CMIS Evaluation Primary Focus

Folktales began as an attempt to explain and understand the natural and spiritual world. Most of these stories convey a message or moral to the reader, or explain something in a creative way.

Folktales are often passed down and retold from generation to generation and remain among children’s favourite forms of literature mainly because the themes are universal and they appeal to a child’s sense of justice–good is rewarded and evil is punished. Children often enjoy the humour in such stories; and the rhyme and repetition of many folktales attract them. They also like the predictable form and content of the stories – characters are generally stereotyped; the stories are usually short and with a definite conclusion.

Its diverse forms include:

* Legends and traditions for example a story about a historic or pseudohistoric character, such as Robin Hood
* Fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White.
* Animal tales – stories about animals who act and behave like humans, such as Puss in Boots and The three little pigs
* Fables – animal tales with a moral
* Myths – which are about the creation or origin of the world, exploits of gods, demigods and heroes.

Folktales are useful in the classroom as they can be used for various purposes. They

· allow the practice of all English language skills and are perfect material for an integrated skills style of teaching. They can engage students in a variety of ways from art and drama to creative writing.

· can be used in LOTE as a rich source of authentic and varied content material that is highly motivating to students and allows for all kinds of creative activities in the classroom and beyond.

· develop critical thinking skills and values as folktales deal with fundamental themes. They are relevant to contemporary audiences as they deal with all kinds of human emotions, strengths and weaknesses.

· explore the cultural contexts of a society and give insight into customs, traditions and problems faced by communities. Learning folktales from our own culture (and from other cultures) and sharing them with students from other countries may teach tolerance towards one another.
A good way to start before getting students to write a folktale is to read or listen to a range of folktales There are many collections of folktales available, for example Around the world in 80 tales by Saviour Pirotta. Online electronic texts of folktales also offer a ready resource for students and teachers.
By reading as many folktales as they can, students will begin to learn the style and feeling of one and to get ideas for creating a story. Students can learn about this genre through a range of activities like interviewing accomplished writers and storytellers, using interactive technology to research background information about different cultures, taking part in various online writing activities and finally presenting or publishing their work.
There are a number of websites which offer online activities with tips and guidelines for writing a folk tale or for planning a unit of work on this topic with suggestions for the teaching of folktales in the classroom.