Introduction
   You are going to be presenting a folktale to a group of preschoolers or kindergarteners.  The folktale you choose has to have a moral to the story.  It will be fun to find a folktale that you think young children would enjoy.  You will be reading through folktales from different lands to choose your favorite!  But what exactly is a folktale?  A Folktale is any story that has been passed down through the generations. Folktales are so familiar to us that we can tell them without having the written text in front of us. Some folktales have a moral to the story.

 
             Your Task
   You will work with a partner to choose a folktale to present to young children. You must also decide how to present it so the children will enjoy it. Will you become a storyteller?  Will you use pictures to help you "tell your tale?"  PowerPoint? Puppets?  Different voices?  Other props? What exciting ideas do you have?
 

 
               Resources to Help You

Each book contains folktales from various parts of the world. These tales are found in the links below.
Step 1-Just click on a book and choose the story you would like to read. Each member of your group must choose 5 different folktales to read, so get together and tell each other which one you have chosen then start reading.  Your folktales cannot all come from the same site.
 

                The Process

1. Meet with the partner to whom you have been assigned.  Explore some of the resources to see what they have to offer.
2. With your partner, choose five folktales that have a moral.  Print out and fill in a Folktale review form for each story you chose.
3. With your partner, decide which folktale you would like to present to younger children.  Put a star on this book review, then turn all of the book reviews in to your teacher.
4. Discuss with your partner how you would like to present your folktale.  You may use an idea from the list, or you may come up with your own idea. Discuss your idea with your teacher.
5. Gather your supplies.  Will you need paper?  Puppets?  Pictures? Computer? Anything else?
6. Prepare your presentation materials.
7. Practice!  Practice!  Practice!  Tell your folktale to your friends, your family, your pets, your stuffed animals, anyone who will listen.  You might want to tape record yourselves to see how you sound. Perhaps you will want to use different  voices for the different characters.
8. It's the big day - Presentation time!  Come to school ready to share your folktale.  Remember all of your supplies! 
    

 
                  Evaluation
   We will be discussing what you feel is important in evaluating your presentations. Please be thinking about criteria.  We will be coming up with a rubric (scoring guide) as a class part way through these projects, so be thinking about it!
 

 
                 Conclusion
   Now that you've completed your presentation, you are an experienced storyteller! You have learned how to evaluate folktales and how to present them in an interesting and creative manner.  Good for you!  May you live happily ever after!
 
 

Original WebQuest creator: BARBARA A. IHNEN