Year 6 Taster lesson English Myths and Legends

Year 6 Taster lesson: English Myths and Legends

What will you be studying in Year 7? Autumn Term: Myths and Spring Term: Legends Frankenstein Summer Term: Poetry This term, you will be studying a range of Myths and Legends from around the world, with a particular focus on Greek myths. You will have the opportunity to write your own myth. For the final term, we will be studying poetry through the ages. We will look at poems from the past as well as more recent poems and those from other cultures. You will have the opportunity to write your own poem and perform it. In the Spring term, we will be looking at Gothic Literature by studying Frankenstein. We will look at the life of Mary Shelley before studying the play version of the story where you will perform key scenes. You will practice writing scripts. There will be two lessons of reading and one writing lesson each week. You will have regular spelling, punctuation and grammar tasks as well as a visit to the library during lesson each fortnight.

The Library • The English department work closely with the library and some of your lessons will take place here. • You will be asked to bring a library book to each lesson and your teachers will ask you to take accelerated reader quizzes to ensure you are reading widely, as well as reading books that will challenge you. • The library has a wide range of books and the staff are very knowledgeable. There will sometimes be activities in the library such as author visits and competitions, especially on World Book Day.

Moni Mekhala • Today we will be studying the Cambodian myth ‘Moni Mekhala’. It is an origin tale that is often performed as a dance, and tells the story of the creation of thunder, lightning and rain. • Watch the following video of the story by clicking on the link: • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? time_continue=16&v=Ul 9 ys. Dvku. LA &feature=emb_logo

Task 1: Fill in the gaps in the opening of the story with the appropriate word chosen from the list: • Once a long time ago, there was a ________ hermit named Lok Ta Moni Eisei. He had three promising students: Moni Mekhala, the brilliant goddess of the sea; Vorachhun, the ________ manifestation of the earth; and Ream Eyso, a ________ whose heart burned with passionate fire. Untouched Determine Master Princely • Lok Ta wished to bestow a gift amongst his most deserving student. To ________ which of the three that was, he announced a contest. Whoever first brought back a glass of Powerful morning dew would be ________ of this mysterious gift. • When dusk came, Vorachhun and Ream Eyso ________ into the forest. They left not one leaf or blade of grass ________, impatiently shaking the precious fluid into their glasses. • When they returned to the hermit’s hut, they found Moni Mekhala sitting ________ with a full glass of morning dew. She had left her shawl out overnight and won the contest by simply wringing the fabric over her glass. Demon Patiently Ventured

Task 1: Answers • Once a long time ago, there was a powerful hermit named Lok Ta Moni Eisei. He had three promising students: Moni Mekhala, the brilliant goddess of the sea; Vorachhun, the princely manifestation of the earth; and Ream Eyso, a demon whose heart burned with passionate fire. • Lok Ta wished to bestow a gift amongst his most deserving student. To determine which of the three that was, he announced a contest. Whoever first brought back a glass of morning dew would be master of this mysterious gift. • When dusk came, Vorachhun and Ream Eyso ventured into the forest. They left not one leaf or blade of grass untouched, impatiently shaking the precious fluid into their glasses. • When they returned to the hermit’s hut, they found Moni Mekhala sitting patiently with a full glass of morning dew. She had left her shawl out overnight and won the contest by simply wringing the fabric over her glass.

Task 2: Look at the following sentences from the story and correct the spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. There at least 10 mistakes. See if you can find them all! Ream Eyso is jealous of Moni mekhalas gift of the crystal ball. Because he is envious he decides to take the crystal ball by force using His diamond axe. He defeats Vorachhun who refuses to let him take the crystal ball by forse. Moni Mekhala meats him throws the crystal bal into the air as Ream Eyso throws his axe. This action leads to the creation of thunder lightening and Rain.

Task 2: Answers • Ream Eyso is jealous of Moni Mekhala’s gift of the crystal ball. Because he is envious, he decides to take the crystal ball by force using his diamond axe. He defeats Vorachhun who refuses to let him take the crystal ball by force. Moni Mekhala meets him and throws the crystal ball into the air as Ream Eyso throws his axe. This action leads to the creation of thunder, lightening and rain.

Task 3: Now it is time to test your knowledge of language features. Can you identify these language features in the following sentences? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Lok Ta loved his students like his own children. The crystal ball shone as brightly as the moon in the darkest night. Moni Mekhala’s kindness to Ream Eyso was as strong as his cruelty to her. Vorachhun revived rapidly to pursue Ream Eyso. Lok Ta sat patiently waiting for his students to return. • Adjective: Describing word • Verb: Doing word • Adverb: Describes how something was done • Alliteration: Starting words with the same sound. • Contrast: Having opposite words or ideas. • Simile: Saying something is like something else • Metaphor: Saying something is something else

Task 3: Answers 1. Lok Ta loved his students like his own children. 2. The crystal ball shone as brightly as the moon in the darkest night. 3. Moni Mekhala’s kindness to Ream Eyso was as strong as his cruelty to her. 4. Vorachhun revived rapidly to pursue Ream Eyso. 5. Lok Ta sat patiently waiting for his students to return. 1. verb 2. simile 3. Contrast 4. Alliteration 5. Adverb Well done if you also found some others!

Task 4: We love for you to be creative in English. This story ends on a cliffhanger but we want to know what you think happens next! Write a few paragraphs explaining what happens next in the story. Think about the fact that Ream Eyso is again chasing Moni Mekhala. Is he out for revenge? Will she be able to protect herself again? Vorachhun has come back to life. Will he be able to stop Ream Eyso? What does Lok Ta think about how his students are behaving? • Pay close attention to spelling, punctuation and grammar. • Use language features in your writing. • Extension: Use a thesaurus to improve your vocabulary. Sentence starter: • As Ream Eyso flew in a rage through the thundery sky, he saw…

Well done! We look forward to seeing you in September!