Fables, folktales, and myths for 3rd grade
Are you a 2nd or 3rd grade teacher who teaches fables, folktales, and myths? This Common Core Standard RL 3.2, although fun, can be difficult to wrap your head around.
I want to share how I teach it in the classroom!
At the end of the post, don’t forget to download my Fables, Folktales, and Myths classroom signs!
There are some links to various books within the post. Please note that these are Amazon Affiliate links, so if you decide to purchase a book using them I receive a small commission that goes toward keeping this website running. However, you can always write down the name of the book and find it at your local bookstore!
Fables, Folktales, and Myths lessons in 3rd grade
- Differentiated
- Depending on the time in your classroom and ability of your students, you get choicesΒ for each activity. For example, you receiveΒ a blank and a filled-in version of all the example circle foldovers.
- Paper-saving
- Each activity is printed two to a page.
Introductory fables, folktales, and myths lessons
Fable introduction (can take 1-2 class periods)
Pass out circle foldover to each student to put into their notebook. Explain to students that we will be focusing on the genre of folklore, specifically at myths, fables, and folktales. Students will also complete a sorting flipbook chart to learn about characteristics of folklore, like how they were orally passed down from generation to generation.
Sit students on the carpet. Explain that we will be discussing what a fable is. On the board/easel, make a quick chart with a category for: Characters, Settings, and Characteristics. Pick two fables to read (I would recommend The Tortoise and the Hare, and The Fox and the Grapes). Read to the class.
- What do these stories have in common?
- Who are the main characters in the fables?
- Both the stories had a “moral” at the end… what was the moral of these stories?
- What do you think a moral is?
- Fable title page
- Fable examples circle foldover
- Students can fill these in as the unit goes on. For now, they can write down the two fables that you read in the beginning of the lesson.
- All about fables sort
- Students will cut out boxes and sort the commonalities of the characters, setting, and characteristics
Folktale introduction (will take 1 class period)
- Folktale title page
- FolktaleΒ examples circle foldover
- Students can fill these in as the unit goes on. For now, they can write down the folktale that you read in the beginning of the lesson.
- All about folktales sort
- Students will cut out boxes and sort the commonalities of the characters, setting, and characteristics
Myth introduction (will take 1 class period)
Explain that we will be discussing a new genre, a myth. On the board/easel, make a quick chart with a category for: Characters, Settings, and Characteristics. Pick two myths to read (my absolute favorite myth book is Usbourne Myths, it has a variety of short myths that don’t take long to read). If you do not have that book, you can check out a book on myths from the library, or find some quick ones to read online (like Arachne and Athena or Pandora’s Box). Read to the class.Β
- What do these stories have in common?
- Who are the main characters in the myths?
- Myth title page
- MythΒ examples circle foldover
- Students canΒ fill these in as the unit goes on. For now, they canΒ write down the two fables that you readΒ in the beginning of the lesson.
- All about myths sort
- Students willΒ cut out boxesΒ andΒ sort the commonalitiesΒ of the characters, setting, and characteristics
Fables, folktales, and myths additional lessons
Additional activity #1: Daily literacy center review
Additional activity #2: Reading passages & comprehensionΒ questions
- The Ants and the Grasshopper
- The Hen That Laid Golden Eggs
- The Lion and the Mouse
- The Crow and the Pitcher
- The Fox and the Crow
- The Hare and the Tortoise
- The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf
- The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
- Anansi the Spider
- Ancient Greece – Greece Mythology
- Arachne the Weaver