Lesson Writing Folktales
In this 6-8 lesson, students will analyze the characteristics of traditional folktales to write an original tale. They will use elements of folktales to develop their story and strengthen work through the writing process.
Russian Folktales
How can a traditional folktale be adapted to a play?
In this 6-8 lesson, students will read and compare Russian folktales. Students will be introduced to the elements of a plot, then become playwrights to write a play about a traditional Russian folktale.
Lesson Content
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze elements of folktales.
- Identify the geography of Russia.
- Discuss the history of folktales.
- Read and discuss Russian folktales.
- Compare the elements of two folktales.
- Describe the elements of a plot diagram.
- Plan and write a play.
- Perform a play for an audience.
Standards Alignment
Recommended Student Materials
Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.
Websites
Print and Digital Books
- Russian folktale books
- Digital Text: 56 Russian Folktales
- Read-Aloud Books: The Fox and the Blackbird, Bella and the Bear, The Hungry Wolf, The Goat and the Ram, Anya Outwits The King
Video
Teacher Background
Teachers should familiarize themselves with Russian folktales, culture, and geography. Preview all texts prior to sharing them with students.
Student Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with folktales and the writing process.
Accessibility Notes
Modify handouts and give preferential seating for visual presentations. Allow extra time and space for performances.
Engage
- Take students on a virtual field trip to share Folktales from Around the World. Have students visit the different lands to discover the origins of many popular folktales.
- Brainstorm a list of other folktales from any culture. Record student responses on chart paper or an interactive board. Have students give examples of folktales and nursery rhymes that they heard when they were younger. Ask students: What were the settings of these tales? What can we learn from folktales (lesson/moral)? What was special about the characters? This should be a brainstorming activity with no right or wrong answers.
- Discuss the definition of a folktale. Folktales are short, fictional stories that may be set in any time and place, and often teach a moral lesson. Originally, they were passed down orally among members of a certain culture.
- Point out the ways in which folktales differ from fairy tales. A fairy tale is a special type of folktale that usually includes magical or supernatural elements such as fairies, witches, or spells.
Build
- Introduce students to Russian folktales. Explain that in Russia, folktales originated as early as the 12th century. Display a Map of Russia and explain that Russian folktales were part of an oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation. Many of these tales were gathered in serial form, from 1855 to 1864, by an ethnographer named Afanas’ev. The tales were first published in England, using the English translations of the original tales.
- Discuss the history of written Russian folktales. For many centuries, literature was only allowed to be written in the Russian language within the Russian Orthodox Church; therefore the folktales were first published in England. As written, Russian folktales sound more like orations because they have been retold and retold. In the 18th century, folktales became more and more common in literature, with the aristocracy preferring the writing of Pushkin, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy. The Russian folktales that have been passed down through the years are imbued with elements of Russian culture and history: the forest, snow, wooden huts, village dances, the tsar, boyars, fur hats, etc.
- Have students read two Russian folktales that they will later compare. Retrieve books from the following resources to share with students:
- Books from your school or community library
- Digital Text: 56 Russian Folktales
- Read-Aloud Books: The Fox and the Blackbird, Bella and the Bear, The Hungry Wolf, The Goat and the Ram, Anya Outwits The King
- Review key elements of folktales with students. Students should be able to identify the character, setting, culture, values, and morals of a folktale.
- Distribute the Comparing Russian Folktales resource. Have students read the folktales in small groups or independently. As they read, have them fill out the comparison chart.
- Have students share their comparisons. Ask students: What did you learn about the values, culture, and geography of Russia through its folktales? How can a story be adapted to a play?
Apply
- Tell students they are going to become playwrights. A playwright is a person that writes plays. Students will choose one of the Russian folktales they read and transform it into a play.
- Introduce the Plot Diagram to students. Review and discuss each element of a plot and how the elements will support them as effective playwrights. Students can annotate the diagram to enhance their understanding. As a reference, use the Plot of a Story examples and definitions to support understanding.
- Break students into cooperative groups and have them collaborate to write a script based on one of the folktales studied in class. Have each group watch the Teaching Artists Present video, Play It Up with Teralyn Reiter. This helpful guide will present strategies for planning the beginning of their play (characters, setting, and problem/conflict).
- Distribute the Russian Folktales: Plot Structure Planner. Groups should begin planning their play using the original folktale as a reference, as well as the Plot Diagram. Once they have completed the planner, they can begin writing a play between 5-15 minutes in length. Facilitate through each of the groups providing writing support.
- Allow time for students to rehearse the play. Students should gather props, costumes, or use objects as characters as shown in the Play It Up with Teralyn Reiter video.
Reflect
- Perform the Russian folktale plays for an audience. Organize a space for students to present their plays. Invite other classes or families to watch the plays.
- Assess students’ knowledge of folktales through the performances. Ask students: What can be learned from/about Russia through its folktales? What did the folktales have in common? What exaggerations or characters with special abilities were present in the folktale? What lesson or moral was learned? What historical occurrences were present?
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Original Writer
Julie Steimel
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Editor
JoDee Scissors
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Updated
February 3, 2022
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