Use an Irish Folk Tale to Teach Genre
The Hungry Leprechaun Elementary Reading Lesson Plan
Feb 19, 2009
Although the trade picture book The Hungry Leprechaun by Mary Calhoun [William Morrow and Company, 1962] is an original story, its text structure is that of a folk tale, and it can be used by elementary teachers to introduce students to the characteristics of a folk tale, particularly folk tales that explain why something in the world is the way it is.
How to Teach Genre
To begin this elementary reading lesson plan, introduce students to the concept of genre by pointing out that the things people read are written in different ways and for different reasons. Different texts belong to different genres. Work with students to identify the genres of texts they have read recently, such as poems, funny stories, or how-to directions.
How to Introduce the Characteristics of Folktales
Explain that a folktale is a simple story that people in the past told each other instead of writing the story down. Common characteristics of folktales include:
- beginning with the phrase "Once upon a time..."
- some use of the number three, such as three main characters, three wishes, or three attempts to do something
- a simple plot involving normal people where a problem is solved and everything ends happily
Ask students to keep these characteristics in mind as they hear the story of The Hungry Leprechaun. Note that this particular story is a type of folk tale that tells why something is the way it is.
Share the Book and Teach Text Structure
Display the cover of this Irish folk tale and have students discuss who is on it and what he is doing. Next, share the book with students, filling in important events on a story map along the way. Make sure students can identify:
- the problem Patrick is facing at the beginning (He is poor and needs food.)
- how Patrick plans to solve this problem (catch a leprechaun and get its gold)
- what happens when Tippery tries to turn the dandelion soup into gold
- what happens when Tippery tries to turn the sunlight into gold
- what happens when Tippery tries to turn the rocks into gold
- what this story explains (where potatoes come from)
Remind students that the text structure of a story is the way the author has organized the text. Have students use the completed story map to discuss the text structure of this Irish tale. To give them practice with analyzing text structure, help them compare and contrast the three times Tippery tries to use magic, identifying general similarities and repeated phrases or details. Record details in a three-column chart, if necessary. Make sure students note the most important difference in the third event: This time Tippery turns an object into something useful.
How to Identify Genre
Have students recall the characteristics of folktales and identify ones found in this story. For example, this tale starts with "Once upon a time," Patrick is a normal person with a problem that is solved, Tippery does magic three times, and the story explains where potatoes in Ireland came from.
Finish with a discussion of the story's theme. Ask students to think about whether Patrick and Tippery were happy at the end of the story and what they learned, particularly about the worth of gold versus the worth of other things in life, such as potatoes.
For assessment, have students use what they have learned about text structure and the genre of folktales to write their own short folktales that explain where something in the world came from.
Integrated Enrichment Activities
- For a life science activity, have students grow potato plants from potato eyes.
- For a social studies activity, discuss the historical importance of potatoes in the Irish diet.
- For a cooking activity to give practice with following steps in a process, have students cook and serve potatoes one of the ways mentioned in the book.
- For practice with making text-to-text connections, have students compare this story with another Irish folktale that explains the origin of something, such as Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman [Charlesbridge, 2007] or Too Many Leprechauns by Stephen Krensky [Simon & Schuster, 2007].
This elementary reading lesson plan can be used as part of a unit on folktales or as a standalone St. Patrick's Day reading lesson plan. At any time, teaching students how to analyze text structure and identify the genre of a text will make them both better readers and better writers.
Teachers and parents can use other Irish folktales to teach other reading comprehension skills or practice writing skills, or use shamrocks in elementary math activities.
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