7th Grade Honors EnglishMarch 19, 2015

Bellringer

Read “On the Road” and complete the questions which follow. You have 10 minutes from the time the tardy bell rings.

Word of the Day

dearth

scarcity; lack of

Mr. Walker’s class has a dearth of fun now that we’re reviewing for the STAAR test.

Lines We Love

“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.” ~T.H. White, The Once and Future King

ObjectivesBlock 1

We will review 7th Grade Reading Mock STAAR Test which you took yesterday. We will spend time discussing the questions you missed and why you missed them.

Block 2

We will begin a unit on Folktale as a literary genre. We will learn and review the characteristics of myths, legends, fairy tales, tall tales, and fables. We will make inferences and draw conclusions. We will understand and make important connections regarding the importance of folklore to cultural traditions around the world.

Mock STAAR Review

• Look at each incorrect answer carefully.

• Do you understand why you missed it?

• If not, raise your hand.• Take notes.• Make sure you understand before

you leave today.

Folktale As A Literary Genre

Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales, Tall Tales & Fables

~or~

Cinderella, Zeus, and a big blue ox walked into a library!

What exactly is folktale?A folktale is a type of traditional story that tries to explain something, or which is meant to help people behave well in the world. Such stories usually are fiction-based with magical or supernatural elements, and they often are woven around talking animals, royalty, peasants or mythical creatures. Initially passed down through oral tradition, they were a major means of educating and entertaining prior to the development of printed materials and modern technologies, and they remain instrumental in preserving aspects of the culture in which they develop.

What exactly is folktale?Main Characteristics

Exactly how to define what is or is not a folktale is subject to interpretation, but stories that fall into this category generally exhibit some very distinguishable characteristics, such as starting with "once upon a time" and ending with "and they all lived happily ever after." They traditionally feature fantastic elements or magic, as well as creatures such as giants, goblins, fairies, elves and dwarfs. They are usually fairly short, often taking just a few minutes to tell or read, and the plots often are melodramatic in nature, featuring a conflict between a hero and villain where everything ends happily, good triumphs and justice properly is served.

Folktale: Sub-Genres

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0AU6fWoW04

Myths

Folktale that is considered sacred and that attempts to explain how things came to be.

•Gods & Godesses

•No specific setting

•Good is rewarded, evil is punished

•Features magic or unusual creatures

•Often used to teach a moral lesson

Legends

Folktale that is based on a real person or event.

•Everyday people

•Animals often the main character

•No specific setting

•Attempts to explain why or how something came to be

•Magic

•Sometimes teaches a lesson

Fairy TalesFolktale that usually includes magical elements and features royalty and animals.

•Setting almost always in castle or forest

•Good vs evil

•Magic

•Not the Disney version

Tall Tales

Folktale that is usually humorous and usually considered to be untrue.

•Everyday people with superhuman abilities

•Linked to a real historical time period

•Problem solved in a humorous way

•Exaggerated details

•Tells about a person’s accomplishments

Fables

Folktale that teaches a moral or a lesson. Often features animals acting like people.

•3 or fewer characters

•Set somewhere outdoors

•Problem or conflict involves trickery

•Moral or lesson is often given explicitly at the end of the story

Folktale Quiz

In which type of folktale would the good characters be beautiful and the evil characters be ugly?

Answer: fairy tale

Folktale Quiz

In which type of folktale might hyperbole** be used a lot?**What do we do if we don’t remember or don’t know what a word/term means?

Answer: tall tale

Folktale Quiz

In which type of folktale are you likely to find gods and goddesses used?

Answer: myth/mythology

Folktale Quiz

People often believe which type of folktale to be historical?

Answer: legends

Folktale Quiz

Which type of folktale is likely to feature characters who are elves, witches, or giants?

Answer: fairy tale

Folktale Quiz

Which type of folktale is likely to feature characters who are immortal**?**What do we do if we don’t remember or don’t know what a word/term means?

Answer: myth/mythology

Characteristics of FolktaleIt is important to remember that many, even most of the characteristics mentioned cross over from one sub-genre to the next. Whether or not a particular story is a fairy tale, legend, myth, etc. is very often up to the interpretation of the reader. What is most important to know about folktale (or, folklore) is that it is ALWAYS an important part of the culture from which it comes, and that folktale exists in all cultures around the world. In fact, many of the folktales which are part of our own culture originated elsewhere and made their way to America with immigrants from those other cultures.

Today we. . .

• Reviewed the correct answers on the Grade 7 Reading Mock STAAR test.

• Learned about the characteristics of the literary genre folktale (or, folklore) and its various sub-genres.

Tomorrow We Will. . .

Examine our first two examples of folktale while we observe a belated St. Patrick’s Day! Don’t forget to wear green and come ready to have some fun while we’re learning!