Listening to and understanding an age-appropriate folktale for Primary 1

Class: Primary 1
Term: Third Term
Week: 8
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: Cultural & Creative Arts
Curriculum Theme: Performing Arts and Entertainment
Focal competence: Identifying moral lessons from folktales
Key competencies/values: Critical Thinking
Skills:

• Listening and deriving meaning from folktales

Previous Lesson: Reciting cultural rhymes with simple body movement
Topic: Folktales
Subject Matter: Listening to, understanding an age-appropriate folktale

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Listen attentively to a folktale.
• State the meaning or main idea of the folktale.
• Identify the main characters in a folktale.
• Describe key events in a folktale.

Affective Domain

• Show interest in listening to folktales.
• Appreciate folktales as traditional stories.

Psychomotor Domain

• Retell key events from a folktale in their own words.

Social Domain

• Participate in group discussions about folktales.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• Cultural and Creative Arts for Primary 1 by A.O. Okoro and F.B. Adekunle
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• A chosen age-appropriate folktale (e.g., “The Tortoise and the Hare”, “How the Leopard Got Its Spots”).
• Pictures or illustrations related to the chosen folktale.
• Chart showing key elements of a story (e.g., characters, events).
• Pencils, crayons or colours for drawing activities.

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson helps pupils develop essential listening and comprehension skills by engaging with traditional stories. Understanding folktales not only enhances their language development but also introduces them to cultural values and critical thinking through identifying moral lessons. It fosters an appreciation for storytelling and traditional knowledge.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have heard simple stories and can understand basic instructions in English.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Folktales

What is a Folktale?

A folktale is a traditional story that has been passed down from one generation to another, usually by word of mouth. These stories often teach us important lessons.

Understanding a Folktale

To understand a folktale, we need to pay attention to:

1. Main Characters: These are the important people or animals in the story.
2. Events: These are the things that happen in the story.
3. Beginning: This is how the story starts.
4. Middle: This is what happens after the beginning, where the main events unfold.
5. Ending: This is how the story finishes.
6. Main Idea or Meaning: This is what the story is mostly about, or the lesson it teaches us.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Storytelling, Discussion, Question and Answer, Guided Practice, Retelling, Observation.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them if they like listening to stories. The teacher asks pupils to name some stories they have heard before.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the greetings and name some stories they know.

Learning Point: Recalling known stories

Step 2: Introduction to Folktales

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Definition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what a folktale is, using simple language and examples of popular local folktales. The teacher explains that folktales are old stories passed down from grandparents to children, often teaching a lesson.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively and try to understand the meaning of a folktale.

Learning Point: Meaning of folktale

Step 3: Storytelling of an Age-Appropriate Folktale

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Storytelling/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher tells or reads a suitable, age-appropriate folktale to the pupils, using expressive voice and gestures. The teacher can use pictures or props to make the story more engaging.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively to the folktale.

Learning Point: Listening to folktale

Step 4: Identifying Main Characters and Events

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Guidance

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils questions about the story, focusing on who the main characters are and what happened in the story (key events). For example: “Who are the main people or animals in the story?”, “What happened first?”, “What happened next?”.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the main characters and recall key events from the story.

Learning Point: Story characters and events

Step 5: Understanding the Story Structure

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Concept Development

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story. For example: “How did the story start?”, “What was the biggest problem or adventure in the middle?”, “How did the story finish?”.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils describe the beginning, middle, and end of the folktale.

Learning Point: Story structure identification

Step 6: Stating the Main Idea/Meaning

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Critical Thinking/Analysis

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks pupils what they think the story is mostly about or what lesson the story teaches. The teacher helps them to articulate the main idea or meaning of the folktale.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils state the main idea or meaning of the folktale.

Learning Point: Folktale main idea

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is a folktale?
2. Who were the main characters in the story we heard today?
3. What was the story mostly about?
4. What did you learn from the story?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Folktale comprehension check

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to copy the essential Board Summary notes into their notebooks, focusing on the meaning of folktales and how to understand them.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly reminds pupils about the importance of listening to stories and understanding their lessons. The teacher encourages them to ask their parents or grandparents to tell them more folktales.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and participate in a short recap.

Learning Point: Folktales importance reinforced

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Ask your parents or guardians to tell you a short folktale. Then, draw a picture of your favourite character or event from the story.

1. Listen to a folktale from an elder.
2. Draw your favourite character or event.

Lesson Keywords

• Folktale – A traditional story passed down through generations.
• Character – A person or animal in a story.
• Event – Something that happens in a story.
• Main idea – What the story is mostly about or the lesson it teaches.

Differentiation

Support for weaker learners: Provide simpler folktales with very clear plots and morals. Use more visual aids and encourage them to retell the story using gestures or single words. Provide sentence starters for stating the main idea.

Extension for faster learners: Encourage them to retell the story with more detail or to act out parts of the story. Ask them to think about different possible endings for the folktale or to identify other lessons the story might teach.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For a selection of age-appropriate folktales, search on YouTube for: Primary 1 Nigerian folktales for children

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, select an engaging and age-appropriate folktale that has a clear beginning, middle, end, and a discernible main idea or moral. Prepare any necessary visual aids such as pictures of characters or events from the story. During the lesson, tell the story expressively to capture the pupils’ attention. Guide pupils through identifying the characters, events, and structure of the story using simple, direct questions. Pay close attention to their responses when asking about the main idea, providing gentle prompts to help them articulate the central message. Ensure all pupils have the opportunity to participate in retelling or discussing parts of the story. Pupils should copy the Board Summary notes after the main teaching and discussion, during Step 8. Check their understanding throughout the lesson and especially during the evaluation questions in Step 7. For pupils struggling to grasp the concept, simplify your language and use more concrete examples. For those who understand quickly, encourage them to elaborate on their answers or think critically about the story’s deeper meanings.