TEACHING
GUIDE
TEACHING
Folklore
3rd Grade Reading Level
ISBN 978-0-8225-9204-4 Blue
TEACHING
2
FOLKLORE
Standards
Language Arts
• Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of
literary texts.
History
• Understands the folklore and other cultural contributions from various regions of the
United States and how they helped to form a national heritage.
• Understands family life now and in the past, and family life in various places long
ago.
Visual Arts
• Understands the characteristics and merits of one’s own artwork and the artwork of
others.
Multiple Intelligences Utilized
• Spatial, linguistic, interpersonal, naturalistic, and intrapersonal
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for a complete list of titles in the
Folklore series.
TEACHING
Lesson 1
Introduction to
Folklore
Purpose: Students will learn how stories are changed
and exaggerated as they are told over many
generations.
Materials
• Folklore books
• Story Starters p. 10
• lined paper
• pencils
• chart paper
• markers
• scissors
• glue
Objectives
• Define folklore.
• Learn about literary devices used by authors of
folklore.
• Change a story into a folktale by exaggerating
certain details.
• Analyze how stories change as they are passed on.
• Summarize information learned about folklore.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Read the Folklore books.
• Write definitions and examples of similes, metaphors,
personification, and hyperbole on a piece of chart
paper.
• Write a story starter on a piece of chart paper.
• Make a copy of Story Starters p. 10.
• For each group, cut out one story starter from Story
Starters p. 10 and paste it to the top of a piece of
lined paper.
• Divide students into groups of four or five.
Pretest
(teacher, students)
• Have you heard of Paul Bunyan, Rapunzel, or The
Three Little Pigs?
• What are these kinds of stories called?
• Who wrote these stories?
FOLKLORE
Read
(teacher)
• Read a Folklore book to the class.
Model
(teacher)
• Write the words folk and lore on a piece of chart
paper.
• Explain that folks are people. Lore is the knowledge
handed down by those people.
• Tell students that folklore begins as stories told
around campfires or at kitchen tables. Over time, the
stories change because people try to make them
more exciting, interesting, or meaningful.
• Explain that storytellers often use certain devices to
make stories more interesting, such as simile,
metaphor, personification, and hyperbole.
• Read your definitions of these words, and give
examples.
• Put up the chart with the story starter written on it.
• Ask students to exaggerate the story by adding
similes, metaphors, personification, and hyperbole.
• Tell students that they are going to create folktales in
their groups by using literary devices to exaggerate a
simple story starter.
• Pass out story starters to each group.
Practice
(small groups)
• Read the story starter out loud.
• Brainstorm ways to make the story more interesting
and exaggerated.
• Add literary devices to the story.
• Describe the characters, setting, and plot in more
detail.
• Share the story with the class.
Discuss
(teacher, class)
• How did you make the stories more interesting?
• Was it hard to think of what to add?
• Why do you think people change stories over time?
Evaluate
(teacher)
• Collect the stories written by the groups. Make
comments on the literary devices used. Assess student
understanding of these literary devices.
3
4
TEACHING
FOLKLORE
Lesson 2
Compare Folklore
Purpose: Students will compare two folktales and will
learn about the values and traditions of the people
who told the tales.
Materials
• Folklore books
• Compare p. 11
• overhead of
Compare p. 11
• chart paper
• markers
• pencils
• overhead projector
Objectives
• Identify where two folktales originated.
• Compare two folktales.
• Investigate texts for clues about the folktales’
country/region of origin.
• Analyze folktales in order to understand the people
who told them.
• Explain why the hero or heroine of a folktale
captured the imagination of the people of that time
period.
• Predict whether or not a folktale will continue to be
passed on.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Choose two folktales that have a strong sense of time
and place. (E.g. Calamity Jane lived in Deadwood,
South Dakota, in the late 1800s).
• Research the time and place the folktales originated.
• Copy Compare p. 11 for each student.
• Make an overhead of Compare p. 11.
Pretest
(teacher)
• Why are there different types of folklore?
• How can folklore help us understand people from
the past?
Read
(teacher, class)
• Read two Folklore books aloud.
Model
(teacher)
• Make a t-chart on a piece of chart paper. Label one
side with the title of the first book and the other side
with the title of the second book.
• Ask students which countries they think these
folktales are from. What evidence can they find in
the books to support their answers?
• Write the places of origin underneath the titles on
the t-chart.
• Compare and contrast the characters, settings, and
plotlines of the two folktales.
• Ask students what they think the people who told
these stories were like. What did they admire? What
was life like for them?
• Write down students’ responses.
• Share any information you learned about the history
of the two folktales.
• Pass out Compare p. 11.
Practice
(pairs)
• Read two Folklore books.
• Identify where the folktales originated.
• Compare the two folktales using Compare p. 11.
• Search the books for clues about the people who
told the tales.
Discuss
(teacher, students)
• What did you learn about the origins of the
folktales?
• Why do you think these stories were told and retold
for many years?
• Will these stories continue to be passed on? Why or
why not?
Evaluate
(teacher)
• Collect Compare p. 11 and assess for student
understanding.
TEACHING
Lesson 3
Write Your Own
Folktale
Purpose: Students will learn about different kinds of
folklore, and they will write their own folktales.
Materials
• Folklore books
• other folklore
books
• Writing Rubric
p. 12
• overhead projector
• overhead of
Writing Rubric
p. 12
• chart paper
• markers
• paper
• pencils
Objectives
• Identify different kinds of folklore.
• Differentiate between types of folklore.
• Read examples of different kinds of folklore.
• Outline a folktale.
• Write a folktale.
• Evaluate a folktale using a writing rubric.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Collect books exemplifying different types of
folktales, such as tall tales, trickster tales, fairy tales,
ghost stories, myths, legends, and fables.
• Make an overhead of Writing Rubric p. 12.
• Copy Writing Rubric p. 12 for each student.
• Make a chart defining the following: tall tale,
trickster tale, fairy tale, ghost story, myth, legend,
and fable.
FOLKLORE
Pretest
(teacher, students)
• Use the chart to define different kinds of folklore.
• Ask students what kinds of folklore they have read or
heard.
• Ask students why they think there are so many kinds
of folklore.
Read
(students)
• Read a Folklore book.
• Define the type of folktale told in the book.
Model
(teacher)
• Tell students that they will be writing a folktale in
one of the styles they learned about (e.g. a tall tale).
• Put up the overhead of Writing Rubric p. 12.
• Read through the requirements and answer students’
questions.
• Model choosing a type of folktale and writing a
folktale in that style.
Practice
(students)
• Choose the type of folktale you want to write.
• Write a folktale.
Discuss
(teacher, students)
• Ask students to share their folktales.
• Discuss what types of folktales they wrote.
Evaluate
(students, teacher)
• Students will evaluate their writing using Writing
Rubric p. 12.
• Teacher will collect Writing Rubric p. 12 from
students and use it to assess their folktales.
5
6
TEACHING
FOLKLORE
Lesson 4
Puppet Show
Purpose: Students will write scripts and perform
puppet shows based on folklore.
Materials
• Folklore books
• Puppet Show
Script p. 13
• overhead of
Puppet Show
Script p. 13
• overhead projector
• marker
• puppet stage
• Popsicle sticks
• construction paper
• google eyes
• fabric scraps
• sequins
• yarn
Read
(small groups)
• Read a Folklore book not previously read.
Model
(teacher)
• Tell students that they are going to share a folktale
with the class by creating and performing a puppet
show.
• Put up an overhead of Puppet Show Script p. 13.
• Model writing a script for a folktale using Puppet
Show Script p. 13.
• Show students the model puppet and explain how to
create puppets using art materials.
• Hand out Puppet Show Script p. 13 to each group.
• pencils
Objectives
• Read a folktale.
• Understand the plot of a folktale.
• Write a script for a puppet show.
• Identify which characters need to be in a puppet
show.
• Create puppets.
• Put on a puppet show.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Make an overhead of Puppet Show Script p. 13.
• Copy Puppet Show Script p. 13 for each group.
• Divide students into groups of four or five.
• Create a model puppet to share with students.
Pretest
(teacher)
• How are folktales passed on through generations?
• What are different ways people can tell folktales?
Practice
(small groups)
• Write a script for a puppet show using Puppet Show
Script p. 13.
• Create puppets.
• Practice your puppet show several times.
• Perform your puppet show for the class.
Discuss
(teacher, students)
• What did you learn by creating and performing a
puppet show?
• What did you learn about folktales?
• Why do you think people have been sharing stories
through puppet shows for so long?
Evaluate
(teacher)
• While watching the puppet shows, assess students’
preparation, effort, and understanding of folklore.
TEACHING
Lesson 5
Character Study
Purpose: Students will study characters in folktales
and will create their own folk hero/heroine.
Materials
• Folklore books
• My Character p. 14
• overhead of My
• markers
• pencils
• colored pencils
• overhead projector
Character p. 14
• chart paper
Objectives
• Recall characters from several folktales.
• Compare and contrast characters from folklore.
• Determine why characters are similar in folktales from
around the world.
• Analyze the character traits of different heroes and
heroines in folktales.
• Create a classic hero/heroine for a folktale.
• Determine which hero/heroine created in class is
most believable.
FOLKLORE
Read
(students)
• Read a Folklore book not previously read.
Model
(teacher)
• Ask students to comment on the similarities between
two characters (e.g. Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan).
• Tell students that characters in the same type of
folklore are often similar.
• Point out other similarities in each type of folklore.
(For example, a brave prince and beautiful princess
appear in many fairy tales.)
• Discuss why certain types of characters emerge again
and again in folktales.
• Tell students that they are going to create characters
that would fit perfectly in a certain type of folktale.
• Put up an overhead of My Character p. 14.
• Choose a type of folktale and then model how to
create a character that would fit in that type of
folktale using My Character p. 14.
• Pass out My Character p. 14 to the students.
Practice
(students)
• Read My Character p. 14.
• Choose a type of folktale to focus on.
• Create a character that would fit into this type of
folktale.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Make an overhead of My Character p. 14.
• Copy My Character p. 14 for each student.
Pretest
(teacher, students)
• On chart paper, make a list of characters from the
folklore read by the class.
• What have you noticed about the characters in
folklore?
• What makes someone an interesting hero or heroine
in a folktale?
Discuss
(teacher, students)
• What type of folktale did you focus on?
• What is your character like?
• How do they fit into your type of folklore?
Evaluate
(teacher)
• Collect My Character p. 14 from students and assess
for comprehension, effort, and neatness.
7
8
TEACHING
FOLKLORE
Lesson 6
Fractured Folklore
Purpose: Students will create fractured folklore by
rewriting classic folktales.
Materials
• Folklore books
• Fractured Outline
p. 15
• overhead of
Fractured Outline
p. 15
• Writing Checklist
p. 16
• markers
• lined paper
• pencils
Read
(teacher, students)
• The teacher will read a Folklore book to the class.
Model
(teacher)
• Put up an overhead of Fractured Outline p. 15.
• Make an outline of the Folklore book you just read.
• In the “fractured” boxes, change the story in order to
create different points of view, different characters,
or a different setting.
• Tell students that their fractured folktales can be silly,
funny, or sad.
• Pass out Fractured Outline p. 15 and Writing
Checklist p. 16 to the students.
• overhead projector
Objectives
• Define fractured folklore.
• Review a folktale.
• Modify the characters, setting, or point of view in a
folktale.
• Outline a fractured folktale.
• Compose a fractured folktale.
• Compare and contrast traditional and fractured
folktales.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Make an overhead of Fractured Outline p. 15.
• Copy Fractured Outline p. 15 for each student.
• Copy Writing Checklist p. 16 for each student.
Pretest
(teacher)
• How many of you have heard the story Goldilocks
and the Three Bears?
• What if the story was called Baby Bear and the Three
Humans?
• Fractured means broken or cracked. A fractured
folktale is a story in which the point of view, setting,
or characters are changed.
Practice
(students)
• Review a Folklore book previously read.
• Read the requirements on Writing Checklist p. 16.
• Complete Fractured Outline p. 15.
• Write a fractured folktale.
Discuss
(teacher, students)
• What did you change about the folktale?
• What effect did this have on the folktale?
• What were the similarities and differences between
the traditional folktale and your fractured folktale?
Evaluate
(students, teacher)
• Students will evaluate their writing using Writing
Checklist p. 16.
• The teacher will collect Fractured Outlines p. 15,
fractured folktales, and Writing Checklists p. 16 from
students.
• Teacher will evaluate students’ writing using Writing
Checklist p. 16.
TEACHING
Additional Resources
BOOKS
Aardema, Verna. Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from
Liberia. New York: Aladdin, 2002.
In this Liberian tale, all Koi has in the world is a
handful of kola nuts. After he gladly shares them
with those in need, he is rewarded for his
generosity.
Brett, Jan. The Mitten: A Ukrainian Folktale. New
York: Penguin Young Reader’s Group, 1989.
A little boy’s lost mitten becomes a refuge from
the cold for many forest animals in this stunning
adaptation of a Ukrainian folktale.
Campoy, F. Isabel, and Alma Flor Ada. Tales Our
Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection.
New York: Simon and Schuster Trade, 2006.
This lively and appealing compilation includes
twelve beautifully illustrated folktales, as well as
explanations of where the folktales originated.
Demi. The Firebird. New York: Owlet Paperbacks,
2005.
A classic Russian folktale is illustrated with
remarkably intricate artwork.
Knutson, Barbara. Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster
Tale from the Andes Mountains. Minneapolis:
Carolrhoda, 2004.
How does a guinea pig outsmart a fox? Read this
story to find out!
MacDonald, Margaret Read et al. Tunjur! Tunjur!
Tunjur! A Palestinian Folktale. New York:
Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, 2006.
A naughty kitchen pot learns its lesson in this
amusing folktale.
San Souci, Robert D. Cinderella Skeleton. San Diego:
Harcourt, 2000.
This ghastly, macabre version of the classic
Cinderella story is sure to interest and delight
young readers.
Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
New York: Penguin Group, 1996.
In this clever fractured version of The Three Little
Pigs, the wolf finally gets a chance to tell his side
of the story.
FOLKLORE
Shelby, Anne. The Adventures of Molly Whuppie and
Other Appalachian Folktales. Chapel Hill, N.C.:
University of North Carolina Press, 2005.
Molly Whuppie is a smart, resourceful girl who
outwits ogres, giants, and witches.
Yolen, Jane. Not One Damsel in Distress: World
Folktales for Strong Girls. San Diego: Harcourt,
2000.
Sick of simpering princesses? Read about
remarkable heroines in folktales from around the
world.
WEBSITES
American Folklore
http://www.americanfolklore.net/
This website includes folktales from each state, as
well as tall tales, ghost stories, myths, and
legends.
Animals Myths and Legends
http://www.planetozkids.com/oban/index.html
Do you have animal lovers in your class? They will
enjoy reading myths and legends featuring wise
and wily animals on this site.
Encyclopedia Mythica
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/folklore/
Learn about folklore from around the world with
this comprehensive online encyclopedia.
Fractured Fairy Tales: Read, Write, Think
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/
fairytales/
On this site, students can read fractured fairy
tales and try writing their own.
Scholastic Folktale Writing Workshop
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/
folktalewshop_index.htm
Students can learn about folklore from famous
folklore authors.
9
10
Story Starters
1. A little boy named Jason lived in a big white house. He was good at finding places to hide.
He liked to hide in corners to scare his parents. He could sit still for long periods of time.
When he grew up he became a spy.
2. Tyrell was good at lots of things. He was a smart boy in school. He knew all of his
multiplication facts. He was also a fast runner. Most of all, he was good at telling jokes.
When he grew up he became famous.
3. Shayna was a brave girl. She was not afraid of the dark. She was not afraid of big dogs.
She was very calm during thunderstorms. When she grew up, she became an animal trainer.
4. There once was a girl named Carla who was very strong. She could lift heavy things. She
entered contests to show how strong she was. She liked to help people with her strength.
Once she helped save her village.
5. Two princes lived in a castle. One was good and the other was bad. The bad prince liked
to get his brother in trouble. He played tricks on people and blamed his brother. One day,
the good prince found out his brother was trying to get him in trouble.
6. Cindy was a sweet and beautiful girl. She had to do all the chores in her house. Her
dresses turned to rags from all her hard work. Her family was very mean to her. She wanted
to have a better life. One day she heard that there was going to be a ball at the castle, and
all the women in the kingdom were invited.
Teaching Folklore
11
Compare
Name
Folktale
Folktale
Place of origin
Place of origin
What can you tell about the people who told these stories?
Teaching Folklore
12
Writing Rubric
Type of folktale
3
2
1
0
Student name
Organization
Content Knowledge
Grammar/Spelling
The folktale is very well
organized. The beginning
grabs attention, the middle
builds the story with details,
and the ending is strong.
The student has clearly
modeled their writing on a
type of folktale and
demonstrated a considerable
knowledge of folklore.
The student has used correct
grammar and spelling.
The folktale is organized. It
has a beginning, middle, and
end.
The student has modeled
their writing on a type of
folktale and has
demonstrated knowledge of
folklore.
The student has made 1-5
mistakes in grammar and
spelling.
The folktale is somewhat
organized. It is missing either
a beginning or and ending.
The student has modeled
some aspects of their writing
on a type of folklore. They
have demonstrated some
knowledge of folklore.
The student has made 5–10
mistakes in grammar and
spelling.
The folktale is not organized.
It does not have a beginning
or an ending.
The student has not modeled The student has made more
their writing on a type of
than 10 mistakes in grammar
folklore and/or has not
and spelling.
demonstrated knowledge of
folklore.
Total score
Teacher comments:
Teaching Folklore
13
Puppet Show Script
Folktale
Characters:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
Teaching Folklore
14
My Character
Type of folktale
Name
Draw your character here
My character
likes to:
Personality:
Talents:
Problems:
Goals:
Teaching Folklore
Family:
15
Fractured Outline
Name
Original folktale
Fractured folktale
Title
Title
Point of view
Point of view
Setting
Setting
Characters
Characters
Plot
Plot
Teaching Folklore
16
Writing Checklist
Name
I
have
created
an
outline
for
my
fractured
folktale
using
Fractured
Outline
p.
15.
I
have
made
at
least
one
of
the
following
changes:
I changed the point of view in the folktale.
I
changed
the
characters
in
the
folktale.
I changed the setting of the folktale.
My folktale has a beginning, middle, and end.
A friend has read my folktale and given me advice about how to make it better.
I have checked spelling and punctuation in my folktale.
I
am
proud
of
my
folktale
because:
The
hardest
part
of
writing
a
fractured
folktale
was:
Teacher comments:
Teaching Folklore