Teaching Native American Folktales to Improve English Language Skills

Section 1: Lesson Preparation
Teacher Candidate Name:


Grade Level:


Date:


Unit/Subject:


Instructional Plan Title:


Lesson Summary and Focus:

The Circle of Life and the Clambake is an interesting American folktale that explains the importance of natural resources and self-dependence via a story of the Wampanoag people and their dependence on the giant Maushop (Bruchac, 2022). This story will help students understand native American folk culture and the value of biodiversity; additionally, this simple text will enhance the vocabulary and reading comprehension of the pupils belonging to different non-native ethnic persuasions.

Classroom and Student Factors/Grouping:

Classroom demography, ethnic diversity, students' behavioural responses and environment play a vital role in selecting, planning, and teaching a piece of literature. This class is multiethnic and socially diverse as it comprises Hispanic, African American, Asian, and native white students with highly varied reading performance levels and English learning capabilities. Not all of them have Internet access at home; additionally, most students' non-native ethnicity impedes their practical English language learning activities.

National/State Learning Standards:

The National and State standards of language teaching demand that students read a wide range of English texts to develop an in-depth understanding of American culture and social norms and ethics. Additionally, they require students to employ various learning strategies, including the book walk strategy, reading comprehension, learning of the connection between sound and letter, understanding of the sentence structure, and use of varied strategies to write, read, and speak English language (NCTE / IRA Standards for the English Language Arts, 2022). The text to be used for this lesson planning is very suitable for developing the language learning skills in non-native students required by the National and State Standards. Based on these standards, a student’s reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities are judged via various performance indicators listed below:
* Interpretive communication: ability to recognize and learn common English words via reading or gestures
* Presentational communication: the ability to express ideas using writing and speaking techniques, including self-introduction in English
* Interpersonal communication: ability to communicate using written and spoken forms of language communication

Specific Learning Target(s)/Objectives:

The aim of teaching this specific native American folktale is to develop the following learning skills in the students of various ethnicities:
* To be able to read simple English language text and understand commonly used vocabulary
* To be able to make contextual and linguistic interpretations of the folktale
* To use the text and vocabulary to understand the specific cultural and social makeup
* To use common vocabulary to communicate verbally or in written form using the English language
* To make an understanding of the English language in a specific American cultural context
* To identify the significance of plan...