Meaning and Importance of Folk Tales for Boys and Girls for Pre-School Level 4

Class: Pre-School Level 4
Term: First Term
Week: 4
Age: 5 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Civic Education
Curriculum Theme: Civic Education
Previous Lesson: Understanding good manners and polite greetings.
Topic: Meaning and Importance of Folk Tales for Boys and Girls
Subject Matter: Folk Tales for Male and Female – Meaning of folk tales – Importance of folk tales.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Define folk tales in simple terms.
• Identify at least two reasons why folk tales are important.

Affective Domain

• Listen attentively and enjoy folk tales.
• Appreciate the moral lessons learned from folk tales.

Psychomotor Domain

• Participate actively in class discussions about folk tales.
• Act out simple parts of a folk tale.

Social Domain

• Take turns and listen respectfully when others are speaking or telling stories.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 4
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources
• Age-appropriate storybooks with folk tales

Instructional Materials

• Storybooks with colourful illustrations of folk tales
• Picture cards depicting characters or scenes from folk tales
• Chart showing key points about folk tales

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson introduces Pre-School Level 4 pupils to the rich tradition of folk tales, which are essential for teaching moral values, cultural understanding, and language development. Learning about folk tales helps children develop strong listening skills, expand their imagination, and understand the importance of good behaviour in a fun and engaging way, applicable to both boys and girls.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have previously listened to simple stories told by their parents or teachers and can identify basic characters and actions in a story.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Folk Tales for Boys and Girls: Meaning and Importance

Folk tales are old stories that people have told for a very long time. They are passed down from grandparents to parents, and from parents to children. These stories often have animals that talk, magical characters, or brave people. They are for everyone – boys and girls!

What do folk tales teach us?

1. Good lessons (morals): They teach us to be kind, honest, hardworking, and to share.
2. About our culture: They tell us about our traditions and how people lived long ago.
3. New words: We learn many new words when we listen to stories.
4. Imagination: They help us imagine different worlds and characters.
5. Fun: Folk tales are very entertaining and enjoyable to listen to.

Key Words

• Folk tales – Old stories passed down from one generation to another.
• Morals – Good lessons about how to behave.
• Imagination – The ability to think of new ideas and pictures in your mind.

What the Teacher Should Show or Draw

The teacher should show colourful storybooks. The teacher can also draw simple pictures of characters like a tortoise, a rabbit, or a wise old man, to represent folk tale characters.

Folk Tale Song

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Folk tales, folk tales, old and grand,
Stories from our native land.
Boys and girls, we love to hear,
Lessons clear for every ear.
Folk tales, folk tales, old and grand,
Best stories in the land!

Actions:

• “Folk tales, folk tales, old and grand” – Clap hands gently.
• “Stories from our native land” – Point to self and then outwards.
• “Boys and girls, we love to hear” – Point to boys, then girls, then cup hand to ear.
• “Lessons clear for every ear” – Nod head, then cup hand to ear again.
• Repeat actions.

How to use the rhyme: Sing the song together after discussing the importance of folk tales to reinforce the key ideas in a fun way.

Watch a Folk Tale

Let’s watch a short folk tale and see what lesson it teaches us!

(Teacher: Play “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” by Kids Hut, or a similar short, moral-focused folk tale video.)

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Storytelling, Play-based Learning, Question and Answer, Discussion, Picture Talk, Role-play, Songs and Rhymes.

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Recalling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks if they enjoy listening to stories. “Who can tell me their favourite story?” The teacher then introduces the topic: “Today, we will learn about special old stories called folk tales, for both boys and girls!”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, raise hands to share their favourite stories, and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and ready to learn about folk tales.

Step 2: Presentation – Meaning of Folk Tales

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explaining/Storytelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows a storybook and tells a very short, simple folk tale (e.g., a simplified version of “The Tortoise and the Hare” or a local Nigerian folk tale). After the story, the teacher explains: “This is a folk tale! Folk tales are old stories that people have told for a very, very long time. They teach us lessons and are for everyone, boys and girls.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the story, look at the pictures, and listen to the teacher’s explanation of folk tales.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that folk tales are old stories for everyone.

Step 3: Presentation – Importance of Folk Tales

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Discussing/Illustrating

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher asks, “What lesson did we learn from the story I just told?” (e.g., “Slow and steady wins the race”). The teacher then uses the chart to explain the importance of folk tales: they teach good morals, tell us about our culture, help us learn new words, make us imagine, and are fun. The teacher uses simple language and examples.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer questions about the story’s lesson and listen as the teacher explains the importance of folk tales.

Learning Point: Pupils understand that folk tales teach important lessons and have other benefits.

Step 4: Guided Practice – Discussion and Video

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Facilitating/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher plays the short folk tale video (“The Boy Who Cried Wolf”). After the video, the teacher asks: “What happened in the story? What lesson did the boy learn? Was this story for boys or girls, or both?” The teacher encourages both male and female pupils to share their thoughts.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video, then raise their hands to answer questions and discuss the lesson from the folk tale.

Learning Point: Pupils identify lessons from a folk tale and confirm they are for all children.

Step 5: Reinforcement – Folk Tale Song

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Singing/Reinforcing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Folk Tale Song” with actions. The teacher repeats the song a few times to help pupils learn the lyrics and actions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing along with the teacher and perform the actions, reinforcing the concepts of folk tales and their lessons.

Learning Point: Pupils enjoy learning and remember key concepts through song.

Step 6: Application – Story Sharing

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Encouraging/Observing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher encourages a few pupils (both boys and girls) to tell a very short story they know, or to describe a character from a folk tale they like. “Who wants to tell us a very short story they heard at home?”

Pupils’ Activity: A few pupils volunteer to share a short story or describe a character, demonstrating their understanding and participation.

Learning Point: Pupils apply their understanding by sharing stories or ideas related to folk tales.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

1. “What is a folk tale?” (Guide them to say “old story” or “story from long ago”).
2. “Give me one reason why folk tales are important.” (e.g., “They teach us good lessons,” “They are fun”).
3. “Are folk tales only for boys, or only for girls, or for both?”
4. “Point to a picture that looks like it could be from a folk tale.” (Teacher shows picture cards).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summarising/Praising

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises by saying, “Today we learned that folk tales are old, special stories for everyone, boys and girls, and they teach us many good lessons. Keep listening to stories!” The teacher praises the pupils for their active participation.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and respond to the teacher’s praise.

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and feel encouraged.

Lesson Keywords

• Folk tales – Old stories passed down through generations.
• Morals – Lessons about right and wrong behaviour.
• Imagination – The ability to create pictures or ideas in your mind.
• Culture – The way of life of a group of people.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils who struggle, the teacher can use simpler storybooks with very clear pictures, tell shorter stories, or ask yes/no questions to guide their understanding of the meaning and importance of folk tales. Peer support can also be encouraged.
• Extension: For pupils who grasp the concept quickly, the teacher can ask them to identify more lessons from a story, describe their favourite folk tale character in more detail, or even try to create a very short, simple folk tale with a moral.

Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, select 1-2 very short, age-appropriate folk tales (preferably Nigerian or universal with clear morals) that you can tell or read from a storybook. Prepare colourful picture cards related to folk tales. The main idea children must understand is that folk tales are old stories for everyone (boys and girls) that teach good lessons. When telling stories, use expressive voices and gestures to keep pupils engaged. Encourage all pupils, especially shy ones, to participate in discussions by asking open-ended questions and providing positive reinforcement. Observe if pupils can identify a simple moral from a story and can articulate (even in simple terms) why folk tales are important. Their ability to listen attentively and share ideas shows understanding.