Use Irish Folk Tale to Teach Making Inferences
Leprechaun Gold Elementary Reading Lesson Plan
Feb 21, 2009
Part of the fun of reading the trade picture book Leprechaun Gold by Teresa Bateman [Holiday House, 1998] is figuring out how the leprechaun rewards Donald O'Dell without Donald being aware of the leprechaun's actions. That makes this charming Irish folk tale perfect for an elementary reading lesson plan to teach students the reading comprehension skill of inferring.
How to Introduce the Book
Read the title, display the cover, and invite students to share any prior knowledge they have about leprechauns, pots of gold, and why people want to catch leprechauns. Have students share details about any stories they have read or heard previously about leprechauns rewarding deserving people.
Share the Book and Teach Making Inferences to Elementary Students
Before reading, remind students that authors do not always tell readers everything about a story. Sometimes readers must combine their prior knowledge with information from a story to make an inference, or figure out why something happened.
Next, read the book to students, pausing from time to time to have them make inferences. Examples of inferences students can make include:
- Who leaves the pot of gold on Donald's doorstep and why?
- Who fills Donald's pockets full of gold and why?
- Why does Donald keep taking the gold back to the nearest fairy mound?
- Who leaves the latch to the byre undone so that the cow escapes and why?
- Who makes the branch blow against Donald's chest and why?
- Why is Maureen's roof suddenly leaking?
- How did the leprechaun end up rewarding Donald, and what does the leprechaun mean when he says "There's more than one kind of gold in this world."?
As students make each inference, assess their understanding of the process by asking them to identify what prior knowledge and what information from the story they are using to make it. Students will also enjoy looking for and identifying where the leprechaun is hiding on various pages throughout the story.
Discuss the Importance of Inferring
Discuss how making inferences has helped students understand the story's plot and theme. Talk about how the inferences students made helped them to understand the different things the leprechaun did to help Donald.
Then, remind students that the theme is the big idea of a story. For assessment, ask students to describe the theme of this story in one sentence. For example, A loving husband or wife is as good a reward as a pot of leprechaun gold. Talk about how the inferences students made helped them figure out the theme of this story. Finally, discuss story-related issues such as why the leprechaun went to such trouble to reward Donald and why a loving spouse might be a good reward.
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. Mastering the ability to make inferences will help students become more perceptive readers who are better able to follow the plots and identify and analyze the themes of texts.
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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