The document discusses using folktales in the language classroom and their benefits. It notes that folktales engage students both emotionally and cognitively, allowing them to learn language and culture directly through characters' experiences. Folktales also convey valuable life lessons to students in a non-threatening way. The document provides examples of how to use folktales, including finding stories, pre-reading activities, reading interactively with students, and post-reading activities like comprehension questions, reviews, and creative writing. It suggests connecting folktales to other subjects and building curriculum units around stories.

1. Dr. Lori Langer de Ramirez [email_address] Chair, ESL & World Language Department Herricks Public Schools, NY Folktales, Fables and Fun for the language classroom

2. ACTFL National Standards “the 5 Cs” Communication Communicate in languages other than English Connections Connect with other disciplines and acquire information Comparisons Develop insight into the nature of language and culture Communities Participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world Cultures Gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures

3. WHY use folktales ? “… the great power of the story is that it engages us affectively as well as requiring our cognitive attention; we learn the content of the story while we are emotionally engaged by its characters or events.” - Kieran Egan, Teaching as Storytelling

4. “ The use of literature designed for children in the target culture allows learners of the target language to share cultural experiences and attitudes in a very direct way …” WHY use folktales ? Curtain and Pesola Languages and Children, Making the Match

5. Through the characters on the page, children are able to live out their worst fears and their fondest wishes. Valuable life lessons are conveyed through the stories which children readily absorb in a non- threatening and even enjoyable context . -Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment WHY use folktales ?

6. Children do not learn about complex grammatical points by either making errors and then being corrected or through explicit instruction in grammar. The knowledge of specific grammatical rules "...is part of a child's biological endow- ment, part of the structure of the language faculty.“ “… about 99 percent of teaching is making students feel interested in the material.” -Noam Chomsky, Language and Problems of Knowing WHY use folktales ?

7. With folktales you… will won't organize lessons on topics that are disconnected from the students communicate with the classroom teacher to reinforce curriculum teach language separate from its cultural context incorporate language, culture and content teach grammar and vocabulary in isolated lists teach grammar and vocabulary in context

8. Where to find stories the community the Internet print sources travel

9. What to look for… grammar vocabulary culture content interesting story

10. webpage www.miscositas.com

11. www.miscositas.com

12. PRE-READING Vocabulary preparation - “magic box” - illlustrated words Prediction - order story - summary illustration Story background - realia - tradition - author - geography

13. Pre-reading and prediction “ Stories allow students to anticipate and predict thus involving them in activity.” (Barton and Booth, Stories in the Classroom , 1990)

14. PRE-READING Story background Intro page: Story origins and geography links Students click here to begin the story

15. READING Students navigate the story by clicking on the left or right icons

16. POST-READING Comprehension check - factual questions - opinion questions - related personal questions Story reviews Performance Creative writing similar story from own culture find another story from target culture same genre story

17. POST-READING Story reviews Students summarize the story. Students review the story with a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down”.

18. POST READING Creative writing Genre = Etiological tales, Pourquoi tales, Why-stories “ Why the Ocean Has a lot of Salt”

19. Sample classroom connections

20. Sample Art connections

21. Sample Phys Ed connections

22. Sample Music connections

23. Creating a curriculum unit Look at current curriculum Determine links to language culture content Find folktale Edit folktale Build lessons & activities

24. Stories are everywhere … Go out and find them!

25. Questions? Ideas? Comments?