Greatest Childrens Stories Ever Told

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The Greatest Children's Stories Ever Told SERIES OVERVIEW The appeal that fantasy has for children lies in its power to capture the imagination in varied and unexpected forms. Nowhere is this appeal best illustrated than in the humor, warmth, and creativity of these thirteen classic stories. Presented in full-color artwork with charming narration in the storyteller tradition with music that adds style and drama, these tales provoke excitement, wonder, and discussion. As "classics," the plots of these stories have served as the basis for ballets, full-length motion pictures, and television productions, but here the tales are told in their original forms so that the natural quality of their genius can be appreciated. PRESENTATION Depending upon the use to which the teacher puts the presentation of these programs, they may be supplemented by various forms of discussion and/or activity. The following outline for the presentation of each program may be adapted as the teacher sees fit. a discussion to determine what students already know about the folktale, as well as to pique student interest a first uninterrupted viewing of the program to motivate students' interest in the story a class discussion period to clarify the story and evoke questions a second viewing of the program with pauses for discussion of details and questions concerning the specifics of key vocabulary words and key ideas or problem areas a post-test discussion and/or activities to relate the story to other disciplines a later optional viewing of the story for those students who wish to see it again with new understanding based on previous viewings, discussion, and activities For PreSchool and Primary Children: THE THREE LITTLE PIGS THE GINGERBREAD BOY THE MAGIC POT LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA THE THREE BEARS The presentation of these stories can easily be incorporated into a program of Reading Readiness for preschool and primary children. Depending upon the teacher's approach, key vocabulary words which are listed under the Teacher's Instructions can be written on the blackboard, written individually on small cards and given to students, or dealt with on worksheets. These vocabulary words are reinforced naturally through the story presentation. The value to the child of learning to recognize new words and their meanings is enhanced by the exciting stories. For children in grades 2-4: Pinocchio Rip Van Winkle Sleeping Beauty Tom Thumb The Ugly Duckling The Three Little Pigs FOREWORD "The Three Little Pigs" is crammed with action. As for logic, it is inescapably smarter to build a house of bricks than of straw or of sticks. Only the spoken word can capture its style. Observe the children's response as the storyteller declaims, "Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" Exciting art, realistic effects, and a satisfactory ending combine to give this version of the story strong appeal to children from kindergarten through the primary grades. VOCABULARY angry appeared apples belongings boil bricks bundle butter churn chimney fair farmer fire first fortunes fright house huff jumped knocked little pig pot puff safe second slunk off snug straw sugar beets third wolf wood ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Class Discussion: Following the presentation of the story, a) ask the meaning of "first" pig, "second" pig, and "third" pig; b) review the sequence of the story, preferably on a reading chart with the following printed on it: The first pig built a house of__________. The second pig built a house of_________. The third pig built a house of__________. Another reading chart could say: The wolf said, "Then I'll______________ and I'll_____________, and l'll ___________." 2. Art: The teacher might suggest a map drawn by the students showing the location and types of houses built by the three little pigs. On one side of the map could be a sign saying "This Way to the Fair." 3. Science: A discussion of which is the strongest building material and why might lead to interesting questions. Which would you prefer: a house made of brick, one made of straw, or one made of wood? The Gingerbread Boy FOREWORD This all-time favorite of children the world over has been told and re-told until its origin has been completely lost. It could belong to almost any country and people since the main character is of sheer fantasy. The repetition used in telling the story of the adventures of the Gingerbread Boy makes the story fascinating listening for smaller children, while the intrigue of such a boy actually running away and actually talking makes the story equally interesting to older children. VOCABULARY cow Europe cookie cutter dough duck fox gingerbread lonely melt mowers naughty nose ran run scythes village wings ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Art: The captivating artwork in the story is easily adapted by children for their own drawing and coloring work. One approach would be to stop the story at a picture of the Gingerbread Boy (e.g. frame 29) and allow children to draw and color their own version. Optional: a gingerbread boy could be cut from construction paper (brown) and his features could be cut out from other colors of construction paper. 2. Class Project: Some of the students might be interested in baking their own Gingerbread Boys. Secure a recipe, an appropriate cookie cutter and decorative frostings. The school kitchen or the home of a parent that likes to bake might be available for the project. 3. Physical Education and Dramatization: This story lends itself well to the combination of these two areas. As it is dramatized, children can take different turns playing the role of the Gingerbread Boy: jumping from the oven, running from the different animals, hopping onto the fox's back, climbing to his shoulders, jumping to the duck's wings, etc., all the time using the story's lines. The Magic Pot FOREWORD The outpouring flood, turning bounty into disaster, is a common theme in folklore. One version is the salt mill, stolen by a sea-captain, who takes it aboard his ship and orders it to grind salt, which it does until the ship sinks. Its continued grinding explains why the sea is salt. The Magic Pot provides a more happy ending to the flood of soup that threatened to drown a whole village. This story is adapted from a Finnish folktale by Antti Aarne. VOCABULARY berries bowls cloak commotion earshot kettle overflowing politely poor racing river soup spoons strange trouble ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Social Awareness: A discussion of the "magic words" needed in this story to stop the pot from overflowing could easily be led into a discussion of what might really be called "magic words" that do create helpful situations; words such as "please", "thank you", etc. One approach might be through discussing the little girl's politeness to the strange, old woman in the forest. 2. Personal Awareness: The predicament of the mother who cannot remember the "right words" could lead to a discussion of memory and personal embarassment. Have you ever been in a situation where you cannot remember the "right words?" Does getting anxious help? 3. Phonics: The repetition of the words "stop" and "pot," could lead to a lesson on the phonic construction and pronunciation of these two words. Little Red Riding Hood FOREWORD This familiar story is from France and was written by Charles Perrault, a lawyer. In 1697 he took to a publisher a book of children's stories which he said his son had written. This was not true, but was probably said to protect his dignity. The fresh uncluttered art in this version of Little Red Riding Hood helps make it a springboard to instruction in many areas. VOCABULARY basket bouquet bread bunnies cape cottage custard ears eyes grandmother hear hood jelly latchstring nightcap nightgown see squirrels teeth voice woodcutter ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Environmental Studies: Perhaps with this story it is about time to investigate the habits and habitat of the much maligned wolf. Do wolves really attack people? Where are wolves found in the modern world? What are their feeding habits? This study could lead to more work in natural sciences. 2. Guidance and Personal Development: Compare the experiences of the little girl in "The Magic Pot" with those of Little Red Riding Hood. Both girls went into the woods and met "strangers," but the results were vastly different. When is it proper to speak with strangers? When might it be unwise or even dangerous? Compare the "politeness" of the wolf in this tale to that of the little girl in "The Magic Pot." When can "politeness" be misleading? Three Billy Goats Gruff FOREWORD This cumulative tale from Scandinavia is an almost perfectly constructed story. It is to the point, moves rapidly, and has a satisfactory ending. The date of origin is unknown. There are four characters in the story: three billy goats and a wicked troll, the latter living under a bridge which the billy goats cross over when going to a pasture on the hill beyond. The three billy goats outsmart the troll and he is "butted'' so hard by the biggest goat that he is never seen again. VOCABULARY big billy goat bridge little middle-sized mountain munching pasture troll ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Dramatization: There is probably no more perfect story foryoung children to dramatize. A table or desk makes a perfect bridge across which to "trip." Making the changes in the voices of the successive Billy Goats can be a "fun" challenge, not to speak of coming up with the voice for the wicked troll. 2. Art: The simple, yet appealing artwork of this particular story makes it useful for student art projects. An especially exciting project might be a large mural depicting the characters and situation of this story. One way to go about this project (that involves developing motor-coordination skills as well as insight into the science of light and magnification) would be to project, as a large image, frames from the story onto the blackboard or white paper taped against the wall, and then to allow children to trace the simple figures of the characters from the projected image. These tracings could then be colored in and words from the story printed beside the mouths of the characters who said them.The Boy Who Cried Wolf FOREWORD No collection of children's stories would be complete without at least one of the enchanting Aesop's Fables. The beautiful art-work depicting "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" adds to the enchantment of this story with a moral. Children will identify with the "boredom" of the boy's job, and perhaps even sympathize with his game of crying "Wolf." But they will also see that he learns a sad lesson. Never again would he cry "Wolf!" unless there really was a wolf killing his sheep. VOCABULARY bored bleating disappearing excitement frantic grazed joke routine sheep ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Personal Development: The teacher may want to continue the lesson taught by this story's moral, and in the process stimulate an exciting discussion. Obviously the boy had a boring job. Is it sometimes necessary to take a boring job? If this is the case, are there acceptable ways in which to create excitement? A discussion of possible ways might be followed by the writing or dictation of short stories. 2. Social Studies: When the villagers come forward to defend their property, some carry guns, some sticks, some pots, brooms, and pitchforks. Students may wish to investigate and discuss methods used as defense against animal marauders by different social groups. 3. Literature: Collections of Aesop's fables have been published by several firms. Surely some collection of Aesop should be made available to and shared with students who respond to "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". The Princess and the Pea FOREWORD Written in 1835 by Hans Christian Andersen for the daughter of the secretary of the Academy of Art in Copenhagen, this story is a good example of the author's attitude toward the social order of the day. As with many of Andersen's stories, this tale is a thinly disguised satire on the artificial values of the aristocracy of his day. The art in this film consists entirely of cut-outs in a style that children can do with crayons. VOCABULARY castle bedclothes bedstead delicate eider-down mattress museum pea prince princess queen real ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Class Discussion: For older children it would be very appropriate to bring out the irony that is intended in this story. A discussion of snobbery associated with aristocratic class distinctions based on birth and not merit would help a deeper understanding of Andersen' s concern here. 2. Personal Development: Discussion could also be held around the concept of what makes a person valuable. Why do people marry each other in our society? Have there been other customs at other times and in other places? 3. Science: Is it possible to test how "sensitive," in the literal sense of that word, our senses are? Can we test our sense of touch blindfolded? Can we test our sense of hearing with very soft sounds? Can we test our sense of sight in a dark room with very small light sources? Actual experiments with different subjects could be characterized on a graph and discussed. The Three Bears FOREWORD The tale of "The Three Bears" provides a classic illustration of the process by which a story becomes part of our common folklore. As it appeared originally in "The Doctor"(1834) by the famous British poet, Robert Southey, the chief character was a nosey old woman. But in its retelling someone, somewhere, substituted the snooping little girl, Goldilocks and, as Mary Arbuthnot says, "captured the nursery crowd forever." VOCABULARY bear broke comfortable mussing porridge puzzled scampered smashed ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Reading Readiness: After discussing the story with students, the teacher will give them an opportunity to learn the meaning of "great big", "middle-sized", and "wee little". Choose the largest child, measuring him or her next to a middle-sized child and then next to a small child. 2. Art: Have the students draw a great big bear, a middle-sized bear and a wee little bear. As the children paint or cut out bowls, beds, and chairs the meaning of each word is illustrated by the thing painted or drawn. For art to take home, the students can make a booklet of the three bears, the three bowls, the three beds, and the three chairs. PINOCCHIO FOREWORD Children love the humor and nonsense of Pinocchio. They identify strongly with his adventurous career even while their sense of fair play stirs sympathy for Geppetto, the father of this wayward creature. Pinocchio is almost a contemporary folktale, having been written in 1880 by Carlo Collodi. VOCABULARY bambino Italy carpenter peasants cobblestones plane colt puppet disaster wig Activity Suggestions 1. Social Studies, America: The ending to this tale will come as a shocker to children familiar with the Disney version. And it is a natural to provoke inquiry: "cruelty to a puppet?!" Having dismissed that charge as a real possibility, discover whether your class is interested in learning a bit more about laws that are extant. What are some of our laws? What are the reasons for them? What if someone breaks the law? Police departments are wonderful about arranging tours or sending speakers. Often it is simple to arrange for a class to spend an hour or two watching courtroom procedure at work. 2. Social Studies, Other Countries: Some children may be interested in finding out more about Italy. Suggested readings: Getting to Know Italy by Albert Craz; My Village in Italy by Sonia and Tim Gidal; Marcia Brown's Tamarindo; and Felice, also by Marcia Brown. These four books maintain the kind of village flavor developed in this treatment of "Pinocchio." 3. Art: Have you tried woodcarving with the class? If not, this is a wonderful opportunity. And if you are reluctant to demonstrate (your own fingers are really thumbs, you say?), you can certainly turn up an habitual whittler or carver who will enjoy passing his skill on to youngsters. In connection with this activity, the class might take a trip to a furniture factory or a toy factory. You don't have to carve wood to make puppets of your own. Every child is fascinated by puppets, be they paperbag, stock, or old stocking. The more advanced may wish to delve into the history of puppetry. 4. Language arts: "Geppetto" and "bambino" are unfamiliar words for most children. Other Italian words are undoubtedly more at home in the child's vocabulary, for example, "spaghetti" and "ravioli." Actually, the menu of an Italian resturant is a helpful instrument to use in playing a new application of phonetic principles. The double "c" in "cacciatore" is a new reading experience. With the advent of mass travel and mass carriers, "menu language" might be helpful to learn. RIP VAN WINKLE FOREWORD The author of this story was Washington Irving, but he published it under the pseudonym of Dietrich Knickerbocker. Irving also wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Knickerbocker's History of New York." He was always interested in the history of the Dutch settlers of New York State. Both its geographical setting and its close tie with past history make this program useful in a unit on the geography and history of the Hudson River region. VOCABULARY Catskill musket colony ninepins hillock self-conscious Hudson River sulked ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. English, Social Studies and History: In our tale, Rip learns after awakening that his village is no longer a colony of the British King, but is now part of the United States. An excellent group project combining social studies (U.S. history during the Revolutionary period) with practice of good written English is the compilation of a backfile of "newspaper" front pages which Rip could read after his sleep to catch up on the events he has missed. The backfile need not be complete, but should represent significant dates during the twenty-year period of time and should include articles giving the "flavor" of the times as well as those reporting important historical events. Each child in the class can contribute to this project in some way. Some may do library research and writing or reporting; others, "proofreading" or "make-up"; still others might do artwork for the "newspaper." 2. The arts: "Rip Van Winkle" lends itself to dramatization by older children. A performance of this story can tie in as well with the study of history: What will the costumes look like when Rip is young? How will they look after Rip has slept? What might be the names on some of the storefronts? How would the buildings look? Children might also like to read or present Irving's other famous tale, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." SLEEPING BEAUTY FOREWORD Many translations and versions of "Sleeping Beauty" have traveled around the world under the title of "Brier Rose." The narration of this program follows the original version. This enchanting tale, rich in vocabulary, suggests opportunities to introduce reading charts, that is, "the horses shook themselves, the pigeons flew aloft." VOCABULARY amiable invitation amiss lamented dissuade revenge feast spindle hearth thicket hedge virtue ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Science: The story of Sleeping Beauty centers around her sleeping for 100 years. This magical occurrence brings to mind what has been called "suspended animation." Many animals spend the whole winter asleep in "hibernation." Can children, through research, find examples of long periods of sleep in nature? 2. Social Studies: It may interest third- or fourth- grade children to make a study of monarchy. Newspapers will tell the children that there are still kings and queens in some countries today. What is the function of the monarch in countries where monarchy still exists? How does this compare with the functions of the king and queen in the story of Sleeping Beauty? A comparison of a monarchy and a democracy could be developed on a large chart showing who has what responsibilities. 3. Art: Using the narration from frames #40 through #47, students could create an eight-page booklet with narration printed at the bottom and pictures drawn to depict the descriptive phrases. After children work independently on the project, a comparison of the books and pictures could develop into an exciting discussion of imagination and artwork. THE ADVENTURES OF TOM THUMB FOREWORD - PART I Small characters have strong appeal for children and the adventures of Tom Thumb are endlessly fascinating. At the third- and fourth-grade level, boys particularly will identify with Tom as he plays marbles with the big boys and as he kicks and squirms in the pudding bag. Both boys and girls will be eager for his next adventure. VOCABULARY batter enchanter bewitched magician cherry stones ploughman cunning tinker ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Practical Fractions: "The Adventures of Tom Thumb" might provide a delightful incentive for the "practical" study of fractional parts. The study of a miniature world and miniature objects is fascinating for children in the primary and intermediate grades. The use of fractional parts and the concept of ratio might be used in conjunction with this series so that children could design their own scaled-down objects for Tom's use. 2. Legends: The legends of King Arthur and his court have enchanted children as well as adults for centuries. In Part I of "The Adventures of Tom Thumb" we meet only Merlin the Magician and hear of King Arthur's Court, but some children may have enough interest to begin a study of the legends. In Part II, Tom meets King Arthur. 3. Small Movement Coordination: More than likely there will be a student in the classroom who is a master at "marbles." The skills and coordination involved in playing games with marbles are worth exploring. Perhaps an "expert" could give a demonstration and teach other children how to play. An interesting experiment in social studies would be trying to play with "cherry stones", the pits of cherries. FOREWORD-Part II Tom's experience with King Arthur makes a thrilling introduction to tales of the era "when knighthood was in flower." A tiny character and high adventure provide powerful stimuli to children's imagination. For creative storytelling (Grades 1 or 2) or writing (Grades 3 or 4) ask, "If Tom Thumb is still traveling all over the world, where do you think he is now?" VOCABULARY astride knights barley nobility butler palace castle popularity ceremony raven charger suit of armor composure tailor furrow throne ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Legends Continued: The Adventures of Tom Thumb, Part II contains more information on the court of the legendary King Arthur and should provide ample stimulation for further research in this area. Students who are interested should check in the school library for material and, if possible, prepare reports for the class. This could make an exciting small group project. 2. Arithmetic: Tom's trip to his parents' house presents an interesting mathematical problem. In the story we learn that the trip took him 48 hours. If we estimate how far he could step with each stride and how long it would take to go so many strides, we can come up with a good estimate of how far he walked. What would be other considerations in figuring this out? (He had a heavy gold coin on his back. He might have stopped to rest. He might have had to go uphill, which might take longer.) 3. Map Making: Some students might be interested in making a map which would display Tom's adventures. The map would picture such locations as Tom's home, the field where he met the cow and the raven, the ocean in which he was dropped, the castle of King Arthur, etc. The figures that are decided upon in activity #2 might suggest drawing the map to scale. THE UGLY DUCKLING FOREWORD The power of fantasy to illuminate human experience is nowhere better illustrated than in this tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Andersen felt himself to be an unrecognized genius and some read autobiography into the closing comment of this story, "It does not matter in the least having been born in a duckyard, if only you come out of a swan's egg!" "The Ugly Duckling" meets us, child or adult, each at his own level of life's encounter. VOCABULARY appallingly embarrassed ashamed exhausted brooding gracefully desperation reflection dreadful refuge duckling swan ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS 1. Science: Children may be interested in a study of the various types of water fowl found in today's world. Many types are threatened by extinction. Here again, students may wish to investigate the causes for the ecological restructuring and will certainly be interested in learning what measures we are taking to preserve the endangered species. A different approach for younger or less sophisticated classes might be to follow up "The Ugly Duckling" with a long-term adventure in the scientific method. Most classes have hatched chicken eggs; yours can hatch several kinds of eggs and study their progressive development. (The number of exotic eggs you can provide for possible hatching depends on your location and your ingenuity. If you're in the country, try farms; in the city, try the zoo!) Let children speculate concerning the origin and eventual metamorphosis of each egg but don't tell. If and when the eggs hatch, children may also be surprised to find that the young of a species do not always resemble their elders precisely. (The gosling, for example, of the common barnyard goose is a perfectly hideous color for some weeks, a kind of grayish-green.) 2. Understanding Ourselves and Others: The obvious follow-up of Andersen's tale concerns learning not to try to tell a book by its cover. Children might discuss or illustrate situations that have arisen because they had misjudged a person. Drawings or paintings of the unexpected experience might provide a more graphic reminder of our ability to make misjudgments and, hopefully, to correct them. 3. Literature: Hans Christian Andersen is one of the best-known and best loved children's authors. Some children may wish to learn more about the author himself; most children will welcome an opportunity to read or hear other Andersen tales.