Teach Using Clever Tom and the Leprechaun Book
Ideas for Using an Irish Myth for Curriculum Skills
Clever Tom and the Leprechaun is a retelling of a wise old myth about a cocky fellow Tom who wanted to get something for nothing. While developing critical thinking skills, students can improve in their ability to describe and evaluate a story's character while writing about decision-making, point of view, and story setting.
Overview of Clever Tom and the Leprechaun
Set in lush Irish countryside with bigger than life characters, this old Irish story, first published by Scholastic in 1988, was retold and illustrated by Linda Shute. Tom thought himself rather clever, although the reader discovers he is of doubtful character. His efforts get rich quick by cheating a leprechaun out of his pot of gold backfires in an unexpected ending.
Opportunity to Teach Critical Thinking Skills
This book offers a fine literary vehicle to teach critical thinking skills while developing understanding that strategy involves thinking each situation through before making snap decisions. This concept of the effectiveness of using critical thinking to develop strategy helps children discover that decisions can require more than straight-line logic.
Class discussion is appropriate here to try on various "What ifs" thus using critical thinking to develop insight to consequences of other possible decision. For example, what if the leprechaun really was poor as he told Tom? What if Tom had used his boot instead of shovel to dig with? Then predict how the story might end differently depending on different choices. As students show gains in their reading strategies they become more literate about life.
Writing Assignment to Understand Decision-Making Skills
First, have children assess what went wrong with Clever Tom's logic. Then ask students to write alternate choices Tom could have made rather than going home to get the shovel as he did. Students can work in pairs or groups, exploring several possible actions Tom could have chosen. Then, after discussion, students can write what Tom might have done if he had become rich, and why.
To extend the students' thinking, another writing task could explore why most get-rich-quick schemes don't work. Also write cause and effect sentences like "Because Tom grabbed the leprechaun, the little man ________________" or "Because the little man promised he wouldn't take the red garter off the bush Tom _________________." Teaching in the classroom can become a joy as teachers watch students learn to use their creative thinking in studying Clever Tom and the Leprechaun.
Using Clever Tom as a Character Study
Children can describe both Tom, discussing his work ethic, intentions, and personality traits. Then do the same for the leprechaun, telling about his character, thinking style, motivations, and personality. Have students decide if they were both sincere, or just one, and if so which one.
Reinforce parts of speech by underlining or highlighting all the adjectives used in the character study, or other parts of speech which are being studied at the time.
Teaching Point of View Using Clever Tom and the Leprechaun
Have students retell the story from the leprechaun's point of view. This can be done by planning and performing skits, mock interviews with the two characters, or other creative ideas from the students.
Supplemental Teaching Materials for Extended Learning About Story Setting
To further clarify the Irish setting, students can use maps of Ireland and Europe. Some may wish to use a map of the world to show where the story took place.
Each group can take a certain country in Europe and show on a map where it is in relation to Ireland, giving a few facts about the country.
Read Clever Tom and the Leprechaun with students and increase skills of critical thinking, writing, decision-making, character descriptions, point of view, and story setting.
Reference:
Shute, Linda. Clever Tom and the Leprechaun. NY: Scholastic, 1988.
Irish Myths
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Clever Tom and the Leprechaun
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