How the Sun and the Moon Were Made

Target Words

accept, arrange, attend, balance, contrast, encourage, familiar, grab, hang, huge, necessary, pattern, propose, purpose, release, require, single, success, tear, theory.

accept [əkˈsɛpt] v.

To accept something that is offered is to take it.

I accepted the girl’s very nice gift.

arrange [əˈreɪn(d)ʒ] v.

To arrange things is to put them in the right place.

Please arrange the bowling pins in order so we can play.

attend [əˈtɛnd] v.

To attend something is to go to it.

My sister and I attend the same school.

balance [ˈbal(ə)ns] v.

To balance something is to keep it from falling.

We saw an elephant balance itself on a ball.

contrast [kənˈtrɑːst] n

A contrast is the sharp difference between two things.

The contrast between my parents is very noticeable.

encourage [ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ] v.

To encourage someone is to make them want to do something.

My football coach will encourage us when we are losing.

familiar [fəˈmɪlɪə] adj.

If someone or something is familiar to you, you know them well.

The two friends were very familiar with each other.

grab [ɡrab] v.

To grab is to take a hold of someone or something suddenly.

I grabbed a pear from the tree.

hang [haŋ] v.

To hang something is to keep it above the ground.

drew a picture of my family, and my mother hung it on the wall.

huge [hjuːdʒ] adj.

If something is huge, it is very big.

At work, my father drives a huge truck.

necessary [ˈnɛsəs(ə)ri] adj.

If something is necessary, you must do it.

It is necessary to have a passport when you travel to a foreign country.

pattern [ˈpat(ə)n] n.

A pattern is a way in which something is done or organized.

My pattern of brushing my teeth is the same as most people’s.

propose [prəˈpəʊz] v.

To propose something is to say that it should be done.

Santa Claus proposed that I try to be a good boy all year.

purpose [ˈpəːpəs] n.

A purpose is the reason that you do something.

The purpose of exercising is to get into shape.

release [rɪˈliːs] v.

To release something is to stop holding it.

She released the bird from her hands.

require rɪˈkwʌɪə] v.

To require something is to say that it is necessary.

We require teachers to have a university degree.

single [ˈsɪŋɡ(ə)l] adj.

If something is single, then there is only one.

success [səkˈsɛs] n.

Success is doing something well that you choose to do.

My daughter was a big success at school.

tear [tɪə] v.

To tear something means to pull it apart.

It is easy to tear paper.

theory [ˈθɪəri] n.

A theory is an idea about how something works.

We talked about Einstein’s theory of relativity in class.

Do you ever wonder where the moon and the sun came from? The Inuit people of Alaska have a theory.

They tell a story about a beautiful girl. She was very nice. In contrast, her brother was a mean little boy. One day he proposed something. “We should go to a party,” he said. The girl accepted. First, it was necessary for her to prepare. She arranged her hair and put on nice clothes. This required a lot of time. But the girl worked hard, and soon she had success. She looked perfect.

They attended the party together. The girl was having fun. Later, she walked into the bathroom. Suddenly, the lights were turned off! Someone grabbed her hair and tore her clothes. She ran out of the bathroom. She wanted to know who did this to her.

Then she had an idea. She fixed her hair again. This time it was even more beautiful. She even balanced beautiful jewels in it. She wanted to encourage the person to grab it again. She put black dirt in her hair. The purpose of this was to catch the person.

She went to the bathroom again, and it was the same pattern. The lights went off, and someone grabbed her hair. When he released it, his hand was black. The girl returned to the party. She knew there was only a single person with a black hand. When she saw that person, he was very familiar. It was her brother!

He ran into the woods. The girl ran after him. They both carried fire so they could see in the dark. The smoke went into the air. As they ran, they grew. They became huge. Then they went into space. When the girl’s fire went out, she hung in the sky. She became the moon, and her brother became the sun. They chase each other forever.