story they are currently reading.

“Phaethon”: Conflict  A conflict is a problem faced by a character in a story.  Can be external (outside) or internal (inside)  External conflicts can be between characters, or between characters and an outside force such as nature or society.  Internal conflicts are conflicts within a character, such as struggles with difficult decisions or with feelings, dreams, and desires.  Some conflicts can have both internal and external elements.

Group Discussion Questions  Why did Zeus strike Phaethon with a thunderbolt?  Why did the two wealthy men give money to the miller?  Did the miller have good luck with the money? Explain.  What changed the miller’s life?  How did the battle between the coyote and the cricket turn out?