SOCIAL STUDIES/ LANGUAGE ARTS CONNECTION PLEASE TAKE OUT YOUR
SOCIAL STUDIES NOTES TAKE OUT A PENCIL Greek Culture Myths &
Fables
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Anticipatory Set Liberia Where my family is from The fable of
the spider
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Standards S.S. 6.4.4 Explain the significance of Greek
mythology to the everyday life of people in the region and how
Greek literature continues to permeate our literature and language
today, drawing from Greek mythology and epics, such as Homers Iliad
and The Odyssey, and from Aesops Fables.
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Objective Students will be able to comprehend and explain the
significance of Greek mythology to the everyday life of people in
the region and how Greek literature continues to permeate our
literature and language today.
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Language of the Discipline Myth Fable Aesops fables
Mythology
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Storytelling in Greek Culture (Input)
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Many early civilizations relied on an oral tradition of passing
on history. Storytellers would pass on tales to the next generation
and the culture would be passed on to each successive generation.
Eventually, with the creation of writing, stories are now part of
the historical record.
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What is a MYTH? (Input) A traditional story, concerning the
early history of a people or explaining some natural or social
phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
-Examples: The Battle of the Titans The Three Fates The Tale of
Callisto
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Image of The Three Fates (Input)
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What is a FABLE? (Input) A work of fiction that uses fantastic
or imagined scenarios along with human like animal characters to
teach an acceptable norm of society. A short story, typically with
animals as characters, conveying a moral or lesson. -Examples: The
Tortoise and the Hare The Grasshopper and the the Ant
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Image of The Tortoise and the Hare (Input)
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Primary Differences (Input) The main differences that exist
between MYTH and FABLE is that FABLES will ALWAYS teach a moral
lesson. MYTHS are simply a way to explain the unknown, though there
ay be a moral buried within the MYTH. FABLES traditionally use
ANIMALS to tell the tales. Here, ANIMALS represent
traits/characteristics that exist within the human world. Example:
Industrious Ants, Deliberate and Determined Tortoise, Scattered
Hare, etc.
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Aesop Fables (Input)
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Who was Aesop? (Input) Some of the most famous and well-known
fables were written by a man named Aesop. Aesop was a writer who
can be traced to 620 to 564 BC. Aesop was born a slave and was
believed to have been a prolific writer of fables. Though no real
historical proof exists that he had written these tales, many of
his contemporaries had attributed the stories to him.
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How were Fables Used within Greek Culture? (Input) Fables were
traditionally used by parents, teachers and other adults on young
children to help teach them acceptable traits/characteristics or
behavior of the society. Fables are a beloved part of most
cultures. They become part of the civilization. EVERY civilization
uses fables to teach the next generation of the EXPECTED norms that
are valued.
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Importance to Greek Culture (Input) Mythology is VERY important
to the culture of the region because it was used to explain the
unknown. Later, myths represented to the Greeks that they were the
chosen people of the Gods from Mount Olympus and that these humans
received the shining favor of these all-powerful beings. Greek
myths also showed the complexity of their civilization. Here, the
myths themselves proved to others that the Greeks were advanced.
They had writing and artworks to support this.
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The Allure of Mythology (Input) Why has Mythology been a
subject enjoyed for countless generations? Mythology transports the
reader back to a realm of magic, fantasy and wonder. Mythology was
the Greeks way to explain the unknown or add a sense of romance or
exoticism to a story. Some believe that myths had a grain of truth
to them, though many now agree they are complete works of fiction.
Myths were used to celebrate traits that were viewed as an ideal:
Heroism, intelligence, cunning, purity, devotion, honesty, etc
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Explaining the Unknown (Input) Myths were traditionally used to
explain the unknown. Here,since they had yet to discover science
and other fields of knowledge, a tale was spun to try to explain
things. Examples: The Abduction of Prosperina/Persephone The change
in Seasons The Tale of Narcissus and Echo Origin of a flower and
the echo The Tale of Minerva and Arachne The reason spiders
weave/spin webs The Tale of Europa The formation of Europe.
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Heroes: Men and Women of POWER (Input) Greek Myths used men and
women of great power (The Gods and Goddesses) to weave tales of
conquest, discovery, love, loss, and redemption. Additional tales
were written about Demi-Gods, half- God and half-mortal, who
traveled the world and completed amazing feats and challenges.
Perseus and the slaying of the Gorgon Medusa Heracles and the
Twelve Labors
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Greek Gods and Goddesses (Input)
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Greek Mythology Today (Input) In todays modern world, Greek
Mythology is still relevant. Many young learners are being exposed
to the ancient world of heroes and gods and can use this as a leans
to learn more about the wonderful world of Greek culture. Greek
Myths have even served as the inspiration for many films, TV shows
and video games.
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Check for Understanding Please determine the BEST answer for
the following question. Please write your answer on your white
boards and wait for the teachers signal. On the teachers signal,
hold up your white boards.
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Checking for Understanding What did early civilization rely on
to pass tradition? Myths What is a Greek myth? A traditional story
involving supernatural beings or events. What is a fable? A story
to teach the next generation about the norms and expectations; a
moral or a lesson.
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Guided and Independent Practice Guided Practice Complete
questions 1 and 2 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Raise
your hand and wait to get stamped. If you received an R go to the
back table with Ms. Graham. Independent Practice Once you have been
stamped moved to independent practice and complete numbers 3 and 4
on the reading comprehension worksheet.
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SHADES OF MEANING PLEASE TAKE OUT YOUR LANGUAGE ARTS NOTES TAKE
OUT A PENCIL TAKE OUT A HIGHLIGHTER Reading Comprehension
Connection
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Anticipatory Set Looking for a place to live. Found an
apartment Sign a contract Residents must adhere to all community
rules and regulations. If the resident cannot follow these
procedures, the lease will be terminated. What does adhere mean?
Look at the context of the sentences. If I was to not follow the
rules my lease would end, so adhere must mean to follow.
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California State Standards R.W. 1.1.5 Vocabulary and Concept
Development Understand and explain shades of meaning in related
words (e.g., softly and quietly)
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Objective Students will be able to understand and explain Greek
myths and fables by using shades of meaning through the reading of
expository text.
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Language of the Discipline Shades of meaning Connotation
Denotation
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What are Shades of Meaning? (Input) Shades of meaning is a
phrase used to describe the small, subtle differences in meaning
between similar words or phrases. Example: KID and YOUTH both refer
to young people, but carry differing views and ideas about young
people. Example: SHORT and PETITE both refer to a person that is
small in stature. Yet one is viewed as more descriptive and can be
viewed as a compliment. Shades of meaning rely on nuances in the
definitions, to determine which is better, you usually have to
think in extremes or degrees. Example: SMART vs. WISE. Which do you
think has the better meaning?
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What is Denotation? (Input) Denotation is the LITERAL meaning
of a word. Here, it is what the word or phrase truly represents. No
emotion or evaluation is needed. The word simply is used as
intended. Examples: The girl was happy. The class was noisy. The
present was nice. The LITERAL meaning rarely asks for a reader to
evaluate closely or rethink the words usage.
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What is Connotation? (Input) Connotation is an idea or feeling
that a word invokes with a person in addition to its literal or
primary meaning. Generally has a Positive OR Negative influence.
Elicits an emotional reaction or some sort of value judgment
Example: MEAN vs. HATEFUL. Mean has one definition, Hateful hints
of an extreme. Instead of simply being MEAN, the other word choice
implies a person FILLED with HATE. Hateful has more power in the
descriptive sense.
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Synonyms: The Basis of Shades of Meaning (Input/Modeling) When
using shades of meaning, one needs to have a wide repertoire of
words to select from. Synonyms will come into play. Think of a word
and the connect yourself to all of the possible related words.
Example: Main word THIN Synonyms: SLIM, LEAN, SKINNY, EMACIATED,
SKELETAL Note how the words all cover the idea of THIN yet when you
carefully examine the words, some of the synonyms have a more
extreme meaning. EMACIATED and SKELETAL go beyond simply being
THIN.
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Looking at the POSITIVE!!! (Input/Modeling) Here, try to put a
POSITIVE spin on the following sentences. Take the original
underlined word and substitute in a much more powerful word that
still sends the same message. The smart student asked a series of
interesting questions. What are some synonyms for SMART? The food
tasted good. What are some synonyms for GOOD?
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Evaluating the Positive (Input/Modeling) The smart student
asked a series of interesting questions SMART can also be switched
out for words such as: GENIUS, INTELLIGENT, BRILLIANT, PROFOUND,
etc The food tasted good. GOOD can also be described with words
such as: DELICIOUS, SAVORY, DIVINE, FLAVORFUL, etc Here, GOOD is
not right or wrong but deals with taste.
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Looking at the NEGATIVE!!! (Input/Modeling) Here, try to put a
NEGATIVE spin on the following sentences. Take the original
underlined word and substitute in a much more powerful word that
still sends the same message. The dress looked ugly on the hanger.
What are some synonyms for UGLY? The young boy was sad. What are
some synonyms for SAD?
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Evaluating the Negative (Input/Modeling) The dress looked ugly
on the hanger. UGLY is referring to the appearance of the dress.
UGLY can also be referred to as: UNPRETTY, HIDEOUS, UNAPPEALING,
DREADFUL, etc The young boy was sad. SAD refers to the emotional
state of the boy. SAD can also be referred to as: DEPRESSED,
MOROSE, MELANCHOLY, GLOOMY, etc
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Comparing Using Shades of Meaning (Modeling) Example: He would
often become bored and to amuse himself he would call out, "Wolf!
Wolf," although there was no wolf about. The villagers would stop
what they were doing and run to save the sheep from the wolf's jaw.
Once they arrived at the pasture, the boy just laughed. The naughty
boy played this joke over and over until the villagers tired of
him. What best describes the relationship between the underlined
words? The relationship between the underlined words in that
laughed adds to the meaning of amused.
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Comparing Using Shades of Meaning (Modeling) Example: What does
the word quarreled mean in the sentence below? The two infants grew
up side by side and became to be good friends and playmates. They
never quarreled and played happily together. In the sentence below,
the word quarreled means to disagree or argue.
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Comparing Using Shades of Meaning (Modeling) Example: What
context clues can you find in the passage to help you interpret the
meaning of the underlined word? One day a lion was waken from his
afternoon nap by a group of mice scurrying all about him. Swat!
went his huge paw upon one the little creatures. By looking at the
words and phrases around the underlined word, scurrying means to
move quickly. The context clue that helped me was the phrase mice
scurrying all about him.
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Check for Understanding Please determine the BEST answer for
the following question. Please write your answer on your white
boards and wait for the teachers signal. When teacher gives the
signal, hold up your white boards.
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Checking for Understanding #1 Read the following passage. A
wolf ravished his prey one day. He ate so fiercely and hungrily
that a bone got lodged in his throat, causing him grievous pain. He
howled and howled in agony and offered a rich reward to anyone who
could remove the bone. 1. What best describes the relationship
between the underlined words? The relationship between the two
words is that grievous pain describes the meaning of agony.
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Checking for Understanding #2 Read the following passage. Two
men were strolling down a forest path when they came across a bear.
One man scampered up a tree and escaped the bear's claws. What is
the difference between strolling and scampered? The difference
between the word strolling and scampered is that strolling means to
slowly walk and scampered means to quickly run.
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Checking for Understanding #3 Read the following passage. But
the man clutched his coat tight against him. The wind blew harder
and longer, and the harder the wind blew, the tighter the man held
his coat against him. What context clues can you find in the
passage to help you interpret the meaning of the underlined word?
The words the harder the wind blew, the tighter the man held his
coast against him, helped me to understand that the meaning of
clutched was to grip tightly.
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Guided and Independent Practice Guided Practice Complete
questions 1 and 2 on the reading comprehension worksheet. Raise
your hand and wait to get stamped. If you received an R go to the
back table with Ms. Graham. Independent Practice Once you have been
stamped moved to independent practice and complete numbers 3 and 4
on the reading comprehension worksheet.