Grade(s): 2 & 3

Topic: Folktales

FOLKTALES

Objective(s) / TEKS:

Students will:

Identify elements of a folktale.
Be introduced to various folktales from different regions and cultures of the United States.

TEKS: ELAR

2.6(B) compare different versions of the same story in traditional and contemporary folktales with respect to their characters, settings, and plot

3.5 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(A) paraphrase the themes and supporting details of fables, legends, myths, or stories; and

(B) compare and contrast the settings in myths and traditional folktales.

3.15 Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Procedural Texts. Students understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents. Students are expected to:

(A) follow and explain a set of written multi-step directions; and

(B) locate and use specific information in graphic features of text.

3(C) establish purpose for reading selected texts and monitor comprehension, making corrections and adjustments when that understanding breaks down (e.g., identifying clues, using background knowledge, generating questions, re-reading a portion aloud).

2.6 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(B) compare different versions of the same story in traditional and contemporary folktales with respect to their characters, settings, and plot.

2.9 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:

(B) describe main characters in works of fiction, including their traits, motivations, and feelings.

2.10 Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Literary Nonfiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and respond by providing evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction

14(A) identify the main idea in a text and distinguish it from the topic

Books / Materials:

Assortment of folktale books from different regions of the United States
Chart paper and marker
Scrap paper cut into small 3” squares or flip flap book http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php
Pencils

For Stone Soup:

Versions of Stone Soup; possible versions include Bone Soup by Cambria Evans, The Real Story of Stone Soup by Ying Chang Compestine, Stone Soup by Marcia Brown, Stone Soup by Heather Forest, Stone Soup by Christianne Jones, Stone Soup by Jon Muth, Cactus Soup by Eric Kimmel, Fandango Stew by David Davis
Fandango Stew 2 DAV
Simple nonfiction books on Thanksgiving that illustrate the Pilgrims and Indians sharing the first Thanksgiving

Pencils
Transparency of characteristics of a folktale
Venn diagram or chart for each student
Overhead projector
Ingredients for soup or stew, enough for each class or crockpot
Styrofoam cups or bowls and plastic spoons
Crock pots
Large stone for each crock pot or “fandango” bean

For the Gingerbread Man:

Assorted versions of the The Gingerbread Man folktale, possible versions include The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth, Gingerbread Man by Eric Blair (good easy one to review story), The Gingerbread Man by Eric Kimmel, The Gingerbread Man Loose in School by Laura Murray, Gingerbread Man, Superhero! By Dotti Enderle, The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle, The Musabi Man by Sandi Takayama, The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst, Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Stevens
Pencils
Venn diagram or chart for each student
Overhead projector
Gingerbread man shape cut from construction paper
Assorted items to decorate the gingerbread man, but the same items for each student. For example – one piece of red yarn for the mouth, two reinforcements for eyes, three buttons for his tummy, white chalk or crayon to make icing traced around his body and limbs OR just an assortment of items the children can use to decorate their man
Recipe card for gingerbread man recipe

Procedure / Lesson Plan:

Define characteristics of folktales:
- Animals act like or have characteristics of humans.
- Many folktales convey a message or moral to the reader.
- Some folktales explain the origins of an event in nature.
- Folktales are told and passed down from generation to generation.
Show and talk about folktales from different regions and cultures of the United States.
Read a folktale or several short folktales.
Have the students brainstorm to create a folktale set in El Paso. They may create their own folktale character or they may create a folktale to explain the origin of some El Paso phenomenon such as a dust storm. If the classroom teacher is willing, the class may continue this activity in their classroom by completing a written version of their folktale with illustrations. This could be done individually or as a class. The next time the class returns to the library, have a student read the class folktale aloud. Display the folktale or folktales in the library.

For Stone Soup:

Read one version of Stone Soup aloud to the class.
Talk about the morale of lesson of the story.
Review the purpose of folktales, first oral then written.
Identify the main idea of the story which should also echo the morale or lesson.
Tie the folktale Stone Soup to the first Thanksgiving.
Have children move to tables, listen to a second version of Stone Soup on cassette and sketch each page themselves without seeing the pictures of the book.
Have the children retell the story to their partner using their sketches.
Show children the pictures of the second version.

Read two or three versions of the Stone Soup story
Compare and contrast the versions on a Venn diagram or chart
Identify the characters of a folktale found in each version
Make stone soup with the classes

For Gingerbread Man:

Review the purpose of folktales (entertainment, teach lesson),
Discuss characteristics of folktales
Read several versions of the Gingerbread man folktale
Use Venn diagram or chart to compare and contrast the versions
Give each student a plain, brown, paper gingerbread man
Provide students with directions for creating a gingerbread man by following the recipe from the recipe card/or write their own recipe for creating a gingerbread man
Have the children read specific directions from the recipe card for making a gingerbread that will/should look like everyone else’s OR have them put decorations on their gingerbread to make him ‘their own’ and then write the directions or recipe for making the gingerbread man the way they did it

Alternate Activities:

Using NetTrekker search engine, students can visit Kids’ Space Beanstalk website at http://www.kids-space.org/bean/bean.html. The site is a self-described cyber picture book for kids created by kids and features short stories written and illustrated by children around the world. Many of the stories are folktales. The folktales created by the classes in step 4 above can be published on kids-space.org.
Read one version of Stone Soup aloud to the class. Talk about the morale of lesson of the story. The purpose of folktales first oral then written. Identify the main idea of the story which should also echo the morale or lesson. Tie the folktale Stone Soup to the first Thanksgiving. Have children move to tables, listen to a second version of Stone Soup on cassette and sketch each page themselves without seeing the pictures of the book. Have the children retell the story to their partner using their sketches. Show children the pictures of the second version. Invite classes to make stone soup.
Puppet show with the Center for Puppetry Arts, The Gingerbread Man. Students will learn a little about the history of puppets, will enjoy several versions of this folktale and will analyze several versions of the story comparing setting, characters, repeated phrase and ending.
http://www.puppet.org/pdf/dl_studyguide_gingerbread.pdf
Remind students of Stone Soup lesson from second grade. Review the ingredients in a folktale. Read folktale Fandango Stew. Identify the characteristics of a folktale present in this story. Compare the Fandango Stew/Stone Soup to what history tells us about the first Thanksgiving. Relate the story to a procedural text in that by following the story’s sequence the reader can tell how to make Fandango Stew. Write directions for making Fandango Stew on a recipe card.

Evaluation / Notes:

Card for writing soup recipe

Stone Soup Recipe

Taco Soup My Version

2 lbs. hamburger meat 1 pound hamburger or ground turkey
1 qt. tomato juice 2 c tomato juice or V8
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix 1 package taco seasoning
2 cans pinto beans 1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans 1 can black beans
4 cans Rotel tomatoes w/chilies 2 cans Rotel
1 can chilies (I don’t add chilies)
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix 1 package dry Ranch dressing mix
Fritos
Shredded cheese
Sour cream

The recipe above is the real recipe. When I make it with the kids, I change it up a little. I use a pound of hamburger, about a half quart can of tomato juice or you could use some V8, maybe two cups instead of a quart. One can pinto beans, one can black beans, can of corn, two cans Rotel, 1 package of taco seasoning and 1 package of dry Ranch dressing. If it is thick, add some water to make it soupier. I also like cilantro in it.