Tall Tales About the Sea
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UNIT IV: THE BIOLOGICAL OCEAN Section E: The Sea and Culture Tall tales about the sea Grades K-3 Grades 4-6 Objective The student will be able to tell a The student will be able to create simple story about a mythical and write a myth or legend marine animal. relating to some form of life in the sea. Materials Books: A Cavalcade of Sea Books: A Cavalcade of Sea Legends Brown, 1971!, Folklore Legends Brown, 1971!,Folklore and the Sea Beck, 1973!, and and the Sea Beck, 1973!, and other stories of myths and other stories of myths and legends. legends. Paper and pencil. Activity Read to the students selected Read some selected stories and stories and discuss the difference discusswhat a myth and a legend between a myth/legend and a real are. Legends are unverified popu- true story. Myths and legends lar stories handed down from are stories that have originated by generation to generation and may unverified sources and deal with be popularized as time goes by. A supernatural beings or heroes,! myth is a traditional story, but its Have the students recite a story origins come from the preliterate they make up about a make- view of the worM and usually believe animal who lives in the deal with the supernatural heroes sea. Use the following titles to or beings, sometimes reflecting inspire imagination: How the oc- cultural ideas. Use such titles to topus got its arms, how the squid inspire imagination! as: How learned to swim, why the crab has Moby Dick got his name, how to walk sideways, how the star- the mermaid lost her legs and got fish got its name, etc, a tail, why the barnacle must re- main in one place, how the sea urchin got its spines, etc. LITERATURE WRITING ~ READING Grades K-3 Grades 4-6 Questions S'hat are some common tales How do these myths and legends myths and legends! you have get started? 8'hat makes them , 'been told? Do you believe all of contr'nue to be popular? Do you them? like to hear myths and legends about other lands? LITERATURE WRITING ~ READING UNIT IV: THE BIOLOGICAL OCEAN Section E: The Sea and Culture Grades K-6 The Story: Long ago there lived in the arctic a girl who refused to marry any of the The Sea Goddess men that wanted to marry her. Instead she married a bird. This inade her father very angry. He killed her husband and took her home in his and Mammals of the Sea boat. On the way, a storm arose, and the father threw the girl over- board. She hung on to the side of the boat until he chopped off her fingers one by one. She then sank to the bottom of the sea and still lives there, keeping guard over all that is there as well. Her chopped off fingers were changed into the fish and mammals of the sea. These were her children, and they ate up her father. She became chief goddess of the lower world. The Eskimos call her Sedna. Sedna feels no kindness towards humanity; however, she does not act without a good reason. She never moves about of her own free will but is tied to her stone house. Her evil looks would kill an ordinary man, and only a shaman or priest is able to stand the sight of her. She has a wild temper and keeps watch with her one eye over the mammals of the sea. When a hunter kills one unnecessarily, Sedna feels resentment and great physical pain in the place where that animal originally came from her body. UNIT IV: THE BIOLOGICAL OCEAN Section E: The Sea and Culture Grades K-6 The Story: 8%y the Long ago there was a time when no one knew how to speak. The Fish Do not Speak animals had no cries. The birds had no songs. The waters flowed and the wind blew, but they made no sound. Even man made no sound, One day Vainarnoinen, the Master of Song, sat down with his harp. When he plucked its strings, every creature on earth and in the sky listened. Even the wind, the waters, and the trees listened. Vainamoinen then commanded them to take a sound that best suited them and that would be their language. The wind chose the loud roar and rattle of Vaina- moinen's big boots as he climbed to his seat. Since the thunder got to choose first, it chose a language much louder than the wind' s, but it never talks as long as the wind does. The river decided that the rushing i swish of Vainamoinen's cloak made a wonderful sound. The trees ' thought that the rustle of his sleeveswas best for those who had leaves for lips. The birds did not find any speech pleasing until Vainamoinen played a little melody on his harp. All of the creatures of the world gathered around the Master of Song, As they listened, each found a way of whistling or humming, barking or bellowing, that seemed a proper language. Man learned all of the different soundsthat Vainarnoinen's harp made and that his clothes made as he moved about. He also learned to sing even better than the birds. While all of the creatures on earth and in the sky were listening to the great Master of Song and choosing a language for itself, the fishes were helpless. They knew that something very important was going on, but they had no idea what it was. The fishes saw all of the creatures open- ing and closing their mouths, but because they were underwater, they couldn't hear a sound. They decided, though, that they should act just like the others, so they began opening and closing their mouths and not making a single sound. LITERATURE ~ LANGUAGE ARTS SOCIAL STUDIES UNIT IV: THE BIOLOGICAL OCEAN Section E: The Sea and Culture 8%y fish have gills Grades K-6 Objective The student will be able to discuss the South Pacific legends about why fish have gills. Materia& Large picture of a grouper and/or several fish if possible!. Duplicate copies of the story, "Why Fish Have Gills" page 64!, and world map optional!. Activity On a world map, the South Pacific can be located optional!. If done, mention some of the islands there. Explain that this legend is about a grouper and show a picture of the fish if available.Point out the gills. Comparewith picturesof other fish. Distribute copies of the story if the reading level is appropriate. If it is not, read the story to the class or have a capable student do it. Discuss the legend. Ask the class, "Does anyone know how fish breathe?" Pass water over their gills and oxygen is extracted.! If a child usesthe term "gills," have it explained. Gill slits in the sides of the fish's body provide for the exit of water that enters the mouth and passes over the gills.! According to a legend told in the South Pacific, fishes did not always have gills. READING ~ LANGUAGE ARTS GEOGRAPHY ~ SOCIAL STUDIES UNIT IV. THE BIOLOGICAL OCEAN Section E: The Sea and Culture Grades K-6 Questions How did the grouper try to win the girl's love? What things might a human being have done to win the girl's love? Why did the grouper swallow the girl? He wanted her so much and it was the only way he saw that he could have her.! Does anyoneknow another story of someonewho wasswallowed by an animal in the sea? The bible story about Jonah and the whale could be read to the class on another day.! What thingsin the story tell you that this did not takeplace on our local beaches? Girl was weaving. Grouper went into deep water of the reef no coral reefs off our coast, Girl used shells to cut. The girl had tapa cloth something only in the South Pacific unless imported.! If another group of people had told this story, how might it have been different?For example,how might an Eskimo havechanged some of the details? READING ~ LANGUAGE ARTS GEOGRAPHY ~ SOCIAL STUDIES UNIT IV' THE BIOLOGICAL OCEAN Section E: The Sea and Culture Grades K-6 The Story: Why Fish Once upon a time, on an island in the South Pacific, a large fish called have Gilh a grouper saw a beautiful girl sitting on the shore. She was sitting there weaving, and he fell in love with her at first sight. He tried to win her love in the only way that he knew by swimming around as fast as his sluggishbody would permit and splashingwater at the girl with his tail and fms. Twice he asked her to marry him, but twice the girl said "no," He was so sad that he swam out to the deep waters of the coral reef and lay there crying and depressed. Finally he decided that he could not give up so easily, He swam back into the lagoon right up to the shore where the girl was weaving. He stretched out a fin, grabbed the girl, and flipped her into the water. Before she knew what was happening, he swallowed her. Since he loved her very much, he was careful not to hurt her. When the girl realized where she was, she demandedto be let out, but the grouper would not let her out. He told her, "I love you and I cannot let you go." Suddenlythe girl had an idea.