Folktale Fun: Lessons for Life's Journey

Products & Rubric

High School Grade Project 4 weeks

Folktale Fun: Lessons for Life's Journey

Kimberli L

Feb 12, 2025

Updated Jul 31, 2025

C.1.1

C.1.5

RL.1.2

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Purpose

Students will explore the rich world of folktales to understand how these stories impart important life lessons and moral values. Through engaging, hands-on activities, they will analyze characters' problem-solving methods and relate them to real-life situations. By composing opinion pieces and participating in collaborative research, students will articulate their understanding of folktales and the timeless wisdom they offer.

Learning goals

Students will explore various folktales to identify key details and understand the author's message or moral. They will engage in shared research to gather information about different folktales and collaboratively discuss the lessons learned. By the end of the project, students will compose an opinion piece, using a combination of drawing, writing, and digital tools, to express their thoughts on how folktales can teach us about kindness, helpfulness, and problem-solving.

Standards

C.1.1 - Compose opinion pieces, using a combination of drawing, dictating, writing and digital resources, to state the topic and an opinion.
C.1.5 - With guidance and support, participate in shared research and writing projects.
RL.1.2 - With prompting and support, recognize key details from a summary to demonstrate understanding of the author's message, lesson learned and/or moral.

Products

Students will collaboratively create a digital folktale anthology, featuring summaries and illustrations of selected folktales. Each student will contribute an opinion piece about their favorite folktale, explaining the lesson it teaches and how it applies to real life. The project will culminate in a class presentation where students share their folktales and discuss the problem-solving strategies of the characters.

Launch

Begin the project by reading a captivating folktale aloud to the class, using expressive storytelling techniques to engage students. After the story, facilitate a class discussion where students share their initial thoughts on the characters, the problems they faced, and the lessons learned. Encourage students to draw or write about their favorite part of the story, emphasizing the moral or message, to kickstart their exploration of folktales and their relevance to real-life situations.

Exhibition

Students will create a digital storytelling presentation where they share their own opinion pieces on a chosen folktale, highlighting the lessons learned and how they apply to real-life situations. They will present their work to classmates and invited guests, using drawings, digital slides, and oral storytelling to convey their understanding. The exhibition will include a folktale gallery walk where students display their illustrated summaries and engage in discussions about the morals and problem-solving strategies depicted in the stories.

Plan

By Phase By Day Calendar

Project Activities

Days 1 - 8

Read and discuss a selected folktale as a class using expressive storytelling to engage students.

Activity

Facilitate a class discussion where students identify the main characters, the problem they faced, and the lesson or moral of the story.

Activity

Activity 1: Divide the students into small groups and assign each group a different folktale. Provide them with a summary and key details of each folktale, then have them read and discuss the story in their groups.

Activity

Students draw or write about their favorite part of the folktale, highlighting the moral or message.

Activity

Introduce students to digital tools for creating illustrations and simple text to support their storytelling.

Activity

Activity 2: Guide students to collaboratively create a storyboard for their assigned folktale, focusing on the key events, characters, and moral of the story. Encourage them to use drawings and simple text.

Activity

Activity 1: Have each group expand their digital storyboards by adding more scenes, ensuring they include key details and the moral of their folktale. Encourage creativity and personal interpretation.

Activity

Activity 3: Facilitate a class discussion where each group shares their storyboard and discusses the problem-solving strategies of the characters and the lessons learned.

Activity

Collaboratively create a class chart of key details and morals from the folktale, adding student insights.

Activity

Activity 4: Introduce students to a digital tool for creating simple digital illustrations. Allow them time to begin creating digital versions of their storyboards, emphasizing creativity and connection to the folktale's moral.

Activity

Activity 2: Guide students in conducting a brief research project to explore the cultural background of their assigned folktale. Discuss how the culture influences the story and its moral.

Activity

Activity 1: Facilitate a peer review session where students share their opinion pieces and digital storyboards with classmates. Encourage constructive feedback focusing on clarity of the opinion, connection to the folktale's moral, and creativity in presentation.

Activity

Activity 3: Facilitate a class discussion where students share their research findings and reflect on how understanding the cultural context adds depth to the folktale's lesson.

Activity

Activity 2: Guide students in making final revisions to their opinion pieces and digital storyboards, incorporating peer feedback. Emphasize the use of digital tools to refine their work.

Activity

Activity 4: Instruct students to begin drafting their opinion pieces about their assigned folktale, focusing on the lesson it teaches and its application to real-life situations, using drawings and digital resources.

Activity

Activity 3: Organize a class exhibition where students present their completed digital folktale anthologies. Each student will share their opinion piece, digital illustrations, and discuss the moral lessons learned from their chosen folktale.

Activity

Activity 4: Conduct a reflection session where students discuss how the folktales' lessons can be applied to real-life situations. Encourage them to share personal experiences or hypothetical scenarios where these morals could be useful.

Activity

Project Activities Days 1–8

Day 1

Read and discuss a selected folktale as a class using expressive storytelling to engage students.

Activity

Day 2

Facilitate a class discussion where students identify the main characters, the problem they faced, and the lesson or moral of the story.

Activity

Day 3

Activity

Students draw or write about their favorite part of the folktale, highlighting the moral or message.

Activity

Day 4

Introduce students to digital tools for creating illustrations and simple text to support their storytelling.

Activity

Day 5

Activity

Activity 3: Facilitate a class discussion where each group shares their storyboard and discusses the problem-solving strategies of the characters and the lessons learned.

Activity

Collaboratively create a class chart of key details and morals from the folktale, adding student insights.

Activity

Day 6

Activity

Activity 2: Guide students in conducting a brief research project to explore the cultural background of their assigned folktale. Discuss how the culture influences the story and its moral.

Activity

Day 7

Activity

Activity 3: Facilitate a class discussion where students share their research findings and reflect on how understanding the cultural context adds depth to the folktale's lesson.

Activity

Day 8

Activity 2: Guide students in making final revisions to their opinion pieces and digital storyboards, incorporating peer feedback. Emphasize the use of digital tools to refine their work.

Activity

April 2026

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

27 Day 1

Project Activities

Read and discuss a selected folktale as a class using expressive storytelling to engage students.

28 Day 2

Facilitate a class discussion where students identify the main characters, the problem they faced, and the lesson or moral of the story.

May 2026

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

4 Day 3

Students draw or write about their favorite part of the folktale, highlighting the moral or message.

5 Day 4

Introduce students to digital tools for creating illustrations and simple text to support their storytelling.

11 Day 5

Activity 3: Facilitate a class discussion where each group shares their storyboard and discusses the problem-solving strategies of the characters and the lessons learned.

Collaboratively create a class chart of key details and morals from the folktale, adding student insights.

12 Day 6

Activity 2: Guide students in conducting a brief research project to explore the cultural background of their assigned folktale. Discuss how the culture influences the story and its moral.

18 Day 7

Activity 3: Facilitate a class discussion where students share their research findings and reflect on how understanding the cultural context adds depth to the folktale's lesson.

19 Day 8

Activity 2: Guide students in making final revisions to their opinion pieces and digital storyboards, incorporating peer feedback. Emphasize the use of digital tools to refine their work.

Folktale Fun: Lessons for Life's Journey

Purpose

Learning goals

Standards

Products

Launch

Exhibition

Edit Phase

April 2026

May 2026