Unlocking Folktale Connections: Raven vs. Ananses Quests

Abstract

Exit Ticket: Connecting the Dots - Lesson Plan Modification Content-Literacy Unit: Folktales Around the World Context: A fourth grade teacher is teaching a unit on myths and folktales to begin the school year. By working through a text set of stories from various African, North American, and Asian cultures, students build foundational knowledge about the elements of folktales and mythology across the world. Preparing for LP Modification: Review the topics and concepts that students have been learning in the first few days of the unit, leading up to the Raven lesson. As you learn about the Raven folktale for today’s lesson, consider which prior knowledge might be most useful for students to support and facilitate new learning. Pay particular attention to Anase the Spider. Build your own background knowledge of Raven, the Trickster of Haida and other Pacific Northwest tribes’ mythology, and the story students will read about How Raven Brought Light to the World. Consider the focus standards for the lesson; then complete the student exit ticket below. RL.4.9: Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, traditional literature from different cultures. Notecatcher/Exit Ticket: How is the story of Raven’s quest different from Ananse’s? How are they similar? Explain using evidence from the text. Both Raven and Ananse want to acquire something that will give them more power. Raven wants to have the light, so he can see and move about the world more easily. Ananse wants to own the stories of the world. If he owned all the stories, he would be the god of all stories. The character of Ananse is different from Raven, because Ananse is already a god. Raven is not. Raven steals the light, but also ends up creating things as he flees from the old magician. First, he creates the stars, then the moon, and finally the sun. Ananse does not create anything in his story, but he is portrayed as very clever. LP Modification: Read the lesson plan linked here, considering how it will engage all students in surfacing and connecting relevant prior knowledge. Your task is to decide how to modify the lesson plan so it meets all Connecting the Dots criteria. Consider the “Warm-Up (Retrieval Practice)” section of the lesson. Does it target the most important, relevant background knowledge for students to think about? Explain. Some things to consider: What will be the hardest part of the lesson or the learning goal for students? That is, where are students likely to struggle -- and what prior knowledge might help them navigate those challenge points? What aspects of the text might they understand only superficially without connecting to other prior knowledge? Is this prior knowledge that most students are likely to have? If not, what relevant, important prior knowledge might more students have access to and be able to leverage to support new learning? To-Be- Remembered Content Target Prior Knowledge: Students’ personal experiences of crows and similar animals, or other animals of the Pacific Northwest Warm-Up (Retrieval Practice) Personal Connection Discussion: Have any of you ever seen a raven? Raise a hand and share your experience -- what you saw it do, what it looked like! Yes. I remember when my little brother didn’t want to eat his vegetables, so my mom told him they were ‘superhero power bites’ that would make him strong like his favorite superhero. He got really excited and ate them all without complaining. My mom tricked him in a clever way. In the end, he was happy, and my mom got him to eat his veggies without a fight. This example connects to the theme of trickery being used for a purpose, just like in the stories of Ananse and Raven. b) What relevant, important prior knowledge might the teacher focus students on thinking about and connecting instead? Consider the prior knowledge that will best help them to understand the full meaning of the text and to meet...