Hi there, my name is Mr. Charlesworth, and in today's reading lesson we're exploring the text, "A Journey Through Greek Myths." We're going to be discovering all about the ancient Greeks and how they thought the world came to be.

I'm really looking forward to working with you today.

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome is I can explore the myth, "The Birth of Zeus." The key words are, my turn, your turn, Greek myth, pantheon, nymphs, Tartaros and characterization.

Let's try those once more.

Greek myth, pantheon, nymphs, Tartaros and characterization.

Well done.

A Greek myth explains the ancient Greek culture's beliefs and customs. They usually involve gods and supernatural creatures.

A pantheon is a collective term for all the gods and goddesses recognised and worshipped within a particular religious tradition.

Nymphs are female spirits in Greek mythology.

They're often associated with nature.

Tartaros served as a place of punishment in Greek mythology.

It also acted as a prison for the Titans and other powerful beings.

Characterization is the way an author describes and develops personalities and traits of the characters in the story.

Don't worry if you're unsure about any of these keywords.

We'll be exploring them throughout the lesson.

Today's lesson is all about a new myth, "The Birth of Zeus." We're first going to build our understanding of the myth before then exploring characterization in a little more detail.

Let's begin by reading the myth, "The Birth of Zeus." Here's a quick recap about what we've learned so far.

The beginning of the ancient Greek world began with Chaos.

Chaos was tamed.

Cronus, the god of time, disentangled the elements and gave each a name and place.

The Earth, known as Gaia, fell in love with the Sky, named Ouranos, and they had numerous children.

Gaia and Ouranos's children included the 12 Titans and the Cyclopes.

We continue our exploration of Greek myths with the myth, "The Birth of Zeus." Zeus is a character who will play an important role in the pantheon of the Greek gods.

Well recognised, that's two of our keywords.

Zeus plays an important role in the pantheon of the Olympian gods.

We'll find out a little bit about how he does that in today's lesson.

I'd like you to begin by reading page 20.

Pause the video whilst you read with your partner.

Fantastic reading.

I'd like you to discuss the following question.

What has happened so far, and who are we introduced to? Refer back to the text if you need some support.

Discuss the question with your partner.

Pause the video whilst you do so.

Great work.

There were lots of new characters and settings to consider and understand.

Let's have a look at a response.

We are introduced to three new characters, two Titans named Cronus and Rhea and their baby son, Zeus.

Cronus is worried that his own children will one day grow up and replace him as ruler.

To avoid this happening, he swallows each of them after they're born.

Greek myths usually have quite shocking things happen, and this is just one of them.

It's important to recognise the difference between Cronus, the god of time, and Cronus the Titan.

Let's learn a little bit more about each of the characters mentioned.

Cronus is the ruler of the Titans.

He's often depicted with a scythe or sickle.

These are implements or tools usually used in farming and harvesting.

Cronus lives in fear of being overthrown by his own children and losing the power he commanded.

Rhea was a Titaness, a female Titan.

She's the wife of Cronus and the mother of several major Olympian gods.

She's deeply concerned about her children's safety.

And finally, Zeus.

At this moment in time, Zeus is a baby.

However, he'll go on to overcome many challenges.

This myth tells the story of just one of those.

Here's our first check for understanding.

Can you match the characters' traits to the two Titans? You can of course refer to page 20 to support.

The character traits we've got are brave, protective, fearful, resourceful and unkind.

Match them to the most suitable Titan.

Pause the video whilst you do so.

Great work, let's see if you matched them all correctly.

Cronus is both fearful and unkind, whereas Rhea is brave, protective and resourceful.

I wonder if these traits will remain fixed as we read on or whether they'll change.

Let's continue reading and find out.

Cronus is worried about a prophecy which foretells of one of his children killing him.

Rhea's resourcefulness saves Zeus, who grows up with the bee-nymphs.

A prophecy is a bit like a prediction that will come to pass.

There are lots of prophecies in ancient Greek mythology, and people reflected on them deeply.

I'd now like you to read page 21 with your partner.

Pause the video whilst you do so.

Great reading.

I'd now like you to discuss the following question.

How do you think Zeus is currently feeling? And why do you think this? Refer back to the text if you need to.

Discuss the question with your partner.

Pause the video whilst you do so.

Well done.

From reading the text, we know that Zeus has been left in a cave.

Cronus has taken his mother Rhea away from him.

A response might be, "I think Zeus might be feeling annoyed.

He's now old enough to know that Cronus has swallowed his brothers and sisters.

He's formulating a plan to show Cronus that he was wrong to do this." You could have also said that Zeus might have been feeling quite lonely being stuck on an island by himself with only the bee-nymphs for company.

Here's our next check for understanding.

True or false, Cronus understood the rock-baby was a trick played on him by Rhea.

Is that true or false? Pause the video whilst you decide.

Well done, it's false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it because A, Cronus snatches up the rock baby and doesn't even check what's inside before swallowing its whole? Or B, Cronus could think of nothing but the prophecy it heard a long time ago? Which justification best links with the above statement? Pause the video whilst you decide.

Well done, the correct justification is A, Cronus is in such a rush, he just swallows the rock baby straight away without checking what's inside.

Rhea played a very good trick so that she could save her son, Zeus.

Let's find out what happens next.

We end page 21 with a task.

"One day, while standing at the edge of the shore, Zeus heard a noise between the crashing of the waves that sounded almost like a voice." In this task, I'd like you to predict what you think might happen next in "The Birth of Zeus." Use your understanding of the characters and features of a Greek myth to support you.

You might like to use the sentence stem, "I predict.

because.

." It's a bit like we're making a prophecy.

We're trying to predict what will happen next.

Pause the video whilst you complete the talk task.

Well done.

Let's have a look at two examples.

Sam says, "I predict that his mother Rhea has returned to help Zeus.

I think this because she cares deeply for him, protecting him from his father." Lucas says, "I predict that a mythical creature will appear to guide Zeus.

I think this because Greek myths usually contain adventures with heroes and mythical creatures." If your prediction can be justified using your understanding of the characters and the features of a Greek myth, then it's good prediction, well done.

Let's read on to see if we were correct.

In the second part of the lesson, we're now going to explore characterization.

Well noticed, it's one of our key words.

First, let's find out who is on the shore waiting to speak to Zeus.

The crushing of the waves was Metis, a sea nymph.

She supports Zeus in his journey back towards Cronus.

I'd now like you to read page 22.

Pause the video whilst you do so.

Well read, I'd now like you to discuss the following question with your talk partner.

Can you name the gods that flowed out of Cronus's belly? And how many are there? How many brothers and sisters does Zeus have? Pause the video whilst you discuss.

Well done, did you get them all? Zeus had five siblings.

Their names were Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.

Let's do those again, my turn, your turn.

Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.

Well done.

I wonder if we'll encounter any in our next myth.

These six siblings, including Zeus, were known as the Olympian gods and goddesses, and they played central roles in Greek myths.

As we continue reading, I'm sure you can tell that Cronus wasn't very happy with this outcome.

He declares war on his children.

Greek myths often have exaggerated events like these.

I'd now like you to read page 23, which finishes the myth.

Pause the video whilst you do so with your partner.

Well read.

Were you surprised to see the Cyclopes again? I was.

I'd like you to discuss the following question with your partner.

Where are the Cyclopes imprisoned? And where is this located? How is it described in the text? Pause the video whilst you discuss the question with your partner.

Well done, I noticed in the text that it says that the Cyclopes were imprisoned in an underground dungeon called Tartaros, as far beneath the underworld as the sky is above Earth.

There wasn't a key needed.

The gods were able to just pass through.

But they were protected.

A response might be the Cyclopes are being held in an underground dungeon in a place called Tartaros.

It's described as being as far beneath the underworld as the sky is above the Earth.

Here's our next check for understanding.

Who does Zeus strike down with a single flash of lightning? You can of course refer to page 23 to support your answer.

Is it A, a giant scorpion, B, Kampe or C, Hades? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Great work, it was B, Kampe.

Kampe serves as a guardian in Tartaros.

Like many other mythical creatures in Greek mythology, Kampe has a frightening and monstrous appearance, combining several different attributes from real and fictionalised animals.

I'm sure there's plenty more included in the text if you want to read some in your own time.

We're now going to explore some of the characters in more detail.

Let's begin by answering what is characterization? Characterization is the way an author and illustrator describe and develop the personalities and traits of characters in a story.

Authors and illustrators use a range of methods to show characterization.

They can focus on a character's appearance, that's what they look like, the words that they use, their actions and how they're depicted, how they're illustrated or drawn.

Here's a check for understanding based on what we've just learned.

Can you match the character's actions in the text to the possible characterization that can be conveyed? The first one, A, is the Cyclopes supports Zeus and his brothers and sisters.

The second, B, is Cronus declares war on his children.

And the third, C, is Zeus strikes Kampe down in a single flash of lightning.

Which characterizations best match to these actions? Pause the video now whilst you match them up.

Well done.

I think the Cyclopes have been quite helpful here.

They're collaborating, so collaborative matches with them supporting Zeus and his brothers and sisters.

Cronus declaring war on his children is angry and strong and powerful.

I think if you declare war on someone, you're quite angry and annoyed at them, so I think that Cronus declaring war links with angry, and Zeus striking Kampe down in a single flash of lightning definitely shows that he's quite strong and powerful.

Did you notice as well that it's the first sign of his powers? You'll see these powers being used a lot more in future myths.

To explore characterization, we're going to perform a reading activity called role on the wall.

Role on the wall is a reading activity that helps us develop our understanding of characters in a story or text.

Using an outline of the character, we jot down the character's traits, their thoughts and feelings and motivations and fears on the inside of the outline.

On the outside, we note the character's outer characteristics.

That includes their physical appearance, that's what they look like, the actions they perform and interactions with other characters.

It's a bit like thinking about your inner emotions on the inside and writing on the outside is what other people can see or tell about you as a character.

We can support our inferences with evidence from the text.

Let's have a look at an example of a role on the wall for Rhea, with evidence from the text.

Rhea might be thinking, "Can I save my son?" She might also think, "Can I defy Cronus? Can I betray him?" She's described as being quite protective and resourceful.

These are both inner traits.

We know from reading the text that Rhea is expecting another baby.

She escapes to the island of Crete.

Rhea tricks her husband Cronus by disguising a rock as their baby, Zeus.

Cronus swallows the rock whole, believing it to be one of his sons.

Rhea relies on the help of the bee-nymphs to look after her son.

You can see that the evidence links directly to her being both protective in reference to hiding the baby and resourceful, using the bee-nymphs for support.

Here's our final check for understanding.

Which of the following features are included on the outside of the character when completing a role on the wall? Is it A, their physical appearance, B, the actions they perform in the story, C, their thoughts and feelings or D, their fears? There may be more than one.

Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Great work, it's A and B.

A character's physical appearance, what they look like, and the actions they perform in the story can go on the outside.

They can directly link to those inner emotions, their thoughts and feelings and fears, as well as their motivations.

In this task, I'd like you to complete a role on the wall for either Zeus or Cronus.

Remember to note down the character's traits, their thoughts, their feelings, motivations and fears on the inside of the outline.

Note down the character's outer characteristics, including their physical appearance, actions and interactions with other characters on the outside.

If you're working with a partner, perhaps one of you can choose the god, the other the Titan.

Refer back to the text to support you.

Pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Fantastic work.

I hope you really enjoyed exploring characters in more depth.

Have a look now at your role on the wall.

On the inside, check that you've included a thought that the god or Titan might have, a range of emotions that they might feel.

Remember, it's important that characters feel more than one emotion.

This makes them layered and multifaceted.

Finally, check that you've included some character traits.

If you haven't included one of these yet, pause the video now whilst you add them in.

Well done, now let's focus on the outside.

Have you included outside your outline a description of their physical appearance? How about any actions that they perform within the myth? And finally, have you got an interaction that they have with another character? There are lots of interactions, so perhaps focus on the most important or most salient.

If you haven't noted down one of these, pause the video whilst you do so.

Well done.

If you've been working with a partner, please make sure you share your role on the wall with them, too.

I wonder how the two characters compare and if their characterization changes in future myths.

Through today's lesson, we've been engaging with the myth, "The Birth of Zeus." "The Birth of Zeus" is a Greek myth that follows the god Zeus's rise to power.

Zeus has an important role in the pantheon of the Greek gods.

We know that characterization is the way an author and illustrator describe and develop the personalities and traits of the characters in a story.

We know that authors use a range of methods to convey characterization.

Finally, we've explored a role on the wall, which is a reading activity that helps readers develop their understanding of characterization.

Greek myths are so fascinating.

I hope you'll explore some more with me soon.

Well done for all the hard work.