Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

My name is Ms. Voyle, and I am going to be teaching you your reading lesson today.

And I'm really excited because we are going to be reading a modern myth called "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" and developing our understanding of it.

For this lesson, you need to be listening and looking carefully, you need your thinking brain, and there will also be tasks where you need somebody to talk to.

I hope you are feeling excited and ready to read our story.

The learning outcome for today's lesson is I can understand and discuss the main ideas of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." Here are the key words for today's lesson.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Myth.

Modern.

Elements.

Egyptian mythology.

Adventure.

Well done.

Let's take a look at their definitions.

A myth is a traditional tale explaining a culture's beliefs and customs, often involving gods and supernatural creatures.

Modern means relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the past.

Elements are an essential or characteristic part of something.

Egyptian mythology is a collection of myths from Ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world.

And an adventure is an unusual and exciting or daring experience.

These words are important for today's reading lesson, and we will be talking about them and their meaning throughout.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will be looking at an introduction to the genre and text, and in the second part, we will be reading and understanding the story.

So let's begin with an introduction to the genre and text.

Here is the front cover of our modern myth.

It's called "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." Take a look.

What can you see? "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" is a modern myth.

A myth is a traditional tale explaining a culture's beliefs and customs, often involving gods and supernatural creatures.

Myths belong to the genre of folklore, which is the sharing of stories orally, and these stories are passed down over time.

A modern myth incorporates elements, which means parts, of traditional myths but has been adapted to fit today.

They often have more diverse characters and contain current or relatable themes for the reader.

Let's check your understanding.

True or false? "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" is a traditional myth.

Pause the video and answer now.

That is false.

Well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer.

a, the story is a modern myth, which means that it is completely different from a traditional myth, or b, the story is a modern myth, which means that it has elements of a traditional myth but is adapted to fit today.

Pause the video and select your answer now.

The answer is b.

Well done.

A modern myth does contain elements of a traditional myth, but it has been adapted to fit today.

"Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" tells the story of a girl named Marcy who goes on an adventure and has to face her fears to overcome a challenge.

The story incorporates many elements from Egyptian mythology.

Take a look at these two pages from the beginning of the book.

We can see on the left hand page, there is what's called a star map.

If you look closely, you will be able to find the names of stars.

On the right hand page, we can see it says, the Egyptian world.

And around these pages are different Egyptian gods.

The story involves Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses.

Astrology, which is the study of how the stars and planets may influence life, people, and their personalities.

And it involves mythical creatures and other supernatural elements.

This is how the modern myth of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" incorporates elements from traditional mythology.

Let's check your understanding.

Which elements from traditional myths appear in the modern myth of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx"? Pause the video and answer now.

The answers are a, Egyptian gods, b mythical creatures, and d, astrology.

Well done.

It's now time to read "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." Read up to page 24.

Pause the video.

Let's check your understanding of what you have read so far.

Which statement gives the best summary of the beginning of the story? a, Marcy adventures to Egypt to save her father who is trying to solve her fear.

She encounters the god Thoth, who sets her a challenge first.

b, Marcy is afraid of the dark and her dad wants to solve this fear.

Or c, Marcy goes on an adventure to Egypt where she meets mythical creatures and Egyptian gods.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is a.

Well done.

a is the best summary because it highlights that Marcy goes on an adventure.

It tells us where, it tells her why she's gone, and the kind of creatures she encounters when she's there.

It's time for your first task.

Retell the beginning of the story using the illustrations.

There are key words under each illustration to support you with your retelling.

Pause the video and do the task now.

Let's take a look at the key events that you should have covered when retelling the story.

Marcy Brownstone's father was a great explorer named Arthur, who loved to tell her tales of his adventures, but Marcy was terribly afraid of the dark and what existed in the night sky.

When Marcy felt too afraid to venture into a cave with her father, he decided to go to Egypt to find an old book trapped in the belly of a sphinx, which would help him solve Marcy's fear of the dark.

Marcy decided she must travel to Egypt to find and help her elderly father and made the long journey on the back of the mythical Wind Weaver bird.

When she arrived, she encountered Thoth, god of knowledge, who possessed the book that explained all the mysteries of the world and kept it inside a great sphinx.

Thoth explained to Marcy that her father was trapped in the grips of a snake inside the belly of the sphinx and that she would have to solve the riddle to enter and rescue him.

Marcy was too afraid to enter the dark tomb and begged Thoth to help her.

Thoth agreed, but only if she could retrieve the moon eye from the god of sun Ra for him.

Well done for retelling the beginning of the story with your partner.

It's now time for the second part of our lesson where we will be reading the rest of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" and checking that we understand the story.

It's time to read pages 25 to 26 of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." With Thoth's words ringing in her ears, Marcy wandered through the desert towards the horizon.

Suddenly she saw what looked like a shooting star.

It was getting bigger and bigger.

Marcy had to act quickly.

At the ship's helm, Marcy could see the god Ra, but first she would have to remain unnoticed by the boat's crew of gods.

Anubis, god of the afterlife, Isis, goddess of nature and magic, and Bast, goddess of cats.

With Ra in sight, Marcy came up with a plan to get his eye.

But as she readied herself for the jump, she realised she couldn't steal someone else's eye.

For all she knew, Ra could be a very nice god.

She bravely climbed down the rigging and walked slowly up behind him.

She was very small, so she had to clear her throat as she gave a big tug on his cape.

Ra was intrigued by the little human who had found her way onto his sun boat.

He listened to her story before speaking.

"Thank you for your honesty.

Thoth is always plotting to steal my moon eye.

If Thoth were ever to get hold of it, he would become unspeakably powerful and plunge the whole world into evil.

As a reward for your service, I will help you free your father.

My boat will take us to the sphinx.

The goddess of the night sky, Nut, will show us the way by shining a path in the stars," said Ra.

As Ra's ship reached the sphinx, an anchor dropped down.

Just before Marcy went to climb down, Ra knelt before her.

"Here, take my sun eye.

Its light will guide you and cut through the darkest shadows.

Good luck." Marcy was filled with excitement.

Maybe she was a real Brownstone after all.

Let's check your understanding.

What stopped Marcy from stealing Ra's eye? a, the boat's crew of gods spotted her and stopped her.

b, she felt empathy for Ra, and it didn't feel right to steal his eye.

Or c, she fell off the boat as she was trying to steal it.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is b.

Well done.

Marcy felt empathy for Ra, and it didn't feel right to steal his eye.

Marcy's decision showed integrity.

Integrity is a noun, meaning the quality of being honest and having strong morals.

Marcy ultimately chose to do what she felt was right and kind even if it meant she wasn't able to complete Thoth's challenge.

True or false? Marcy was rewarded for her integrity and empathy towards Ra.

Pause the video and answer now.

That is true.

Well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer.

a, to show appreciation, Ra offered to help free her father and got the goddess of the night sky, Nut, to guide them to the sphinx.

Or b, to show appreciation, Ra agreed not to punish Marcy and offered to take her home.

Pause the video and select your answer now.

The answer is a, well done.

This was a key turning point in the story.

When Ra offered to help Marcy rescue her father and got Nut to guide them towards the sphinx.

It's now time to read pages 37 to 45 of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." The sphinx loomed up ahead.

As she approached, it spoke its riddle.

"I am bright when it's dark and dark when it's bright.

I am the shepherd of the night.

Who am I?" Marcy had never heard of a night shepherd before.

What could it possibly mean? She thought and she thought some more, but she couldn't think of the answer.

And then she had a sudden idea.

"What was only at its brightest in the dark? The stars.

And shepherds guide things.

Of course, the North Star!" This sphinx's mouth opened to reveal a set of steps.

They led down into a deep, dark cave.

Marcy trembled with fear, but she knew this was the only way to save her father.

As she descended into the belly of the sphinx, it got darker and darker.

When Marcy finally found Arthur, he was too busy with a huge snake to hear her shouts.

She didn't have time to think.

She had to do something.

With the eye of Ra lighting her way, she vaulted straight into the snake's mouth.

In that moment, Arthur realised the book would not help Marcy.

She had already overcome her fear.

He dropped it and they escaped together.

Let's check your understanding.

How did Marcy get inside the sphinx's belly and rescue her father? a, she gave Ra's sun eye to Thoth and he opened the sphinx.

b, she solved the sink's riddle and used the light of Ra's sun eye to guide her down into the dark belly of the sphinx.

Or c, she used the anchor of Ra's boat to pry the sphinx's mouth open.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is b.

Well done.

She was able to solve the sphinx's riddle.

Marcy remembered what her father had told her.

That the north star would always guide them home no matter how dark it was.

Marcy remembering this helped her solve the riddle and Ra kindly gave her his sun eye, which helped Marcy face her fear of the dark so that she could go into the dark belly of the sphinx and try to rescue her father.

True or false, Marcy was able to free her father easily and without fear.

Pause the video and answer now.

That is false.

Well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer.

a, Marcy was terrified, but once she found her father and the snake, she was able to free him easily.

Or b, Marcy trembled with fear but showed courage, and she ran into the mouth of a snake to rescue her father.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is b, Marcy trembled with fear.

Rescuing her father meant she had to face her fears, but she showed great courage, and she ran into the mouth of a snake in order to rescue him, which was no easy task.

It's now time to read pages 45 to 52 of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx," which will take us to the end of the story.

Outside the sphinx, a shadowy figure was waiting for them and an evil voice boomed.

"Where do you think you are going with that eye, little girl? We had a deal.

Ra's eye is mine." Marcy tried to tell Thoth it was the wrong eye, but it was too late.

As he took the eye, there was a flash of light, a crack of thunder, and then silence.

All that was left of Thoth was a tiny bird and Ra's magic eye.

Ra appeared and picked up his eye, placing the tiny bird on his shoulder.

"He will grow again and try to steal my moon eye.

But for now, he's harmless." Together they all climbed up onto Ra's sun boat and prepared for home.

Nut guided the sun boat by shining the North Star as brightly as she could.

When they were finally home, Marcy couldn't wait to tell her parents every single detail about her adventure in the land of Egypt.

And when it was time for Marcy to go to sleep, for the first time, she didn't feel scared at all.

Marcy realised that no matter how scary the dark was, even if it was filled with monsters, she was more than brave enough to fight them.

And I hope, one day, you too will be able to conquer your fears no matter how big and scary or small and silly that fear is.

The end.

Let's check your understanding.

What happened when Thoth stole Ra's sun eye from Marcy? a, he got what he had wanted so that that could gain unthinkable power and use it for evil.

b, Thoth didn't realise it was the sun eye, not the moon eye and a crack of thunder turned him into a tiny bird.

Or c, he used his new power from the eye to send Marcy and her father back into the belly of the sphinx.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is b, well done.

Thoth didn't realise that it was actually Ra's sun eye that Marcy had.

And when he took the moon eye from her, a crack of thunder turned him into a tiny bird.

True or false? The story of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" conveys a message that we can draw deeper meaning from.

Pause the video and the answer now.

That is true.

Well done.

I wonder what message you think is being conveyed.

It's time to justify your answer.

a, even when something feels scary, showing resilience and bravery can help you overcome some fears.

Or b, when something feels scary, you should never do it.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is a.

Well done.

Marcy showed great resilience and bravery even when she felt scared.

And this meant she was able to overcome her fears.

This is a great message that the reader can take away from the story.

Maybe you are already thinking about the kind of resilience and bravery you could show to overcome a fear.

It's time for your final task.

Answer these questions with your partner.

Likes, what caught your attention? Dislikes, was there anything that put you off reading this text? And puzzles or questions.

What would you like to discover the answer to? Pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Let's take a look at some possible answers you might have given.

For likes, what caught your attention? Maybe you said, "I loved the illustrations within the story.

They were so powerful." Or you might have said, "I couldn't believe the bravery Marcy showed when facing her challenges." For dislikes, was there anything that put you off reading this text? Maybe you said, "I found it difficult to understand who all of the different Egyptian gods were.

There were lots of them." Or you might have said, "It made me feel nervous when Marcy ran into the snake's mouth." That's understandable because we didn't know what would happen.

For puzzles and questions, what would you like to discover the answer to? Maybe you asked something like, why did Thoth want all of the power instead of wanting to help others? That would be a very good critical question, examining a character.

Or you might have said, "I would like to find out more about Ancient Egyptian mythology." That is a wonderful thing to take away from the story.

And there is so much you could discover about Ancient Egyptian mythology.

Well done for discussing these questions with your partner.

We've come to the end of the lesson, so let's go over a summary together.

A myth is a traditional tale explaining a culture's beliefs and customs, often involving gods and supernatural creatures.

A modern myth incorporates elements from traditional myths but has been adapted to fit today containing relatable themes.

"Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" is a modern myth that incorporates elements from Ancient Egyptian myths.

Marcy embarks on an adventure where she encounters mythical creatures and Ancient Egyptian gods and has to overcome a challenge.

Well done for all of your fantastic listening and hard work during this lesson.