Countries - Stage 5 Comp - Mythical Countries - Comprehension Pack.pdf

STAGE 5 Unit focus: Countries Text focus: Information Text Mythical Places There are nearly 200 countries around the world, and these have changed throughout history. Howeve...

STAGE 5 Unit focus: Countries Text focus: Information Text Mythical Places There are nearly 200 countries around the world, and these have changed throughout history. However, some of the most famous places have never existed at all! No doubt you will have heard of some of these. Atlantis There are many mythical places where we have no idea of the origins of the story, but with Atlantis, we have a record. Somewhere around 330 BCE, a famous Greek philosopher named Plato told two stories; Timaeus and Critias. These are the first times that Atlantis appeared in any written work. Legends have a tendency to grow over time, and Atlantis is no exception. It is said to be a sunken city that was once the heart of a great civilisation founded by gods. In Plato’s story, the city grew too powerful, and the people took it for granted. His story was a warning against hubris. Adventurers over the centuries have thought that the place was real and have set out to find it. Needless to say, none ever have. Shangri-La This is perhaps one of the most famous mythical places, even if you’ve only ever heard of its name as a way of describing a place that is perfect. This idyllic type of location is also called a utopia. Shangri-La has had many names, including Shambala, The Forbidden Land and the Land of the Living Gods. European adventurers believed that it really existed, hidden away in the Tibetan mountains. It is an important place in Buddhist traditions. The Lost City of Z This mythical place has a more modern history than many others. A British surveyor and adventurer named Percy Harrison Fawcett grew convinced that there was a lost city buried amongst the trees of the Brazilian rainforest. He had explored the Amazon River a lot and carried out extensive research in the area. Many people believed the A stories that he told of the lost city, which he named the Lost City of Z. ding ro Rea und all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed e um C u r r ic ul Th http://www.literacyshedplus.com In his opinion, the city was part of a once-great civilisation, and he expected it to be filled with gold. He managed to persuade the British government to support an expedition to the area, but the First World War broke out, and he went off to fight. After his return from the war, he paid for his own expedition in 1920. He became ill with a fever and had to abandon it. He returned again in 1925 with his son Jack and Jack’s friend. All three disappeared into the jungle and were never seen again. El Dorado Another supposed lost city in South America, El Dorado, has attracted more adventurers than perhaps any other mythical place. As far back as the 16th century, Spanish Conquistadors were delving into the jungle looking for the Golden City. They had heard that it was once ruled by a king called the Gilded One and that the city was awash with gold and jewels. Charles Dickens may have coined the phrase “paved with gold”, but perhaps El Dorado is the closest anywhere has come to actually living up to the idea. It’s just a shame it never existed! RETRIEVAL FOCUS 1. Where was Shangri-La said to be located? 2. Who spread the myth of the Lost City of Z? 3. Where did they believe it was? 4. Which city might have been “paved with gold”? 5. Who started the story of Atlantis? VIPERS QUESTIONS I Why do you think adventurers were so desperate to find the Lost City of Z and El Dorado? V Which word, used throughout the text, tells you that these places were never real? V Which word, linked to your previous answer, would describe something that existed once but has been exaggerated since? I Why might people have been keen to find Shangri-La? all resources ©2023 Literacy Shed http://www.literacyshedplus.com