New
New
Year 3

Developing an understanding of 'Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx':

I can understand and discuss the main ideas of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx".

New
New
Year 3

Developing an understanding of 'Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx':

I can understand and discuss the main ideas of "Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx".

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx is a modern myth.
  2. A modern myth incorporates elements from traditional myths.
  3. Some features of a modern myth are mythical creatures, a quest, magical objects and gods and godesses.
  4. Brownstone's Mythical Collection are a collection of modern myths.
  5. Marcy embarks on an adventure and has to overcome a challenge.

Common misconception

Children may find it hard to distinguish which features within the story are modern or traditional.

The illustrations within the story are a powerful tool for guiding students to identify modern vs traditional mythical features.

Keywords

  • Myth - a traditional tale explaining a culture's beliefs and customs, often involving gods and supernatural creatures

  • Modern - relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the past

  • Elements - an essential or characteristic part of something

  • Egyptian mythology - a collection of myths from ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world

  • Adventure - an unusual and exciting or daring experience

It would be very beneficial to show all illustrations on screen while reading the book to the class, pausing and allowing opportunities to discuss the significance of certain illustrations and objects. You may also want to read the text in advance.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What type of text is a myth?
Correct answer: a traditional tale
a non-fiction text
a poem
Q2.
What type of characters would you encounter in a myth?
Correct answer: gods and goddesses
Correct answer: mythical creatures
cartoon characters
Q3.
Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:myth,a traditional tale, often involving gods

a traditional tale, often involving gods

Correct Answer:genre,the style or category that a story belongs to

the style or category that a story belongs to

Correct Answer:adventure,an unusual and exciting or daring experience

an unusual and exciting or daring experience

Correct Answer:characters,the people and animals that appear in a story

the people and animals that appear in a story

Q4.
Which of the following are examples of mythical creatures?
Correct answer: a unicorn
a camel
Correct answer: a phoenix
Correct answer: a mermaid
a whale
Q5.
Why would somebody choose to read a myth?
to learn true and real facts about the world
Correct answer: because they enjoy reading fictional tales with supernatural elements
to learn how to rhyme
Q6.
What do we often learn from reading myths?
Correct answer: a moral or lesson
how to read
animals that exist in the world
stories about true events

6 Questions

Q1.
What type of story is 'Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx'?
a traditional myth
Correct answer: a modern myth
a fairytale
a non-fiction text
Q2.
Which culture's mythology is incorporated in 'Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx'?
Ancient Greek mythology
Correct answer: Ancient Egyptian mythology
Ancient Roman mythology
Q3.
What is Marcy afraid of in the story?
the sea
spiders
Correct answer: the dark
travelling
Q4.
How does Marcy travel to Egypt and why?
on a boat so that she can visit the pyramids
Correct answer: on a Wind Weaver to find and help her father
by airplane to go on holiday
Q5.
Match the Egyptian God to their role.
Correct Answer:Thoth,god of knowledge

god of knowledge

Correct Answer:Ra,sun god

sun god

Correct Answer:Nut,goddess of the sky

goddess of the sky

Q6.
Where does Marcy need to rescue her father from and how?
She needs to sail into the sea to rescue him from Ra's boat.
Correct answer: She needs to solve a riddle to rescue him from the belly of the sphinx.
She needs to fly into the sky to rescue him from the stars.