#682. Folktales From Around the World

Reading/Writing, level: Middle
Posted Sun Nov 1 10:38:40 PST 1998 by Libby L. Powell (none).
Shenandoah Middle School, Middletown, IN USA
Materials Required: Internet access, posterboard, scissors, paste, coloring materials.
Activity Time: 1 1/2 to 2 weeks
Concepts Taught: To understand the connection between a folktale and the culture it originated in.

Step 1: The teacher randomly gives each student the name of a country/culture from which to find a folktale, along with at least one internet address to help them begin their search. Students must then read and be able to understand the folktale that they have chosen.

Step 2: Students will then return to the Internet or go to the library to research the country/culture that the folktale came from.

Step 3: Students will make a connection between the information they found about the country/culture (geographic location, economy, climate, government systems, foods, agricultural products, natural resources, topography, etc.) and the folktale that they read. From this, they will gain an understanding of what elements of the country/culture may have inspired the folktale to come about.

Step 4: Students will create a poster that in some way demonstrates their knowledge of this connection.