How do you figure out what genre or type of text you are reading? For example:

1. How do you figure out what genre or type of text you are reading? For example: What type of text is “The Story of Arachne, Nature’s Weaver”?

2. In this lesson, you will learn how to identify the genre or type of text you are reading by previewing the title and clues within the text.

3. Fable A short story typically with animals as characters that has a moral Myth A story, usually of Greek origin, with gods that teach a lesson or explain a natural or social phenomenon Legend A short historical story that is repeated through generations

4. Forgetting to preview titles and text to look for clues to help identify the genre or type of story you are reading.

5. Arachne = Spider Subtitle = Greek myth

6. Indicates a footnote Just watching Arachne’s hands fly through the yarn was pleasure enough to draw nymphs2 from the golden river Pactolusand and from the vineyards of Tymolus. --------- 2In Greek mythology, a nymph is a minor female deity, similar to a fairy. Arachne = spider subtitle = Greek myth footnote = Greek myth

7. I remember in the definition of myths, there are gods who usually teach a lesson. That someone was none other than Athena3, the goddess of craftsmen. She got word that there was a weaver in Lydia whose artistry surpassed all mortals, and claimed to rival the gods. Arachne = spider subtitle = Greek myth footnote = Greek myth Gods + Goddesses =myth

8. I think this story is a myth! Arachne = spider Subtitle = Greek myth Footnote = Greek myth Goddess & God = myth

9. Read the title and ask yourself, “Does this give me clues about whether this is a myth, fable, or legend?” 1 • Preview the text and ask yourself, “Does this give me clues about whether this is a myth, fable or legend?” 2 3 Jot down your thinking on a sticky note.

10. In this lesson, you have learned how to identify the genre or type of text by previewing the title and clues within the text.

11. Preview the story, “The Legend of the Corn” and use the steps from the lesson to determine what type of text it is.

12. 1) List all of the genres you can think of. • 2) Identify characteristics that make each genre unique. For example, historical fiction has real historical events even though the story is not real. 3) Find evidence in the book you are reading that supports a specific genre.

13. Now that you know how to preview the title and text of a short story to identify the genre, let’s take it one step further. • Once you’ve determined the genre of a short story, can you make a prediction based on some of the clues you’ve gathered while previewing?

14. Preview the text below to determine what type of story it will be.