Features of a Myth About Why the Seasons Change

Before your child writes the lesson, ask what the main character did and what happened because of it. A lesson should fit people too, not just the animals in the tale. Check that the answer names one detail from the story.

Find myth features in a tale about how the gardener Ama asked the Sun Spirit for the seasons. A myth is an old story that explains something in nature, often with gods or magic beings. The lesson is what it teaches. The directions on the page read: Read the story. Then, turn the page and answer the questions. On page 2: Use the story on page 1. Fill in chart rows 1 to 3. Then, circle the best answers to 4 and 5. Then, answer 6 on the 4 lines. The answer key covers the questions on page 2.

Yes, both. We made it for 5th Grade fables, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with myths, fables and folktales. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

A myth explains something in nature, often with spirits or magic beings, like the Sun Spirit who brings the seasons. A fable is a short tale, often with talking animals, that ends in a lesson, like the proud Rooster who thinks his crowing makes the sun rise. A folktale is a story passed down by people over time, like a trickster tale about Spider or Coyote.

Pourquoi is French for why. A pourquoi tale explains why something in nature is the way it is. On one sheet, children chart how Giraffe looked at first, what went wrong, what she did and how she changed.

Children read two short tellings on page one and fill a chart for each: who the judge or main character is, what goes wrong and how it ends. Then they find what is true of only one telling and explain how the two lessons are alike, with a detail from each. Comparing stories of the same type is RL.5.9.

Yes. All nine sheets have an answer key. For the lesson questions, the key gives a model answer and lists other lessons the tale supports.

9 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 5th Grade students, roughly ages 10-11. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Each one shows the Common Core code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.