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 Fable
A short story typically
with animals as
Myth characters that has a
A story, usually of Greek moral
origin, with gods that teach
a lesson or explain a
natural or social
phenomenon
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
Core Lesson
Lesson

Arachne = Spider

Subtitle = Greek myth

 Core
Core Lesson
Lesson
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
Arachne = spider
the vineyards of Tymolus.
--------- subtitle = Greek myth
footnote = Greek myth
2
In Greek mythology, a nymph is a minor
female deity, similar to a fairy.
 Core
Core Lesson
Lesson 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
Core
Core Lesson
Lesson

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

Read the title and ask yourself, “Does this give me

1 clues about whether this is a myth, fable, or
legend?”

Preview the text and ask yourself, “Does this give

2 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.