What Skills Can Help You Understand Epics and Myths?

What Skills Can Help You Understand Epics and Myths? Feature Menu Understanding Cause and Effect Summarizing Drawing Conclusions Your Turn

Understanding Cause and Effect Events in a narrative don’t happen by chance. Some events cause other things to happen. The team worked hard throughout the season. The team won the championship trophy.

Cause: Lauren painted the room. Effect: Lauren’s muscles ached. Understanding Cause and Effect The result, or consequence, of a cause is called an effect.

Understanding Cause and Effect To understand an epic or a myth, it is important to pay attention to how the narrative is built on a series of causes and effects. If a hero, for example, fights a monster, what can happen as a result? The hero might get injured, or the monster might capture him.

Understanding Cause and Effect Remember that not all effects have a single cause. Cause 2: Peter flosses his teeth carefully. Cause 1: Peter brushes his teeth after every meal. Cause 3: Peter visits the dentist every six months. Effect: Peter has healthy teeth and gums.

Understanding Cause and Effect In addition, some causes have more than one effect. Cause: Jaclyn got very sick. Effect 1: She missed four days of school. Effect 3: She lost her appetite. Effect 2:Her classmates made her cards.

Understanding Cause and Effect Using a cause-and-effect chain will help you identify relationships between key events in epics and myths. Cause: Calypso holds Odysseus captive. Cause(s) Effect: Athena begs Zeus to help Odysseus. Effect(s) Cause: Zeus agrees to help. Cause(s) Effect: Zeus sends Hermes to order Calypso to release Odysseus. Effect(s)

Understanding Cause and Effect Quick Check Jamal thought that asking for help was a sign of weakness; he preferred to do things himself or not at all. With a biology exam a week away, however, his stomach wove itself into knots. His classmate, Kava, seemed to understand everything so easily. Jamal hesitated to ask for help, but he decided to swallow his pride. In school the next day, Kava smiled at his request. They scheduled a study session for the weekend. Jamal’s stomach finally relaxed. What caused Jamal to ask for help from Kava? What was the effect of Jamal’s request for help? [End of Section]

Summarizing It can be challenging to keep track of the characters and events in a narrative, especially in a long narrative such as an epic. Wait! Why can’t Odysseus escape the Cyclops? How did Odysseus trick the Cyclops? I’m confused.

Oh, I get it. Odysseus stabbed the Cyclops in the eye, blinding him. Summarizing Summarizing after you read each section can help you see the big picture.

Summarizing As you read, you can summarize a plot by writing a statement about the most important events. Read the following paragraph; then, summarize its plot. Jarvin raised his shield against the dragon’s fire, but it was too late. Flames burned his cloak; he swiftly stamped them out. Using all his strength, Jarvin lifted a fallen tree trunk and hurled it at the fierce dragon. Distracted by the tree trunk, the creature stepped back, giving Jarvin the chance to flee. In a fight with a dragon, Jarvin throws a tree trunk at the beast and escapes.

Summarizing A useful strategy for summarizing is called “Somebody Wanted But So.” As you read, complete a chart like this: Somebody Wanted But So This technique helps you summarize the most important events, their causes, and their effects.

Somebody Wanted But So Summarizing Under “Wanted,” describe the character’s main goal. Under “Somebody,” write the character’s name. Under “But,” describe what is preventing the character from achieving that goal. Write the outcome of the character’s struggle under “So.” Odysseus to go home Calypso wouldn’t let him go. Athena, a goddess, ordered her to do it.

Summarizing Quick Check Summarize the most important events in this passage. As the sun appears, announcing a new day, the crew members’ lids are heavy with sleep. My eyes, open since yesterday evening, scan the still ocean waters to the distant shore. I breathe a sigh of relief that we have survived another night at sea. “Captain, did you feel that?” I turn to find Toolas before me, worry lines carved across his forehead. Before I can answer, a blow to the ship knocks us both to the planks. [End of Section]

This character seems brave. I guess I’ll wait to see if that’s really true. Drawing Conclusions Although it may be tempting to form an opinion before examining all the evidence, wait to draw any final conclusions—at least until you’ve finished reading.

Drawing Conclusions When you draw conclusions, you sift through all the details in a narrative to make connections and form an opinion. Acting as a detective, you must look closely at the text and analyze evidence to support your opinion.

She helped rescue the neighbor’s kitten. She defended her friend. Is this character brave? She cried at the dentist’s office. Drawing Conclusions Guidelines for Drawing Conclusions Step One: Examine the character’s actions. detail She cried at the dentist’s office.

Her friend felt supported and appreciated her help. Her neighbor was grateful that the kitten was safe. She had to leave the dentist’s office because she was so upset. Drawing Conclusions Guidelines for Drawing Conclusions Step One: Then, consider the effects of the actions.

It can be difficult to speak up and defend someone. I don’t know anyone who has rescued a kitten. That was really nice of her. Going to the dentist isn’t fun, but we all have to deal with it. Drawing Conclusions Guidelines for Drawing Conclusions Step Two: Make connections between what you’ve learned and what you know from life.

This character shows bravery only in situations when others depend on her for help. Drawing Conclusions Guidelines for Drawing Conclusions Step Three: Form a conclusion based on the clues and your background knowledge.

Drawing Conclusions Read the following passage and draw a conclusion about what motivates Alonso. Alonso sighed and wondered whether he should accept the job in Colorado and leave New York. His family needed the money, but his wife and kids had always lived here. They were happy and had many friends. Without a new job, though, they wouldn’t be able to save for a house. Alonso is motivated by determining what is best for his family.

Drawing Conclusions Quick Check What conclusion can you draw about Noah’s attitude toward Mrs. Ramirez? Every Saturday afternoon, during the twins’ nap, Noah took a walk around his neighborhood. On today’s walk, he found himself thinking about the next week’s elections. He looked up to see Mrs. Ramirez, a retired florist, kneeling as she pruned her rose bushes. As he greeted her, she put out her hand. He helped her up. “Mrs. Ramirez, have you decided how you’ll vote?” he asked. She looked him in the eye and answered. [End of Section]

Apply Reading Skills YourTurn 1. Read this selection from an American Indian myth, “Coyote and the Origin of Death.” Summarize each paragraph in a sentence. All the other men objected. They said that they did not want their friends and relatives to die and be gone forever, for then they would grieve and worry and there would be no happiness in the world. Everyone except Coyote decided to have people die and be gone for a little while, and then come back to life again. In the beginning of this world, there was no such thing as death. Everybody continued to live until there were so many people that the earth had no room for any more. The chiefs held a council to determine what to do. One man rose and said he thought it would be a good plan to have the people die and be gone for a little while, and then return. As soon as he sat down. Coyote jumped up and said he thought people ought to die forever. He pointed out that this little world is not large enough to hold all of the people, and that if the people who died came back to life, there would not be food enough for all.

Apply Reading Skills YourTurn 2. What caused the chiefs to hold a council? What was the effect of the meeting? All the other men objected. They said that they did not want their friends and relatives to die and be gone forever, for then they would grieve and worry and there would be no happiness in the world. Everyone except Coyote decided to have people die and be gone for a little while, and then come back to life again. In the beginning of this world, there was no such thing as death. Everybody continued to live until there were so many people that the earth had no room for any more. The chiefs held a council to determine what to do. One man rose and said he thought it would be a good plan to have the people die and be gone for a little while, and then return. As soon as he sat down. Coyote jumped up and said he thought people ought to die forever. He pointed out that this little world is not large enough to hold all of the people, and that if the people who died came back to life, there would not be food enough for all.

Apply Reading Skills YourTurn 3. In myths, the coyote is often a trickster. What conclusions can you draw about his character? All the other men objected. They said that they did not want their friends and relatives to die and be gone forever, for then they would grieve and worry and there would be no happiness in the world. Everyone except Coyote decided to have people die and be gone for a little while, and then come back to life again. In the beginning of this world, there was no such thing as death. Everybody continued to live until there were so many people that the earth had no room for any more. The chiefs held a council to determine what to do. One man rose and said he thought it would be a good plan to have the people die and be gone for a little while, and then return. As soon as he sat down. Coyote jumped up and said he thought people ought to die forever. He pointed out that this little world is not large enough to hold all of the people, and that if the people who died came back to life, there would not be food enough for all.

The End

What Skills Can Help You Understand Epics and Myths?