Social Studies Grade Three

Module Two - Culture as Reflected in Folktales

• culture, folktales, legends, diversity

Students will know that:

• a community's culture is expressed in part through its stories .

Skills/Abilities Objectives

Students will:

• identify cultural perspectives in folktales and legends.

Students will:

• value the cultures of various communities .
  

• appreciate the folktales and legends that originated from various communities.

Students may:

• select a folktale or legend that is personally relevant and present it to a group.

• The teacher may select a variety of folktales, myths, and legends from this country as well as countries around the world. Display them in the classroom.
• The teacher may read some aloud and have other stories read by students, individually, or in small groups. With the story develop one or more of the following social studies perspectives:
  • a sense of place,
  • a sense of time,
  • a sense of values,
  • a sense of relationships, and
  • a sense of culture.
• Have on hand a map of the world. Identify the countries the stories are from. Write the titles on small cards and pin them to the map.
• Select stories with similar themes (e.g., bravery, family). The teacher may use or adapt the sample chart. Make comparisons.
• If some of the stories feature games, study games and other recreational activities as part of culture. Explore some of the universal aspects of playing games. Learn some games played in communities under study.
• If appropriate, the teacher may choose to explore various traditions associated with death.
• Ask students to select a story that is particularly relevant to them personally. Plan a special way of presenting that story. Students may choose to do things like:
• tell or read the story to groups of Grade 1 students;
• make a diorama illustrating the story;
• make webs showing why the stories are important to them;

• dramatize the stories and have them videotaped; or
• make a display of information about the countries the stories are from.

Module 2: Activity Guide

Many stories of this genre contain information about the location and people of the story and important messages about human behavior and relationships.

When discussing the stories with the students develop a sense of place by asking, "What does the story tell us about --- - ?"

• weather or climate ("Are the people shivering? Are they hot?")
• landscape ("Is the river in the story about as wide and deep as the Churchill River?")
• vegetation, wildlife ("Where have we seen plants like this? Do they grow here?")
• location ("In what country do you think ---- ?")

• Is this a modern story?
• Is it a long ago story?
• Could this story happen today?
• What makes it a long ago story? Why is it still an important story for us?

• Did the animals in the story learn something? What was it? Is that an important lesson for us? How can it apply to you and me?
• Parents often told these stories to their children. What was important to the people who kept telling this story?
• The children in the story did something really hard. How were they rewarded?

• How did the children in the story work out their problem?
• Who helped them work out their problem? How could it work for us when we have a problem?
• In what ways is this family like yours or mine?
• Do the people in the story like each other? How do they show it?

• This story comes from the country ___. What kinds of experiences would lead to a story like this?
• In what language was this story first told?
• What kinds of games do the people like to play?
• What celebrations are important to them?
• Who might be their heroes?
• What does this story tell us is important to the people who told this story?
• How are old people treated in this story?

The teacher may wish to use legends from Aboriginal peoples. Resources like Keepers of the Earth and subsequent Keepers books, Achooma, How We Saw the World, and other titles provide a wealth of stories.

Games

Some of the stories feature games. Discuss how games are part of every peoples' culture.

Use lessons in the resource Within Our Reach: Helping Students Develop An International Perspective to explore the universality of games and how they differ from one culture to another.

Ask the students to name the games they like to play, writing them on the chalkboard as they brainstorm. Discuss:

• What kinds of games do you play at birthday parties?
• What kinds of games did you play when you were little?
• What kinds of games do you play indoors? outdoors? on the grass? on pavement?

• Why do we play games?
• What makes a game fun?
• When children play a game in a group, what kinds of behaviour are important?
• What makes a good sport? A poor sport?
• Why are rules important in playing games?
• What kinds of skills do we learn or practice when we play games?
• Who did they learn the games from?
• Does everyone play the game the same way?
• Did the students' parents play the same or similar game?

Make a large chart, classifying the games that have been identified. Add games as students think of them. Point out that some games fall into more than one category.

Many children around the world have only very simple equipment or they must make their own equipment from materials such as sticks, pebbles, and seashells. Ask the students to try to play softball with a stick and a tightly-wound piece of cloth for a ball, pick up sticks with straight twigs, or play marbles with round pebbles. Is playing with hand made equipment as much fun as playing with the proper equipment? Why or why not? What are the advantages of hand made equipment?

Learn to play games from other countries.

Death and dying

Some of the stories deal with issues of death and dying. Guide students to understand different rituals and beliefs concerning death.

• Ancestor Worship in Asian Cultures

• All Saints Day in Mexico

Aside from stories dealing with this theme, the death of a community member or a pet could provide the opportunity to develop students' understanding about death and dying.

Use literature, videos, and other resources. Explore feelings associated with death. Learn about funeral customs within students' communities and other communities. Compare customs.

Integrate with arts education by learning about music associated with death and funerals. Explore death as depicted in dance, drama, and art. Visit a burial site or cemetery. Use the song "Tansi Kokum" from Young Northern Voices.

Suggested Resources
(listed in other bibliographies and catalogues)

Eskimo Inuit Games (Book One)
Eger, F.H. X-Press
3905 W. 12th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C.
V6R 2P1.

Games of the World. Grunfeld, Frederic V. Swiss Committee for UNICEF, Canada, 1982. Available from provincial UNICEF offices.

Children's Games from Many Lands Millen, Nina. Friendship Press, 1965.

World Games and Recipes. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

"Kids at Play." Film about the kinds of games kids have played through the ages. 29 min. National Film Board, catalogue #106C 0177 321.

Somewhere Today: Just For Fun. Number 5.1, October 1993. This magazine features the articles about the play of children around the world.

Youth Editions
P.O. Box 1310
Postal Station B
Hull, Quebec
J8X 3Y1

The Multicultural Society of Saskatchewan publishes a yearly calendar that provides information about celebrations and dates.

The Saskatchewan Writers Guide may be of help in providing authors to read stories and talk to students. The Guild may be contacted on- line through BBS or at:
Box 3986
Regina, SK, S4P 3R9
Tel: (306) 757-6310
Fax: (306) 565-8554

Sample chart for comparing stories

"Experience of the Past"Stories
	Title #1	Title #2	Title #3
When does the story happen?
Where does the story happen?
What are the problems?
How are the problems dealt with?
Outcomes
Interesting details