Reading Folktales in the Classroom

Fractured Fairy Tales and Folktales are some of my FAVORITE books to read in the classroom. There is just so much you can with fairy tales. When I taught 1st grade {many moons ago} we would spend a whole month on fairy tales. It was always just the best time in first grade!

When we started creating Rooted in Reading for 1st Grade, we just knew that we had to incorporate several folktales. We dedicated the month of March to everything FAIRY/FOLK TALES! I wanted to share about Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion {and I have a FREEBIE for you!}

The Read-Aloud and Questions

There are so many things I enjoy about this book. I especially love how it is set in Africa. We use book questions to guide the read aloud so that students are actively engaged in the story. This also helps to prompt discussion in the classroom.

The Directed Drawing

After reading the story and working on comprehension activities throughout the week, students draw the lion. We had to make him a little wild and crazy like the lion from the book 🙂

Connecting to Nonfiction Text

Since Little Red ends up eating donuts with the lion and her Aunt Rosie, students learn all about the delicious treat! Did you know that 10 billion donuts are made each year in the United States? I’m not going even going to hide the fact that my family is definitely a part of that number!

Reader’s Theatre

We wanted to provide a way to connect the story back to the original folktale, so I created a Reader’s Theatre for Little Red Riding Hood. Students can use this to compare the stories, practice fluency, and work on their drama skills!

The Book Unit

Here is a little peek at everything we focused on for the week of Little Red. We have elements of a folktale, comparing folktales, vocabulary, nonfiction text, finding facts, describing donuts, and adverbs. You can find out more by clicking HERE or on the picture below:

I hope that you enjoy the story and the reader’s theatre. If you are a Rooted in Reading teacher, make sure you join our Facebook Group HERE so that you can share all of your ideas.