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Team Me!! Activities Where Students Teach The Teacher & Each Other: Fables and Fairy Tales
 

This is an activity I've had success with teaching high beginner and up students from middle school age and up.

It works best in a class where all the students are from the same country or same culture, because almost all of them will be very familiar with the story.

However, I've used it with good results when at least 2 students come from the same area or 1 isolated student is outgoing and enjoys being the center of attention.

Lesson Plan(s):

  • Obtain a copy of a fable or fairy tale from the student's native culture written in their native language.

  • Simply hold the text up and tell the students to teach you story.

Usually, I'll see how far the students can go just by looking at the cover page or by simply writing the name of the story on the board.

When things start to stall, I'll open the book - or focus attention on pages if it is a printout - in order to allow the students to see the text in their native language. This generates more thoughts in the mind as they actively think of appropriate paraphrases/translations.

Over to the right, I have another idea to use in larger classes:

  • Full Translations

For some classes, especially large ones, you can try translating the story in full through paraphrase.

  • Break the students into small groups and give each group one or more pages from the story. Have them discuss it as a group translating process writing down the final, agreed upon version.

  • Collect all the pages and then read the story in their translated version. Discuss how well the translation matches the native fable.

  • This is an excellent exercise to upload to a class blog.