Unit Ties. LEARNING LINKS P.O. Box 326 Cranbury, NJ A Study Guide Written By Dr. Arlene M. Pillar. Edited by Joyce Freidland and Rikki Kessler

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1 Unit Ties A Study Guide Written By Dr. Arlene M. Pillar Edited by Joyce Freidland and Rikki Kessler LEARNING LINKS P.O. Box 326 Cranbury, NJ 08512

2 Table of Contents Page To the Teacher Inside Table of Contents Background Information Folk Tale Elements Elements of Folk Tales Magical Changes Tales of Trickery Three Times Three Animal Tales Tales Teach a Lesson What Folk Tales Tell Balancing Act Variations on a Theme Personality Speaking Types of Folk Tales Foolish Folk Add-Ons Why Stories Telling Tall Tales Word Games and Activities Mystery Word Puzzle Folk Tale Word Search Riddles for Readers Alphabetical Bits Story Matching Quiz Retelling a Tale Additional Activities Book Lists for Folk Tales Books for Teachers Answer Key Novel-Ties are printed on recycled paper. The purchase of this study guide entitles an individual teacher to reproduce pages for use in a classroom. Reproduction for use in an entire school or school system or for commercial use is prohibited. Beyond the classroom use by an individual teacher, reproduction, transmittal or retrieval of this work is prohibited without written permission from the publisher. Copyright 1988, 1992, 2000 by LEARNING LINKS

3 BACKGROUND INFORMATION Folk tales, along with fables, myths, legends, and tall tales, are part of the body of literature called folklore. As the words folk and lore imply, these stories, most of which have no known authors, have been passed down by word of mouth from one generation of folks to the next. It was in 1697 that Charles Perrault s Histories ou Contes du Temps Passe presented the first printed folk tales in Europe. In his book were Puss in-boots, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red Riding Hood. Enthusiasm for collecting folklore grew and, as a result, we have the work of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (Germany), Joseph Jacobs and Andrew Lang (England) and Peter Christian Asbjornsen and Jorgen E. Moe (Norway). Folk tales tell about things that mayor may not have actually happened. They are considered the natural literature of childhood, timeless and placeless, set long ago in the far distant past where magic is possible. They contain conflict and action conveyed in comprehensible language, with easily identifiable characters and a fast-paced plot. The geographically vague settings and one-dimensional characters are established at the onset; development of the story problem, climax, and resolution follow rapidly along. These enchanting stories embody the traditional values of the divergent groups of people who created them throughout the world. In fact, similar elements appear in tales of all people across time and place. The overall themes are that good will vanquish evil, justice will prevail, unselfish love will triumph, and diligence and kindness will be rewarded. Highly patterned, they generally begin with once upon a time (or a variation thereof) and conclude with the good characters living happily ever after. The characters are stereotyped, which enables readers to identify personality traits easily. Heroes and heroines are clever, brave, and virtuous souls. The foolish and wise perform predictably. Supernatural characters, such as fairy godmothers, turn beasts back into princes and ragged clothes into finery; adversarial witches cast spells of enchantment that can only be overcome with love, courage, and honesty. Remember the bad fairy in Sleeping Beauty, the witch in Hansel and Gretel, and the stepmother in Snow White. Folk tales are concerned more with situation than with character, and their stock figures seldom experience change. Folk tales typically contain numerous symbols, images, or devices. Among them are recurrent phrases or words, cloaks of invisibility and other magical objects, transformations, trickery, sudden reversals of fortune, the quest or long journey filled with trials, deceitful animals, wishes granted, and the repeated use of the number three, as in The Three Bears, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Three Little Pigs. These characteristics are universal in folk tales, which suggests that people in all parts of the world have similar thought processes. As you share folk tales you will learn this firsthand. LEARNING LINKS 1

4 TALES TEACH A LESSON Most folk tales have lessons to teach. These lessons help to describe a code of behavior that people want to share with one another. They tell in story form what is acceptable and what is unacceptable in their world. Read this brief retelling of Toads and Diamonds and then tell what lesson it teaches. [A list of tales that teach a lesson appears on page 30.] Once upon a time, a disagreeable and proud widow had two daughters. The older one was nasty and just like her mother, while the younger one was sweet, courteous, and a most beautiful girl. Of course, the mother liked the older one better because they had so much in common. She had a terrible dislike for the younger one and made her eat and sleep in the kitchen and work continually. Twice every day, the young girl had to draw a pitcher of water from a well more than a mile from home. One day when she was at the fountain, a poor woman appeared begging to let her drink. The dear child immediately helped the woman to some water, holding the pitcher to make it easier. In truth, she was a fairy and, in return for the kindness, gave the sweet girl a special gift. From that moment, with every word she spoke either a flower or jewel came out of her mouth. When the girl returned home, her mother scolded her for being away so long. As she tried to explain, two roses, two pearls, and two diamonds came out of her mouth. The amazed mother decided to send her stubborn older daughter to the well for the same gift. But this girl was very contrary and not in a mood to go. She grumbled all the way, carrying the best silver tankard in the house as she reluctantly trudged on. At the well, the fairy appeared disguised as a princess. She wanted to see the extent of the older girl s rudeness. When she asked for a drink, the discourteous child replied that she was not a serving maid and impolitely refused to help. Then, the fairy gave her a different kind of gift. For every word this inconsiderate girl spoke, toads and snakes would come out of her mouth. Back home, the sour mother blamed the younger sister for the older one s plight. As she went to beat her, the sweet child ran away to the woods where the king s son found her crying. He fell in love with her and led her back to the palace. As for the older sister, she was so disagreeable that even her own mother ended up hating her. Both of them spent the rest of their lives in misery. This folk tale teaches that LEARNING LINKS 7

5 FOOLISH FOLK There are many tales about fools or silly folk. They are fun to read, but above all, they make us feel better about ourselves since we are not so foolish. [A list of folk tales with foolish folk appears on page 32.] Folk Tale: Foolish Character: Place a check [3] next to the traits that fit this character: q young q male q pleasant q old q female q grumpy What the Character Didn t Know What the Character Should Have Known Writing Activity: Write a story of your own in which this foolish character has a new adventure. LEARNING LINKS 13

6 MYSTERY WORD PUZZLE There are two mystery words hidden between the arrows. To find what they are, fill in the answers to the questions below. 1. In many tales, the characters live happily ever. 2. A donkey, a rooster, a cat, and a dog were headed for Bremen-. 3. met Prince Charming at the ball and lost her glass slipper. 4. climbed the beanstalk. 5. buzz in people s ears. 6. Sleeping slept for one hundred years. 7. Hansel and his sister outwitted the wicked witch. 8. The fisherman told his wife s to the fish in the sea. 9. A stone was used to cook a (Mystery Words) 18 LEARNING LINKS

7 STORY MATCHING QUIZ How much do you know about folk tales? Match the titles of the folk tales in column A with the pieces of information about them in column B. A B 1. The Wonderful Tar-Baby a. hen that lays golden eggs 2. Paul Bunyan b. long, golden hair 3. The Three Billy Goats Gruff c. spinning gold from straw 4. Jack and the Beanstalk d. forbidden rose 5. Hansel and Gretel e. Babe, the Blue Ox 6. Rapunzel f. Give me my bone! 7. Rumpelstiltskin g. born with a hammer in his hand 8. Little Red Riding Hood h. greatest cowboy 9. Sleeping Beauty i. Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit 10. Beauty and the Beast j. glass slipper 11. Teeny-Tiny k. friendship of birds 12. John Henry l. Mirror, mirror on the wall 13. Pecos Bill m. troll under a bridge 14. Snow White n. visit to grandma s house 15. Cinderella o. spindle that pricked a thumb 22 LEARNING LINKS