Six Who Made Their Way in the World Study Guide

Institution: TIS Schools (www.tischools.edu.sa).
Event: Diamond Jubilee ( $2024$ ), celebrating $60$ years of pride in Islamic education since its founding in $1384$ .
Primary Skills Targeted:
- Analyzing folktale structure.
- Analyzing character development and traits.
- Identifying and analyzing motifs.
- Evaluating the purpose and usage of figurative language.

Instructional Goals:
- Identify and label the $5$ specific structural elements inherent in a short folktale.
- Determine at least $2$ distinct character traits for a selected character, supporting each with direct evidence from the text.
- Identify at least $2$ common motifs used in folktales and pinpoint their occurrence within the story.
- Locate at least $1$ instance of figurative language and provide an explanation regarding its narrative purpose.
Student Success Indicators:
- The student can name all $5$ parts of a folktale structure in the correct sequential order.
- The student can accurately attribute traits to an assigned character.
- The student can successfully map motifs and figurative language to the specific context of "Six Who Made Their Way in the World."

Folktale Structure Defined: This refers to the typical sequence or pattern of events found in traditional oral stories. Most folktales utilize a predictable, $5$ -part structure designed for easy memorization and generational transmission.
Core Folktale Features:
- Oral Tradition: These stories are intended to be told aloud rather than just read.
- Anonymous Authorship: The original creator is typically unknown.
- Conventional Openings: Often begins with phrases like "Once upon a time," "Long ago," or "There once was a…"
- Character Archetypes: Includes clear-cut heroes and villains, often possessing magical or supernatural abilities.
- The Rule of Three: Events, characters, or objects often appear in groups of $3$ . Examples include $3$ characters, $3$ trials, or $3$ separate attacks.
- Moral Purpose: The narrative is used to teach a cultural value or a life lesson.

The Assembly of the Extraordinary: A discharged soldier, who initially received only $3$ small coins for his military service, vows to improve his station. He gathers a group of $5$ companions, each possessing a unique, superhuman talent:
- The Strong Man: Possesses incredible strength (also referred to as the Tree-Uprooter).
- The Runner: Capable of superhuman speed.
- The Hunter (Huntsman): Features sharshooting vision and elite accuracy.
- The Blower: Possesses the power of gale-force breath.
- The Frost Man (Frost-Cap Man): Holds the power of freezing temperatures and ice.
The King's Footrace Challenge: The group competes for the hand of the Princess by participating in a race for water.
The Race Conflict: During the race, the Runner demonstrates speed exceeding any common person but falls asleep mid-race.
The Hunter's Intervention: Using his long-distance sharpshooting skill, the Hunter wakes the Runner by hitting an object near him from miles away, allowing the group to win the race.

Trial 1: The Iron Room: The King attempts to kill the group by locking them in an iron room and heating it to cook them alive. The Frost Man uses his freezing powers to transform the lethal heat into a freezing chill.
Trial 2: The Treasure Sack: The King agrees to let the protagonist take only what one man can carry (hoping to appease them and send them away without the Princess). The Strong Man uses his immense power to haul away the entire kingdom's treasury in a single massive sack.
Trial 3: The Military Pursuit: The King sends $2$ regiments of horsemen to attack the group and reclaim the gold. The Blower creates a massive gale-force storm that repels the entire army, securing the group's victory.

What is a Motif? A recurring image, symbol, structure, idea, or action that appears multiple times in a story to support its underlying theme.
The Motif in "Six Who Made Their Way in the World": The primary motif is the recurring action of the antagonist (the King) attempting to defeat the protagonist.
Analysis of the "Three Failed Attempts" Motif:
1. Attempt $1$ : Heating the iron room to execute the group.
2. Attempt $2$ : Offering gold as a bribe to make the soldier leave without the Princess.
3. Attempt $3$ : Dispatching $2$ regiments of cavalry for a final military assault.
Purpose of the Motif:
- To build narrative tension.
- To illustrate the King's villainous and treacherous character traits.
- To demonstrate the inherent superiority and cooperative power of the heroes.
Character Types: The companions (Tree-Uprooter, Huntsman, Blower, Runner, and Frost-Cap Man) are categorized as Flat / Stock characters, as they are defined by specific extraordinary traits rather than complex internal development.

Group 1 Task: Analyze Figurative Language within the text.
Group 2 Task: Analyze Character Traits and individual Motivations.
Group 3 Task: Analyze the structural components of the folktale.
Scoring Rubric (Total Potential Points: $25$ ):
- Content quality: $/5$
- Use of Textual Evidence: $/3$
- Time Management: $/3$
- Quality of Slides: $/5$
- Presentation Delivery: $/5$
- Class Engagement: $/4$

Discussion Prompt: Why do the characters choose to leave home, and what specific rewards do they hope to gain from their journey?
Exit Ticket Question: How should the five extraordinary men (Tree-Uprooter, Huntsman, Blower, Runner, Frost-Cap Man) be best described?
- A) Round characters
- B) Flat / stock characters (Correct Answer)
- C) Antagonists
- D) Dynamic characters