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”?
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.
Let’s Review
Myth
A story, usually of Greek
origin, with gods that teach
a lesson or explain a natural
or social phenomenon
Fable
A short story typically
with animals as
characters that has a
moral
Legend
A short historical
story that is repeated
through generations
A Common Mistake
Forgetting to preview titles and text to look for clues to help identify
the genre or type of story you are reading.
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
Arachne = Spider
Subtitle = Greek myth
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
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.
Indicates a
footnote
Arachne = spider
subtitle = Greek myth
footnote = Greek myth
Core
CoreLesson
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.
I remember in the
definition of myths,
there are gods who
usually teach a
lesson.
Arachne = spider
subtitle = Greek myth
footnote = Greek myth
Gods + Goddesses =myth
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
I think this
story is a
myth!
Arachne = spider
Subtitle = Greek myth
Footnote = Greek myth
Goddess & God = myth
Core
CoreLesson
Lesson
1
Read the title and ask yourself, “Does this give me
clues about whether this is a myth, fable, or legend?”
2
Preview the text and ask yourself, “Does this give me
clues about whether this is a myth, fable or legend?”
3
Jot down your thinking on a sticky note.
In this lesson, you have learned how to
identify the genre or type of text by
previewing the title and clues within
the text.
Guided Practice
Preview the story, “The Legend of the Corn” and use
the steps from the lesson to determine what type of
text it is.
Extension Activities
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.
Extension Activities
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?
Quick
QuickQuiz
Quiz
Preview the text below to determine what type of
story it will be.