What are the characteristics of a myth?
Myth: A story that is passed from one generation to the next, that tries to explain something unexplainable in our world. Often it provides a moral or lesson. Guided Practice: Read a short mythical story to the class. Ask the students if the story is true or false or somewhere in between. Is the story a myth or did it occur in the past? Have students do a think, pair, and share the information with the class. On the chalkboard or on chart paper write the characteristics of a myth. Teacher will ask students who is the Easter Bunny. Often there are a variety of stories to explain the origin of Santa Claus but the origin of the Easter Bunny is unknown to many. The teacher will have the class brainstorm about the origin of the Easter Bunny and write down the different answers on chart paper. Students should be asking themselves how the Easter Bunny came about, what are their beliefs. The teacher may prompt them with questions such as what are the characteristics of a bunny. The class will
Characteristics of Myth … Characteristics of Myths Given the cautions (above) about how much the definition of myth has been debated and written about, take the following characteristics of myth in the spirit in which they are intended: general guidelines gleaned from what many people have noticed as often being true…