Lesson Activities: Fables, Myths and Parables

Tales from Beneath the Baobab

Lesson Activities: Fables, Myths and Parables.

Story telling is an important part of life in many communities across Africa, and indeed all over the world. In traditional tribal culture, oral storytelling is used not only for entertainment, but for education, and stories are passed from generation to generation.

The following literacy activities focus on the textual features and language used in myths, fables and parables from the Sahel region of Africa. They provide inspiration for children to produce their own, similar stories from this genre and to re-tell them out loud for others. Through cross- curricular links, they also allow children to explore the wildlife and vegetation of this unique region.

Photocopiable texts: Lesson Plans:

Stories from Burkina Faso: A Fable: The Hyena and the Monkeys ICT (Introductory Lesson): A Parable: A Tale of Two Friends Research: The ‘Fab Baobab’

From across the Sahel region: Literacy: Myths: Why does the baobab tree look so strange? Speaking and Listening: Lesson 1: Reading Fables Aloud Speaking and Listening: Reading: Writing: Interactive Whiteboard Presentations: Reading: Lesson 2: Features of Fables and To Introducingidentify the gist Fables of a story and evaluate what To draw on different features of texts, to obtain Choose form and content to suit a particular Parables they hear meaning. purpose Features of Fables and Parables To read stories aloud To respond imaginatively, drawing on the whole BroadenWriting their vocabulary: and use it in inventive Fab Baobab (An interactive quiz to find out textmore and about other thereading mighty baobab) ways Lesson 3: Writing Fables To gain and maintain the interest and response Lesson 4: Writing Myths Writing Fables of different audiences To read stories, poems and plays aloud. Use language and style that are appropriate to Curriculum Objectives: Literacy the reader Range of Literature: Use and adapt the features of a form of writing, Texts drawn from a variety of cultures and drawing on their reading. traditions

Myths, legends and traditional stories Tales from Beneath the Baobab

Cross Curricular Links: Geography Science ICT Enquiry and Skills: Life Processes and Living Things: Finding Things Out  To use secondary sources of information [for example, Adaptation  To talk about what information they need and how stories, information texts, the internet, satellite  About the different plants and animals found in they can find and use it [for example, searching the images, photographs, videos] different habitats internet, using printed material, asking people]

Knowledge and Understanding of Places:  How animals and plants in two different habitats  How to prepare information for development using  To recognise how places fit within a wider are suited to their environment ICT, including selecting suitable sources, finding geographical context [for example, as part of a bigger Feeding relationships information, classifying it and checking it for accuracy region or country] and are interdependent [for example, finding information from books or  To use food chains to show feeding relationships in a newspapers, creating a class database, classifying by habitat Breadth of Study: characteristics and purposes.  A locality in a country that is less economically  About how nearly all food chains start with a green developed plant Tales from Beneath the Baobab Useful Links

Literacy: The Sahel:

European fables Where TREE AID works http://www.parenting-by-example.com/free-fables-for-children http://www.treeaid.org.uk/our-work/where-we-work/ Fables from around the world Sahel wildlife http://home.freeuk.net/elloughton13/fableindex.htm http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/sahel/sahel_animals_l o.html The Big Myth: Myths from around the world (including Creation stories) http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/2_eng_myths.htm How can we help? Further Curriculum mapping: Myths and Legends http://myths.e2bn.org/teachers/ Grow a Baobab http://www.treeaid.org.uk/page2.asp?pID=2&sID=38 Teaching aids on fables and parables http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/englishC3.htm