Fables and Folk Tales Around the World

Essential Questions:

1.  How are fables and folktales similar and different?

2.  What is the moral or lesson in the story, and how can you use this lesson in your own life?

Right before winter vacation, the children finished writing their fable or folktale book reports. In addition to the essential questions listed above, the children used their higher order thinking skills as they analyzed their particular book.  Here are some of the stories the students have read and analyzed.

Fables and Folktales from Mrs. McCarthy on Vimeo.

The Mud Pony
Retold by Caron Lee Cohen
Native American Folktale
from North America

The Blind Men and the Elephant 
Retold by Karen Backstein
Originated in India

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Retold by Verna Aardema
Originated in Ghana, West Africa

The Run Away Wok
Retold by Ying Chang Compestine
Originated in Beijing, China

Meeting a Famous Author!

Yesterday, we met author Matthew Tavares!  Thank you TESPTO for funding this wonderful and educational visit!  In class, the students have been learning about the steps of writing a narrative, and today they got to hear Matthew Tavares speak to the steps of writing a narrative. 

http://www.matttavares.com/

Common Core Standard:

Writing
Text Types and Purposes

3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

When we got back to class, the children couldn't wait to sketch and write!  They were very inspired!