Grades 5-8

1. 1
Folktales

2. 2
Folktales
Stories told by common people
Purpose was to entertain
Sometimes taught cultural values and
behaviors
Served to inspire the ordinary person
Forms of folktales—legends, fairytales,
fables, yarns

3. 3
*Folk Tales often begin with “Once upon a
time”, “Long, long ago”, etc.
• Three characters, 3 tasks, and 3 events
appear in Folk Tales.
• Folk Tales have good and bad characters.
• Everyday people and/or animals are the
characters in Folk Tales.
• The good characters in Folk Tales have a
problem to solve.

4. 4
• Phrases are repeated in Folk Tales. For
example: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall…”.
• Folk Tales have happy endings.
Tikki Tikki Tembo
– by Arlene Mosel

5. 5
And Fairy Tales?
What are fairytales?
Fairytales are a kind of folktale.
They have a magical or supernatural
element.
They tend to follow a certain pattern.
They were stories to entertain “rich
people.”

6. 6
Folktales vs Literary Fairy Tales
Folk tales:
Tend to be stories about “lower
classes of people” - women, peasants,
slaves, and outcast groups such as the
gypsies.
Fairy tales:
Began as an art/story form from the
upper classes of people.

7. 6
Folktales vs Literary Fairy Tales
Folk tales:
Tend to be stories about “lower
classes of people” - women, peasants,
slaves, and outcast groups such as the
gypsies.
Fairy tales:
Began as an art/story form from the
upper classes of people.