Most Popular Epics In the Philippines

The Philippines has a rich tradition of epic poetry and folklore. Some of the most popular epics in the
Philippines include:
Biag ni Lam-ang: This is one of the most famous epics from the Ilocano region.
It tells the story of Lam-ang, a heroic figure with extraordinary abilities who
goes on a quest to avenge his father's death.
Hudhud: This epic is from the Ifugao people of northern Luzon. The Hudhud
consists of a series of narratives sung and chanted during the rice planting and
harvesting seasons, and it is considered an important cultural heritage.
Darangen: This is an epic from the Maranao people of Mindanao. It tells the
story of the Maranao's legendary heroes, warriors, and their struggle for
freedom and independence.
Bidasari: The Bidasari epic is from the southern Philippines and is known for
its stories of magic and romance. It tells the tale of Princess Bidasari and her
many adventures.
Ibalon: This is an epic from the Bicol region that narrates the adventures of
several heroes and mythical creatures. It is a blend of folklore and history.
Labaw Donggon: Originating from the Visayas region, this epic tells the story of
the hero Labaw Donggon and his adventures, including battles with
supernatural beings.
Agimudju: This epic comes from the Manobo people of Mindanao and is about
the adventures of the hero, Agimudju, as he faces various challenges and
supernatural beings.
These epics are an integral part of the Philippines' cultural heritage and serve
as both entertainment and a way to pass down traditions and values. They are
often performed through oral traditions, and efforts are made to preserve and
document them for future generations

MOST POPULAR EPIC IN THE WORLD

The world is home to a wide range of epic narratives and folklore from various
cultures and regions. Some of the most popular and well-known epics from
around the world include:
The Epic of Gilgamesh - One of the oldest known epic poems, it comes from
ancient Mesopotamia and tells the story of Gilgamesh, a historical figure and
legendary hero.
The Iliad and The Odyssey - Attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer, these
epics are fundamental works in Western literature. "The Iliad" recounts the
Trojan War, while "The Odyssey" follows the adventures of Odysseus on his
journey home.
The Ramayana - An ancient Indian epic, the "Ramayana" narrates the life and
adventures of Lord Rama, along with his wife Sita, and is a central text in
Hindu mythology.
The Mahabharata - Another Indian epic, this is one of the longest epic poems
in the world and revolves around the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the
Pandava and Kaurava princes.
The Aeneid - Written by the Roman poet Virgil, "The Aeneid" follows the journey
of Aeneas, a Trojan hero, who becomes an ancestor of the Romans.
The Shahnameh - An epic from Persia (modern-day Iran), "The Shahnameh"
recounts the history of Persia and features legendary heroes and mythological
stories.
The Divine Comedy - Written by Dante Alighieri, this epic is a significant work
of Italian literature, consisting of "Inferno," "Purgatorio," and "Paradiso," which
describe Dante's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.
The Kalevala - The national epic of Finland, "The Kalevala" is a compilation of
Finnish folklore and mythology, celebrating the nation's identity.
The Popol Vuh - A Maya creation myth and epic from Mesoamerica, it contains
stories of the Quiché Maya people and their gods.
The Epic of King Gesar - An epic of Tibet and Mongolia, it narrates the life and
deeds of King Gesar, a legendary hero.
The Epic of Sundiata - Hailing from West Africa, this epic tells the story of
Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Mali Empire.
The Epic of Beowulf - An Old English epic poem, "Beowulf" is one of the most
important works of Old English literature and tells the tale of the hero Beowulf.
These epics are a testament to the cultural diversity and historical richness of
the world's storytelling traditions. They continue to be celebrated and studied
for their literary, historical, and cultural significance.
Lesson: Biography and Autobiography
Introduction:
Biographies and autobiographies are two types of non-fiction writing that
provide insight into the lives of real people. They differ in who writes them and
from whose perspective the story is told.
Biography:
A biography is a written account of someone's life, typically written by someone
else. Biographers research and compile information about the person's life,
including significant events, achievements, and personal experiences. The
purpose of a biography is to provide an objective and comprehensive view of the
subject's life.
Autobiography:
An autobiography is a written account of someone's life, written by the person
themselves. In an autobiography, the author shares their own experiences,
thoughts, and emotions. Autobiographies provide a subjective and personal
perspective on the author's life.
Conclusion:
Biographies and autobiographies offer readers different perspectives on the
lives of real people. Biographies are written by others and aim to provide an
objective overview of the subject's life, while autobiographies are written by the
individuals themselves and offer a personal and subjective viewpoint.
Understanding the differences between these two forms of non-fiction writing
can enhance your appreciation of the lives and experiences of notable
individuals.
BIBLE NAMES

The Bible features a wide array of characters, but some of the most popular and well-
known characters in the Bible include:

Jesus Christ: Without a doubt, Jesus is the central figure of the New
Testament. He is considered the Son of God and the Savior of humanity. His
life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection are at the core of Christian beliefs.
Moses: Moses is a key figure in the Old Testament. He led the Israelites out of
slavery in Egypt, received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, and played
a significant role in the Exodus.
Adam and Eve: As the first humans created by God, their story in the Book of
Genesis explains the origins of humanity and the concept of original sin.
Noah: Noah built the Ark to save his family and pairs of animals from a great
flood, as described in the Book of Genesis.
Abraham: Abraham is considered the father of many nations and a symbol of
faith. He is known for his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac and his
covenant with God.
David: David was a shepherd who became the second king of Israel. He is
famous for slaying Goliath and for his role as a psalmist and composer of many
Psalms.
Solomon: Known for his wisdom, Solomon was the son of David and built the
first temple in Jerusalem. He is also credited with writing several books in the
Bible.
Eve: As the first woman, Eve is known for her role in the story of the Garden of
Eden and the temptation by the serpent.
Mary (Mother of Jesus): Mary is revered as the mother of Jesus, and her role in
the Nativity story is central to the Christian faith.
Paul (Apostle Paul): Paul is known for his missionary work and his many
letters, or epistles, to the early Christian communities. His writings are a
significant part of the New Testament.
John the Baptist: A prophet who baptized Jesus, John is a prominent figure in
the Gospels and the forerunner of Christ.
Joseph (Old Testament): Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, is known for his
colorful coat, his ability to interpret dreams, and his rise to power in Egypt
FABLES

Fables are short stories that often feature anthropomorphic animals and convey moral
lessons. Some of the most popular fable characters include:

Aesop's Fables Characters: Aesop is one of the most famous fable authors, and
his stories feature a variety of animal characters, including the clever and wise
fox, the slow-moving but determined tortoise, the proud hare, and the greedy
dog.
The Fox: The fox is a common character in many fables, often depicted as
cunning, sly, and clever. One of the most famous fox characters is Reynard the
Fox from European folklore.
The Tortoise and the Hare: These characters are featured in the well-known
fable of the same name. The tortoise symbolizes slow and steady progress,
while the hare represents overconfidence and haste.
The Crow and the Pitcher: In this fable, a thirsty crow uses its intelligence to
drop stones into a pitcher to raise the water level and quench its thirst.
The Ant and the Grasshopper: This fable contrasts the hardworking and
prepared ant with the lazy and carefree grasshopper, highlighting the
importance of industriousness and foresight.
The Lion: The lion often appears as a symbol of strength and power. In various
fables, the lion can be portrayed as wise and just, or as arrogant and
overconfident.
The Wolf and the Lamb: This fable typically involves a predatory wolf and an
innocent lamb, illustrating themes of tyranny and injustice.
The Three Little Pigs: Although originally from a nursery rhyme, the story of the
three little pigs and the big bad wolf is often considered a fable. It teaches the
importance of hard work and planning.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf: This fable tells the story of a young shepherd boy who
repeatedly falsely claims that a wolf is attacking the flock, leading to a loss of
trust from the villagers when a real wolf finally appears. It emphasizes the
importance of honesty and credibility.
The City Mouse and the Country Mouse: This fable compares the lives of two
mice, one from the city and one from the countryside, illustrating the idea that
simplicity and safety may be preferable to wealth and danger.

FABLES
- Is a short tale in which the chief characters are animals and sometimes
inanimate objects that act and talk like human beings

SOURCES OF FABLES

1. AESOP
Aesop was said to have been a Greek slave. He was ugly, but cunning and
clever. His skills in making fables gained him his freedom from slavery and he
even won a high position in government.
 2. PANCHATANTRA
The “Panchatantra” meaning “Five Books” was composed about 200 B.C. It is
the oldest known collection of Indian fables.

3. JAKATAS
Another ancient collection of Indian fables is the Jakatas. When they originated
is not definitely known. Jakata is a Bhuddist name for stories concerning the
rebirth incarnated many times in the forms of many different animals until he
became, at last, Buddha, the Englightened One.

4. LA FONTAIGNE
A Frenchman who turned many of the fables of Aesop into verses

CHARACTERISTICS OF FABLES
1. Characters of the story are usually animals.
2. Animals are made to think, act, and talk like human.
3. The moral or lesson of the story is usually at the end.
4. The story is usually short.
5. Animals personify human beings.
6. The fable is full of actions and conversations.
7. Full of humor and funny situations.
8. Some have tragic and dramatic series of events.

VALUES OF FABLES
1. They give delight and enjoyment to both children and adults.
2. They teach ethical truth in an attractive manner or form.
3. They provide background for the understanding of many new or current
expressions and allusions.
4. Somme of the fables serve as guide to good conduct on the child’s level of
experience.
5. Children enjoy the fable because of the prominent part played by animals.
6. They touch moral and spiritual sense of values.
7. They cultivate thinking and imagination.
8. They are good for story-telling and dramatization purposes

EXAMPLES OF FABLES
1. The Lion and The Mouse
2. The Fox and The Crow
3. The Crow and The Pitcher
4. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
5. The Turtle Who Could not Stop Talking

PROVERBS AND EXPRESSIONS

1. Practice what you preach. – “The Wolf and The Donkey”
2. One good turn deserves another. – “The Dove and The Ant”
3. Sour grapes. – “The Fox and The Grapes”
4. Example is the best teacher. – “The Two Crabs”
5. Don’t be too ambitious. – “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse”
6. God helps those who help themselves. – “Hercules and the Wagoner”
7. Don’t be greedy. – “The Dog and His Shadow”
8. Look before you jump. – “The Fox and the Goat”
9. Common sense is better than force. – “The Wind and the Sun”
10. Don’t be boastful. – “The Frog and the Ox”

EPIC AND HERO TALES

•The word epic comes from the Greek epos meaning a saying or a song. Now
the word epic is a form of narrative wherein tragedy, comedy, lyric, dirge, and
idyll are skillfully blended to form an immortal work.
• Epics are sometimes written in verse like the “Iliad” or the “Sigurd Saga” and
sometimes in prose, as Malory’s “Morte d'Arthur."
• The epic is strongly national in its presentation of human character
• The moral code of a nation and era and all its heroic ideals are revealed in the
study of the epic hero of a nation.
• Not all epics are suitable for children. Some epics give children an
unforgettable literary and emotional experience. They are suitable for older
children and for the intermediate grades.
• There is a little preaching in the epics but they give a child something to grow
on conduct in ideals of human form

Characteristics of Hero Tales

•1. Hero tales are historical, biographical, mythical and legendary stories of
heroes
•2. They possess qualities of good adventure which children like:
a. directness of action
b. singleness of motive
c. simplicity of language
d. vigor in style

•3. The heroes present ideals of life and conduct worthy of emulation
•4. The exploits and deeds of heroes are worth worshipping
•5. The heroes succeed because of their ingenuity, valor, perseverance and
other virtues.
5. The style in which the story is told is serious, dignified and there is
objectivity

Values of Hero Tales

•1. Develop in the child good moral character.
•2. Enlarge the child’s vocabulary.
•3. Develop the imagination.
• 4. Give good background to interpret later reading with the allusions to the
classic

AUTOBIOGRAPHER

AUTHOBIOGRAPHY
- Is a story of a person’s life written by himself.
It is written from a person’s memory of his past.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHERS FEEL THE NEED TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY ARE

WRITING ABOUT THEIR LIFE:
1. To leave a record about their deeds for their families.
2. To comply with the wishes of friends or admirers for an account of his
personal life.
3. To inspire young people.
4. To help in reform.
5. To acknowledge the debts which one’s intellectual and moral development
owes to others.

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:

1. Early life history
2. Health, height, weight, vision, hearing, sickness, accidents
3. Education
4. Leisure and Interests
5. Other experiences
VALUES OF AUTOBIOGRAPHY
1. For information
2. For recreational reading
3. For inspirational to others
4. For self-justification

BIOGRAPHY
-is a story of life of a person written by someone else.
- it artistically records the actions and recreates the personality of an
individual’s life that has actually lived.
- the biographer, the writer of an account of a person’s life, is concerned with
truth.

The earliest use of the word “Biography” is attributed to Damascius, a Greek

write of the 6th Century. Plutarch wrote about the lives of 46 Greeks and
Romans to show that people were either all good or bad, wise or foolish.

After World War I, Biography became very popular and interesting. Biography
is so perennial interest because it deals with famous or notorious, or
interesting personalities, but of more importance, because its subject matter is
human nature

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD BIOGRAPHY

A good biography must be very well- researched. Its interest is restricted to
only one person, his activities, personal qualities and achievements. It records
life that has been actually lived. It must be based on documented facts.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JUVENILE AND ADULT BIOGRAPHY

1. Biographies for children are not usually documented.
2. These biographies may not be complete accounts if the person’s life includes
objectionable incidents or tragedies.
3. Biographers for the young usually feel that it is the life of a person and to
interpret the thoughts of their character.

TWO TYPES OF BIOGRAPHIES FOR CHILDREN

1. Fictionalized biography
2. Biographical fiction

VALUES OF BIOGRAPHY
1. For recreation
2. For information
3. For inspiration
4. For vocational guidance
INFORMATIONAL BOOKS

WHAT IS INFORMATIONAL BOOKS?

. The word “informational” according to Webster’s dictionary means to give
information. As the word implies, Informational books are books of facts.
- Informational books are hard to define. The encyclopedias, dictionaries,
and the telephone directory are informational.
Informational books are not restricted to any subject or group of subjects; they
cover a wide range of subjects. The new informational books which are
appearing more and more in libraries and in classrooms and which have
attracted the attention of children, teachers, librarians, as well as parents,
belong to a more narrowly defined group

- Information books should be factual and accurate. Unnecessary details

are omitted. The writer of informational books always uses specific facts
to make his story clear and accurate. Accurate terms should be used in
factual writing and explained through the context and in the
illustrations. The illus trations are not pictures added to the text, but an
essential part of the book. The text and illustration supplement each
other. Illustrations should be clearly labeled. Informational books are
 more useful if they contain an index, a table of contents, and
pronunciation guide

Informational books have a value in the classroom as well as in the library and
home. They are used closely with the new concepts of the curriculum. They
give the classroom work enrichment and activity. Teachers, who are usually
busy people, broaden their horizons using these books. They want to keep
abreast of the times and yet they may not have the back ground or the ability
to comprehend some of the data prepared by specialists. They could profit from
the up-to-date informational books

. As soon as the child can read, he should have reference books of his own. A
child who owns his own dictionary discovers not only the spelling of words –
but the wonderful. The Thorndike-Century Junior Dictionary is especially
worthy of note and indispensable in school libraries. The words are defined by
very simple terms. The attractive illustrations contribute to the usefulness of
the dictionary.

■ The Webster’s Elementary dictionary published by the American Book

Company contains words selected on the basis of their occurrence in printed
matter read by boys and girls like school readers, geography, history, and
arithmetic books.

■ Other dictionaries which are graded. “intermediate” and are probably more
useful with the intermediate pupils and high school students are Webster’s
Students’ Dictionary, Funk and Wagnall’s New Comprehensive Dictionary, and
New Winston’s Simplified Dictionary for Schools and other dictionaries

COMICS
The rise in the popularity of the comic books as the reading fare of many
children and their impact on children’s minds has been the concern of parents,
librarians, as well as teachers.

The young people have always shown an avidity for the comic books. There has
been much furor about the undesirable outcomes they might provide in
children. They have been condemned as “trash” literature or “rubbish” meaning
they have no aesthetic and educational value.

SOME REASONS WHY CHILDREN READ COMIC BOOKS ARE:

■ 1. Imitation. When a child sees other children treat comic books like a prized
possession, he observes that owning them gives prestige. After they have been
read, they are traded off with others.
. 2. There is a dearth of reading materials in many houses. Many homes have
few books and magazines except for the daily newspaper or perhaps none at
all.
3. There is an abundant sup ply and variety of comic books displayed in
magazine stands and even in the store at the street corner

WHY ARE THE COMIC BOOKS APPEALING TO CHILDREN?

1. Perhaps one of the reasons why the comics appeal to children is the ease
with which they can be easily read and understood.
2. Little imaginative effort is needed to read the comic books. The characters
and the situations in bright colors appeal to mere senses than by reading
them.
. 3. Stories in comic books have action, suspense, mystery, and danger.
- 4. Heroes of comic books are adventurous and daring and children tend to
identify with them.
5. The “funny” comic books or “funnies” bring relaxation and provide laughter
to them
6. Lastly, the comic books are abundant; they are available in most magazine
stands and stores; and they cost less than books

HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS THAT TEACHERS CAN DO:

- 1. Make available in a corner of the classroom or in other accessible place a
table or shelf containing a wide variety of reading materials - - fiction, fairy
tales, folk tales, stories about boys and girls real or fictitious, stories about
animals and nature, science, ad venture, travel and history, stories about
heroes, real or legendary, stories about other lands and people, magazines,
newspapers, etc.
2. There must be a good quantity of books from which children can choose.
Children should not be forced to read or forced to prepare book reports.
3. Children should be encouraged to choose their own books but guidance
should be provided for those children who lack some definite reading interests
4. Provide a time for sharing with one another interesting stories, reports on
good books, interesting articles, significant news, etc.
5. Provide meaningful experiences with literature in the classroom