This is a  semester-long course for college-age and older students at an intermediate level in an American private school or college. It uses traditional folktales, legends and fables as a tool for developing reading and writing skills, and for examining cultural beliefs and experiences. The class meets twice a week for 2.5 hours each session, for a 13-week semester.

I chose this content for myriad reasons beyond my passion for folklore. Legends and fables are engaging and diverse, reflecting both universal and cultural traits. They can be relatively simple linguistically and structurally, which provides a firm skeleton upon which to build language skills. At the same time, they are thematically rich and deep. Thus, they provide intermediate level students an opportunity for high-level cognitive exploration. And because these stories are about human foibles, sometimes in a cultural context, they lend themselves to a setting in which culture and community is central.

At the unit level (vertically down the matrix), this class follows the story development sequence represented on my mind map. It begins with an overview of the elements of a legend, and then delves into each facet of the genre: setting, character, action, conflict and resolution. In the final unit, students write their own story derived from their cultural experiences.

At the individual class level, we progress horizontally across the matrix, beginning with a reading activity, then exploring cultural facets, moving into writing exercises, and often cycling back to reading to begin the process anew. From unit to unit, this format remains a stable scaffold as the content grows more complex. [This works well, both in terms of the cycle of work through the unit and across the units. Well thought through.]

On the matrix there are activities marked with an (S). These are skills and strategies the students will build in reading and writing. I’ve listed them only once, but in fact, after they are introduced they thread through the rest of the course. [This, too, works well and is well considered.]

In addition to focusing on the triad of reading, culture and writing, there is a fourth column: Likely Grammar Points. These aren’t overtly stated to the students, but rather are the language underpinnings of our explorations. I will adapt these based on actual student need. [Yes, this is where flexibility can be built in. I have a few comments re this aspect – see matrix.]

Materials Needed

Ideally: Computer, digital projector, screen, access to printer

Minimally: CD player, external speakers, overhead projector, white board & markers.