Blog #6 Traditional Literature

Traditional Literature is a written expression of a particular culture which is done with exceptional high quality and is often in the form of folktales, fables, myths and legends.

Traditional Literature can be used to engage students by exposing them to other cultural traditions. Some students may find out that some cultures are not that different or find out that in some area what seemed taboo is not in another culture. It's also thought provoking. It makes the student look at their own culture and wonder if the things they do may seem taboo to other cultures.

An interesting concept lesson I may have my students do is have them author their own folktales, fable, myth, and legends. They could write a folktale about their heritage or a legend based on science concepts. I may even encourage the children to make sure that it's humorous but not required. The key is to let the children be creative and have fun.

As a reward some students could act out their stories. The author could be the director or play the main character. Some students could choose to bring their creation to life by making a him a puppet or get really creative and bring in material from home (like slime etc.) or they could choose to dress up at the character.

I would definitely used Traditional Literature in my classroom. Many of these stories have been told for many generations and add insight to many other cultures. It exposes children to the world, including the people, their homes, traditions, foods, etc. I also believe it is an essential tool for social studies.