Lesson video

Hi everyone.

My name is Ms. Boyle, and I am really excited to be teaching you your reading lesson today, where you will develop a personal response to the modern myth, "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." 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.

This is really important because you will have lots of rich discussion about the meaning behind the story, and develop your own responses.

I hope you're feeling excited and ready to learn.

Let's begin.

The learning outcome for today's lesson is "I can develop my own response to "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." Here are our key words for today's lesson.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn, your turn.

Theme.

Interpretation.

Perspective.

Discussion.

Well done.

Let's take a look at their definitions.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs in a story.

Interpretation is the process of understanding and assigning meaning to something.

A perspective is a personal point of view or opinion, and discussion is the action or process of talking about something to exchange ideas.

All of these key words are a big part of today's learning.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will be understanding and identifying themes within the story And in the second part, we will be developing a personal response.

So let's begin with understanding and identifying themes.

Our story is called "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." What do we know already about this story? "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" is a modern myth that incorporates elements of ancient Egyptian mythology.

Marcy has a fear of the dark and her father gets trapped in the belly of a sphinx trying to solve her fears.

Marcy goes on an adventure to rescue her father, encountering mythical creatures, gods, and quests along the way.

Ultimately, Marcy shows qualities that lead her to conquer her fears and save her father.

Let's check your understanding.

"Which statement is the best summary of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx?" A, it is a story about a girl named Marcy who goes on an adventure to Egypt so that she can discover more.

B, it is a modern myth about a girl named Marcy who encounters supernatural elements and challenges to overcome her fears.

Or C, it's a traditional myth about a girl named Marcy whose life is based around the role of Egyptian gods and goddesses." Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is B.

Well done.

It is a modern myth, which means it incorporates elements from traditional myths, but it has been adapted to fit today, and it is about a girl named Marcy who encounters supernatural elements and challenges in order to overcome her fears.

Stories often contain important themes.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

You may notice common or similar themes within a genre or text type.

Examples of themes that you might notice.

Friendship.

Good v evil.

Courage.

Betrayal, Power.

Quests or challenges.

Protection.

Survival.

Morality.

Family.

Let's check your understanding.

"What is a theme within a story? A, an idea, topic or message that appears once.

B, the genre that a story belongs to, or C, a big idea, topic or message that recurs." Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is C.

Well done.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs throughout a story.

You may notice similar themes within a genre.

We are going identify the themes within "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx." Some themes are common to the genre of myths.

For example, supernatural elements.

We know these exist in our story because there are lots of gods and goddesses and supernatural creatures, and this is common in myths, and quests or challenges.

This is also a common theme in myths.

Other themes can be inferred from the meaning behind the story and these differ.

Fear is a big theme in "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" because Marcy is trying to face her fears.

Courage is also a big theme because this is a characteristic Marcy displays to overcome her fear.

Let's check your understanding.

"True or false? The themes of a story are all easy to identify by considering the genre." Pause the video and answer now.

That is false.

Well done.

It's now time to justify your answer.

A, some themes are common to the genre, but other themes can be inferred from the meaning behind the story, or B, the genre of a text has no impact on the themes that appear.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is A.

Well done.

Some themes are common to the genre, but other themes can be inferred from the meaning behind the story.

It's now time for your first task.

Discuss which other themes appear throughout the story.

Consider the elements from traditional myths that are incorporated, and also consider the actions of characters and the meaning of the story.

Pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Let's take a look at some possible themes you might have identified.

Maybe you said good v evil.

We know that some of the characters show good qualities and some show some evil qualities.

Maybe you said gods and goddesses because lots of these appear throughout the story.

You might have said morality.

There are points at which Marcy has to use her morals to decide what's right or wrong.

Maybe you said power or control because there seems to be a power struggle between the gods.

You might have said resilience.

Marcy shows lots of resilience to overcome her challenges.

Maybe you said protection.

Marcy's father travels to Egypt in order to protect her by trying to solve her fears, and Marcy goes after him in order to protect him in return.

You might have said survival.

Marcy and her father have to overcome a lot in order to survive.

And maybe you said integrity or honesty because these are qualities that Marcy shows throughout.

Well done.

It's now time for the second part of our lesson, developing a personal response.

What themes can be identified within "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx?" Let's recap these quickly.

Supernatural elements.

Gods and goddesses.

Morality.

Quests and challenges.

Power and control.

Resilience.

Courage.

Protection.

Survival.

Fear.

Integrity and honesty.

Good v evil.

Readers may have different interpretations of a text, its themes, and its meaning.

This means that readers may have different perspectives and personal responses to a story.

Having rich discussions can deepen our understanding of a text and help us to develop a personal response.

Interpretation is a noun, which means the process of understanding and assigning meaning to something.

Perspective is a noun, which means a personal point of view or opinion.

And discussion is a noun, which means the action or process of talking about something to exchange ideas.

Let's check your understanding.

Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.

Our vocabulary is interpretation, perspective and discussion.

The definitions are a personal point of view or opinion, the action or process of talking about something to exchange ideas, and the process of understanding and assigning meaning to something.

Pause the video and answer now.

Let's take a look at the answers.

Interpretation means the process of understanding and assigning meaning to something.

Perspective means a personal point of view or opinion, and discussion is the action or process of talking about something to exchange ideas.

Well done.

We can interpret themes, their importance, and what they mean to us by analysing the deeper meaning of a story.

What qualities are conveyed through Marcy's actions in the story? Have a little think.

Marcy shows courage, which means the willingness to do something frightening or difficult.

She shows resilience, which is the mental ability to withstand or overcome difficulties.

She shows integrity, which is the quality of being honest and having strong morals.

We can develop a deeper understanding of these by identifying how they appear as themes within the story.

Let's check your understanding.

Match the quality to when Marcy shows this in the story.

In the first illustration, we can see Marcy on the wind weaver bird.

In the second, we can see Ra gifting her his sun eye, and in the third illustration, we can see Marcy climbing into the snake's mouth to protect her father.

The qualities are integrity, courage, and resilience.

Pause the video and match these qualities to the correct illustration now.

Let's take a look at the answers.

Marcy shows great courage embarking on a journey to Egypt on the back of the wind weaver bird.

She shows integrity while showing empathy and honesty to Ra, and she shows resilience by facing her fears to rescue her father.

The qualities are conveyed at various points, which is how they become themes within the story.

It's time for a task.

Which theme stands out to you as the reader as being most important throughout the story and why? You may also identify your own theme, and discuss that.

Your sentence starters are, "I think the theme of courage is most important because.

." or "I think the theme of integrity is most important because.

." or "I think the theme of resilience is most important because.

." Pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Let's take a look at what you might have said.

Maybe you said, "I think the theme of courage is most important because the whole story involves Marcy being brave in scary situations and overcoming her fear." Or you might have said, "I think the theme of integrity is most important because throughout, Marcy shows honesty and a desire to do what is right for others, even Thoth." Or maybe you said, "I think the theme of resilience is most important because there are so many points where Marcy could have given up, but she was determined to overcome challenges.

Maybe you chose a different theme that you thought was most important, and that's okay too, as long as you can justify it.

A personal response will often be influenced by your own experiences, what you can relate to emotionally and what inspires you.

It's time for your final task.

What overall message do you think is being conveyed through the story of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx?" Consider what lesson you think we can learn from the story.

Your sentence starters are, "I think that Marcy's actions teach us.

." and "I think the deeper meaning of the story is.

." Pause the video and discuss with your partner now.

Let's take a look at what she might have said.

Maybe you said, "I think that's Marcy's actions teach us about important qualities like courage, resilience, and integrity.

Even though Marcy was terribly afraid and desperate to save her father, she did not give up or waiver in her morals." That is very true.

You might have said, "I think the deeper meaning of the story is that just because something feels uncomfortable or scary, it doesn't mean it isn't worth doing.

Sometimes tackling your fears can be really good.

I feel inspired to show bravery." That would be a wonderful lesson to take away from the story.

Sharing different perspectives is so important for developing a personal response.

It can help us deepen our understanding and reflect on our own opinions.

So hopefully you really enjoyed discussing this with your partner.

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

"The myth of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx" contains important themes relevant to traditional myths and modern life experiences.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs in a story.

Marcy displays courage, integrity, and resilience in her quest.

Readers can interpret a text, its themes and its meaning in different ways, and discussing books with others can deepen our understanding and allow us to develop our own views." I hope you loved reading the story of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx," discussing it with your partner and developing your own personal responses.

Well done for all of your hard work.