Transforming Source Material
Aligned to RL.9-10.9 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Authors often borrow characters, plots, or themes from older stories and reshape them for a new purpose; analyze what is kept and what is changed.
Worked example
A modern short story retells an ancient myth about a fire-stealing hero, but sets it in a blackout-stricken city and makes the 'fire' electricity — keeping the theme of rebellion while updating its meaning.
Practice questions
- Identify what an author borrowed from an older source and what they changed.
- Explain how one change updates the theme for a new audience.
- Analyze why the author kept a specific element unchanged.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Transformar el material original
Los autores toman personajes, tramas o temas de historias antiguas y los reforman con un nuevo propósito; analiza qué conservan y qué cambian.
Ejemplo: Un cuento moderno recuenta un mito antiguo sobre un héroe que roba el fuego, pero lo ubica en una ciudad sin luz y convierte el «fuego» en electricidad, conservando el tema de la rebeldía y actualizando su sentido.
More Reading: Literature lessons
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