Tell Me A Tale: Literature around the world

Objectives

Students will: 

  • know that a community's culture is expressed in part through its stories.
  • identify cultural perspectives in folktales and legends.
  • Identifies features of literary texts.
  • Identifies Author's Purpose
  • Understands development of plot.
  • Compares two literary texts
  • Reads self-selected text

Procedure

1.  Introduce Folktales to the class.

  • They are traditional stories passed down from generation to generation.

  • The characters are usually animals, although not always.

  • These stories often teach a lesson.

  • Many of these stories contain information about the country and teach a moral about human behavior and relationships.

Teacher, you may want to visit PowerPoint on What is a Folktale?

2. Read out loud, Hungry Spider: A Tale from Africa by Pleasant DeSpain Illustrated by Daniel Moreton  (this story can be found in Houghton Mifflin Third Grade Reading Book, 2003)

3.  Make a class story map and ask questions on the story that apply.          Questions on Folktale

4.  Tell students that they are going to research a folktale from their countries.  Give students copy of questions to answer.

5.  Then they will write a summary to tell about the folktale that they chose.

6.  Students will pair up to share and compare folktales using a table.

Materials

  • Select a variety of folktales to display in the classroom.

  • Hungry Spider: A Tale from Africa by Pleasant DeSpain Illustrated by Daniel Moreton  (this story can be found in Houghton Mifflin Third Grade Reading Book, 2003)

  • Construction paper

  • blank white paper

Vocabulary

  • folktale
  • legend
  • tall tale
  • generation
  • moral

 

Assessment

  • Story Map/Questions on folktale

  • Summary of Story

  • Make a book about the folktale

  • Comparison Table on folktales

Remind students that all work will be displayed at the Family Heritage Day.

Homework

  • Ask your parents or another family member to tell you a folktale that they know.
  • Write a summary of the folktale your parents told you and write to tell if there is a lesson to be learned.

 

Extension

  • The student will make a book on the folktale they chose.
  • They will make a cover page.
  • Then write the story in their own words in book form using several pages.
  • On the back page of the book they will place a map of the country it came from and the lesson they learned.

 

Fieldtrips or Activities

  • Find out if there is any play or movie showing in town that resembles a fable or folktale. (Maybe a high school or college drama group may be putting one on)

  • Make the necessary arrangements to take the class to a show.

  • If not, maybe the class can a choose a fable in act it out.

 

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