Asian Folktales Teacher Resources

A great way to learn to understand people and their environment is to study their folktales. Stories from China, Vietnam, India, Iran, Persia, and Palestine offer an opportunity for readers to investigate the cultures of Asia. A list of...

Students create and perform folktale plays. In this reader's theater and Asian literature lesson, students work in groups to rewrite Asian folktales into scripts and perform the folktales for their class in a Reader's Theater. Lesson...

Young scholars, working in groups, rewrite Asian folktales as Reader's Theater scripts. Depending on grade level, they visit Websites and copy assigned stories. Students then perform their versions for classmates.

Students read five folktales. After each folktale is read students use a map to find the location of the country of the tale's origin. Next, students answer comprehension questions related to each folktale.

Read and act out folktales, fairy tales, or myths from various Asian American cultures with your class. Each group reads a story aloud and then works together to create a short play or skit about the story. Suggestions for stories are...

The Cleveland Museum of Art presents this interdisciplinary model unit that asks class members to explore how the same themes are presented in the folktales and art of several cultures.

Fifth graders locate and identify the countries of Southeast Asia on a map. In groups, they compare and contrast photographs and artifacts from their own lives with those living in Asia. They write their own folktales based off of...

Students use maps to locate the countries of Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. In groups, they compare and contrast the three countries in regard to their culture, morals and values. They read various examples of folktales and write their...

Learners of all ages read and discuss books about Asian America. In this Asian-America lesson plan, different books for every age group are listed and various teaching strategies are suggested. Great tips cover virtually every grade level!

In need of a really good lesson that incorporates literature, art, and cultural themes? After hearing a traditional Chinese folktale and discussing cultural themes and symbolism, learners create original illustrations for the story. This...

Students complete a variety of activities surrounding Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May.

While an interesting lesson idea involving the exploration of a story about an Asian American boy named Imduk, a teacher would need to have assess to the Scott Foresman reading program to make this work. If not, a teacher could use...

Young learners discover kamishibai, a popular Japanese storytelling art, and explore how these Japanese folktales illustrate the country's cultural themes and values through discussion and storyboarding. 

Young scholars participate in a variety of activities that are concerned with comparing different cultures through the literary genre of folktales. The stories are used to stimulate student interest and provide a context for how a...

Students review and discuss a variety of sayings, folklore and superstitions about spiders. They discuss this information and choose either an interesting fact or appealing foklore tradition to illustrate.

Students examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Students will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to create and...

Fourth graders compare and contrast the literature of Japan as they study the culture, history and geography of the island nation. They read various genres of literature, describe geographic and landform features of Japan, and find...

Students examine the Japanese folktale, Monkeys Grasp for the Moon. In this multicultural literature lesson plan, students discuss the theme of the folktale. Students choose animal folktales from other Asian cultures for comparison.

Seventh graders develop an understanding of Southeastern Asian culture. They increase knowledge of world geography in relation to Southeast Asian countries. Students research a variety of Southeast Asian animals and habitats to be used...

Students work in groups to research the characteristics of various myths and legends. They read tales, illustrate them, record oral storytelling efforts and write an original folktale. Students then invite parents to a dramatic...

Third graders explore the importance of rice in our world. In this rice farming lesson plan, 3rd graders discover how much rice we use on a daily basis. Students also discover myths from other cultures about rice. Students color code a...

Young scholars examine various creation myths from around the world. They compare/contrast the myths, write their own creation stories, and present their myths to the class in the form of storytelling, role-playing, dance, or a puppet show.

Fourth graders point out places on a map that grow rice around the world. In this rice growing lesson plan, 4th graders read about the importance of rice and use a map to see where it comes from.

Second graders read the book, Ten Oni Drummers. Working in guided reading groups, they discuss fantasy as a genre and preview the book. They review word identification strategies and read the book silently. After reading, they confirm...