Favorite Folktales

Purpose: To create meaningful dialogue about culture, while allowing students an opportunity to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills; for intermediate to advanced levels, though lesson could be modified for lower level learners.

Prep time: Approximately 15-30 minutes, depending upon resources available.

Materials: Pencil, paper, a book of folktales or photocopies of a few folktales. Visuals are helpful!

Preparation: Tutor chooses favorite folktale of own to share. Make copies if planning a reading lesson. Locate books or other examples of folktales to share. Prior to session, ask learner to think about a story to share as well.

Procedure:

1. The tutor begins by sharing one of his/her favorite folktales with the learner.
2. Discuss folktales and what they are. The tutor shares other folktales from a book and discusses some common themes. 
3. The tutor asks the learner to share a folktale from his/her country. The tutor asks:

• What are some common cultural stories in your home country?
• Who are some popular characters in your culture (example: Lena and Ole in Minnesota culture)?
• Do the stories have a moral or lesson? If so, what are some common themes?
• What is your favorite folktale (or who is your favorite character)? Why?

Variations: Learner writes their own folktale using some of the common elements found in folktales. Learner shares their story with the class, puts the finished product in a portfolio, or submits it to be published.