Mrs. Coomber's Kinderland

For the next few weeks, we will be learning about classic folktales in my kindergarten class. I love these traditional tales for their ability to be told orally. We talk about how these stories have been told over and over again. Traditional tales often have repeated refrains which make them easy to remember and ideal to tell out loud together. From the moment we begin with “once upon a time,” the students are immediately engaged in the storytelling experience. learning to tell classic folktales gives young children a blueprint for creating their own stories.

Before introducing a new story, I add some storytelling props to the classroom. On our first day of reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, I added three differently sized chairs and a basket full of props to the reading center.

The students were immediately intrigued by the chairs, especially the smallest. There was a buzz of excitement and many questions- why would I add chairs to the reading area, they wondered. Like any good little detective, they began to wonder if we might be reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

I like to begin the week by reading Paul Galdone’s classic retelling of The Three Bears. The next day, I tell the story orally using my homemade felt board pieces.

The students notice slight differences in my retelling and are excited to try out telling the story in the reading center throughout the week, both with the stuffed bears and the felt board pieces. I love hearing the rich language of storytelling within the classroom. I hear students using new vocabulary and confidently interacting with character voices, building language and communication skills. I see students engaging collaboratively as they enter a world of role-play, developing symbolic logic, and building social skills and confidence. And I experience the joy of teaching as students follow the map of these traditional tales to create and imagine new characters, endings, and their own stories altogether.

Here is a video I made during my covid virtual teaching days for my preschool class.