legends and traditional storiesxtec.gencat.cat/.../legends_and_traditional_stories.pdf · a...

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).

Legends and Traditional Stories Image from: http://www.finnmccoolfestival.co.uk/mccool-legend

http://www.finnmccoolfestival.co.uk/mccool-legend

of 18

1. 10 Tips for Learning Success:

√ Expore a variety of multimodal and authentic materials.

√ Carry out activities that are challenging, and require thinking.

√ Read a text about a legend and answer reading comprehension questions at 3 levels

of comprehension:

explicit, implicit, referential

√ Work individually and collaboratively, in pairs and in groups.

√ Use appropriate language to write and present a legend or traditional story.

√ Listen to an oral telling of the Finn McCool legend, in order to complete a short

summary text.

√ Reflect on material in the unit to identify similarities and differences between

cultures

√ Take greater responsibility for learning, by assessing own and peers’ work.

√ Identify areas for improvement in groupwork activities.

√ Complete a self-reflection activity to reflect on learning in the unit.

of 18

2. A Tale of Two Giants Read the legend, and then answer the True / False questions below

One day a Scottish Giant, Benandonner, began to shout insults at his rival in Northern Ireland, Finn McCool. He shouted across the narrow sea channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland. Benandonner threw a rock at Finn. Finn was very angry, and he began lifting huge stones from the beach and throwing them into the sea to make a causeway, so that the Scottish giant could come to Ireland to face him.

However, when Finn had finished making the causeway he was very tired. When he saw the size of the Scottish giant, he decided that fighting him was probably not a good idea. Instead, Finn McCool thought of a clever plan. His wife, Oonagh, disguised him as a baby in a cot. When Benandonner came to confront him, Oonagh told the Scottish giant that Finn was away hunting but showed him their son sleeping in the cot. The Scottish giant became very frightened when he saw the huge baby, thinking that if the baby was so big, his father must be enormous. Benandonner ran back along the causeway Finn had built, breaking it as he went. Adapted from:

http://www.finnmccoolfestival.co.uk/mccool-legend Image from :

http://vimeo.com/45569144

http://www.finnmccoolfestival.co.uk/mccool-legend


of 18

Stage 1 Explicit Questions Read the legend, and answer these True / False questions:

1. Finn McCool started the conflict, by shouting insults at Benandonner.

2. Benandonner threw a rock at Finn.

3. Finn made a bridge out of stones from the beach.

4. Finn didn’t want to fight Benandonner, because he was too big.

5. Finn’s wife, Oonagh, thought of a clever plan.

6. Oonagh showed Benandonner her baby.

7. Benandonner recognised Finn McCool.

8. Finn ran across the causeway to Scotland. Stage 2: Implicit Questions 1. Who was the ‘winner’ in the story? 2. Was this the strongest and biggest giant? 3. How did this giant ‘win’? Stage 3: Reflective / Evaluative Questions Finn McCool and Brenandonner were neighbours, but they were not friends.

Can you think of any other neighbouring countries which are not friends?

Why are there conflicts?

Did you enjoy reading this legend? Why / why not?

Is this legend similar to legends from your country / area?

of 18

3A Revision – Exercise 1 A Northern Irish Legend: The Tale of Finn McCool and Benandonner

You’re going to watch the animated story of the legend of Finn McCool, and the Giant’s Causeway.

1st Watching task:

1. Tick the things you see in the story. 2. Before you watch, think of 2 more things you expect to see in the legend.

1 a castle

6 a sword

2 a princess

7 a battle

3 a dragon

8 a baby

4 a bridge

9

5 the giant’s wife

10

Animated Video of the Legend can be found here: http://vimeo.com/45569144


of 18

2nd watching task Groupwork: Read the sentences below, and decide the order that you think was correct. Now watch again, and put the story in order:

A

Finn throws rocks into the water, and makes a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland (the Giant’s Causeway).

B Finn runs into his house. His wife has a clever idea. She disguises him as a baby.

C Finn runs across the bridge, and goes to attack Benandonner. Then he sees Benandonner and he feels frightened. He runs away.

D Benandonner opens the door. He eats and drinks with Finn’s wife. He sees a curtain, and he opens it. He sees Finn in the baby’s bed.

E Finn McCool is a Northern Irish giant. One day, he hears Benandonner, a Scottish giant, insulting him. He is angry and he wants to fight Benandonner.

F He breaks the causeway on his way back to Scotland. Now Finn can’t cross the water to Scotland.

G Benandonner chases Finn across the Giant’s Causeway.

H Benandonner thinks: “If Finn’s baby is enormous, Finn must be much, much bigger!” Benandonner is very frightened and he runs away.

Talk to your group:

Can you find any differences between the video of this legend, and the story of the legend that you read earlier?

of 18

Revision – Exercise 2 Summary Listening Task http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id4pmW0-GrI Listen and watch the clip. The second time you watch the clip, complete the following summary of the listening, by circling the correct option:

The Giant’s Causeway was created by Finn McCool. He built it to fight a rival in

Scotland, Benandonner. He thought Benandonner was 1. bigger/smaller than him.

When he had built the Causeway, he ran across it. He saw Benandonner 2. nearby / in the distance, and he realised that Benandonner 3. was / was not scary and

fierce. Finn ran back to Ireland and asked his wife, Oona for some help.

4. Oona / Finn had a clever idea. She dressed Finn up as a baby, and he hid in the

baby’s crib. Benandonner came to 5. Scotland / Ireland, and banged on the door.

Oona answered and said that Finn McCool wasn’t at home. She invited him inside

for 6.tea / coffee. Benandonner came in, but when he saw the baby he panicked.

He ran away, and tore up the rest of the Causeway. He didn’t want Finn to come

and chase him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id4pmW0-GrI

of 18

3B Extension Work with a team.

Photos taken from Flickr Creative Commons licences: http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_phots/ Attributions: Etrusia UK, facildeuntar

Look at the photos. Can you guess this country?

Match the questions to the answers.

1 What is the capital city?

a) It is one of four countries that make up the United Kingdom.

2 How many people live there? b) This country is in the north of Europe.

3 Is it an independent country?

c) The population is 1,800,000 people.

4 Where is this country in Europe?

d) It shares a border with one other country. It forms part of an island.

5 Is it next to some other countries?

e) The capital city of this country is Belfast.

Can you think of any more questions to ask your teacher about this country?

1.

2.

3.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e_phots/

of 18

Did you guess right? The country’s name is: Northern Ireland It is one of the 4 countries in the United Kingdom. Can you name the other missing 3 countries?

Check with your teacher, to see if you were right! Now write the capital cities of the countries in the United Kingdom in this table:

Country Capital City

Northern Ireland Belfast

of 18

Northern Ireland: The Giant’s Causeway This is one of the most famous places to visit in Northern Ireland. It is a place where big, hexagonal rocks extend into the sea

Discuss these questions with your group:

Why do you think that The Giant’s Causeway is such a popular tourist destination?

Why do you think it’s called ‘The Giant’s Causeway’? The Giant’s Causeway is a beautiful, and unusual geographical feature in Northern Ireland.

What places like this are there in your own country?

You can include places like rivers, seas, beaches, mountains, lakes, natural parks, rock formations, etc.

of 18

4. Project Discussion:

Work with a group. What legends and traditional stories do you know? Think of 3. What happens (briefly) in the story? The Structure of Legends Look at the following table, which analyses the ‘components’ of a traditional story or legend:

Hero / heroine Little Red Riding Hood

Opponent

The wolf

Situation at the beginning

Grandmother is hungry and needs some cakes

Conflict in the story

The wolf eats Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother, and wants to eat Little Red Riding Hood

Problem is resolved

The woodcutter rescues Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother

Happy ending? The wolf is killed

Can you think of another legend / traditional story? Work with a partner, and complete the poster Presentation Present your poster to the rest of the class.

of 18

Hero / heroine

Opponent

Situation at the beginning

Conflict in the story

Problem is resolved

Happy ending?

of 18

Listening to legends / traditional stories Work with two classmates. Each person has a different story. The story is a traditional fairy story. Listen and identify ONE THING that has changed in the story. Student A Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl called Cinderella. She had two ugly step-sisters. She couldn’t go to the ball at the castle, but her fairy godmother helped her. She went to the ball and she danced with the prince, but she had to leave at midnight. She lost her glove, but the prince found it, and he looked for her. When he found her, Cinderella and the prince got married. Student B Once upon a time, Jack and his mother had nothing to eat. Jack sold his cow for some beans. A magic beanstalk grew, and Jack climbed it. He found a castle with a giant. The giant wanted to eat Jack, but Jack ran away. He took the giant’s magic pig with him. The pig laid golden eggs. Jack and his mother lived happily ever after. Student C Once upon a time, there was a girl called Goldilocks. She went into the woods. She found a little house, and she went in. There were three bowls of porridge, and she ate one. There were three chairs, and she sat on one. There were three beds, and she fell asleep on one of them. Then the three bears came home. They were very happy to see Goldilocks, because she was their best friend. Listen and complete the table:

Student:

A B C

One thing that is WRONG with this story

of 18

Groupwork

Work in groups of 3 – 4 students.

Work together, and choose a legend that you know, or a traditional story. Choose one of the following options:

a) You can choose the traditional legend / fairy story b) You can change 3 things in the traditional legend / fairy story eg. Little Red Riding Hood and the lion Snow white and the 3 Dwarves

Oral Presentation Present your legend / traditional story to your class. *You can use Powerpoint to present your story. *You can divide the story into 3 or 4 parts. Each student can present a different part of the story.

Groupwork Planning: Our choice of legend / traditional story is: .............................................................................................................................. We are going to:

a) tell the traditional story b) make 3 changes to the traditional story

Student name Responsible for: Eg. start / middle / end of story

Visual material for presentation (eg. pictures / powerpoint slides)

1.

2.

3.

4.

of 18

5. Assessment:

Peer assessment and Self assessment 1. Evaluate other groups’ presentations of a legend / traditional story in this way, by giving them a mark out of 4 for:

Description of the story

Presentation of the story

2. Evaluate YOUR OWN group’s presentation, using the same criteria.

Evaluation Describing the story Presenting the story

Exemplary 4

Very good description of the story. All events in the traditional story are narrated, and described with a very good amount of detail.

Narration of the story is very good, with very appropriate: Volume Expressiveness Speed of delivery Visual support (pictures or powerpoint)

Good 3

Good description of the story. Most events in the traditional story are narrated, and described with some detail.

Narration of the story is good, with mostly appropriate: Volume Expressiveness Speed of delivery Visual support (pictures or powerpoint)

Satisfactory 2

Sufficient description of the story. Some events may be missing. Some details are described, but some are not expanded on.

Narration of the story is sufficient, and some of the following aspects are at the appropriate level: Volume Expressiveness Speed of delivery Visual support (pictures or powerpoint)

Needs improvement

1

Insufficient description of the story. Some events from the traditional story are left out. The story is brief, and not sufficiently expanded.

Narration of the story is poor, with problems with the following aspects: Volume Expressiveness Speed of delivery Visual support (pictures or powerpoint)

Things to improve:

Things to improve:

of 18

Self Assessment At the end of this unit, I can:

Objectives

Teacher Comment

Example:

Put the events of a story in order x

Identify what a legend is, and discuss

the ingredients that make up a typical

legend or fairy story.

Identify some typical vocabulary from

legends and fairy stories.

Identify the 4 countries that make up

the United Kingdom, and their capital

cities. Identify the location of the

legend about ‘The Giant’s Causeway’.

Read a text about the legend and

answer reading comprehension

questions at 3 levels of comprehension:


Listen and identify some ‘errors’ in

some traditional stories.

Present a legend or traditional story.

of 18

Evaluate own presentation, identifying

strengths and areas for improvement

Evaluate other groups on their

presentation, and identify their

strengths and areas for improvement

Listen and understand the Finn McCool

legend, in order to complete a short

summary text.

Work well with my classmates, in order

to: share ideas, plan together, share responsibility, produce good work as a group

of 18

6. Checklist In this unit you have:

Explored a variety of multimodal and authentic materials.

Carried out activities that are challenging, and require thinking.

Read a text about a legend and answered reading comprehension questions

at 3 levels of comprehension:


Worked individually and collaboratively, in pairs and in groups.

Used appropriate language to write and present a legend or traditional

story.

Listened to an oral telling of the Finn McCool legend, in order to complete a

short summary text.

Reflected on material in the unit to identify similarities and differences

between cultures

Taken greater responsibility for learning, by assessing own and peers’ work.

Identified areas for improvement in groupwork activities.

Completed a self-reflection activity to reflect on learning in the unit.

legends and traditional storiesxtec.gencat.cat/.../legends_and_traditional_stories.pdf · a...

Documents