Folktales to Learn From

Empatico offers an exciting opportunity for educators to connect their classrooms with other classes around the world. Once you have connected with another educator in the Empatico community, you can schedule live virtual exchanges to bring your students together. These cross-cultural experiences enable students to share their stories, explore different perspectives, and make new friends in another community. 

Empatico exchanges are most successful when educators plan and get to know each other beforehand. To do this, please schedule a video call to connect with your partner educator, and use this opportunity to share your goals for this experience, exchange helpful information about your students, and discuss how you will lead the exchange together. Our "Get to Know Your Partner Educator" resource provides suggested conversation prompts for your meeting.

For more tips on leading a positive, cross-cultural experience for your students, please watch our “Teacher Tips” video.

1. Introduce folktales to students. You might explain: “A folktale is a special story, one that has been passed down through generations to teach important lessons. Every culture has its own folktales, and they often convey similar messages about values like honesty, kindness, and cleverness, and what it means to be a good member of the community.” 
   
   Then, read a folktale with your students, such as the ones below: 
   • The Stolen Smell (Peru) for students ages 8-9 years old
   • The Flying Tortoise (Nigeria) for students ages 9-10 years old
   • The Swallow and the Pumpkinseed (Korea) for students ages 10-11 years old
   • The Fisherman and His Wife (Germany) for students ages 11-12 years old 
   • The Four Dragons (China) for students ages 12-13 years old • The Aged Mother (Japan) for students ages 13-14 years old 
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2. After reading the story, engage students in a Think-Pair-Share exercise. Students should: 
   • Think individually about the lesson that they think the story teaches.
   • Pair with someone sitting near them and share their ideas with each other, and see whether they had similar or different interpretations. 
   • Share their thoughts with the rest of the class.
   
   Encourage students to also reflect on the culture represented in the story. For example, you might ask the following questions:
   • What cultural values are depicted in this story? How do these values reflect the beliefs and traditions of the culture that the story comes from?
   • Do we have similar beliefs and traditions in our own community? 
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3. Ask students to share examples of folktales that they are familiar with. It can be a story from their family, culture, or community, or even a popular story from books or media. As defined earlier, the folktale should be one that teaches an important lesson to its audience. 
   
   Make a list of students’ ideas on a physical or digital board visible to everyone, and work together to select the most popular one (e.g., by holding a class vote). 
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4. Then, introduce your students to Empatico by watching this video, and ask them the following questions:
   • How do you feel about meeting our partner class? What do you think our new friends will be like?
   • Do you know anything about the city or country where our partner class is located? Where can we find more information about their location? (e.g., by using Google Earth to explore their neighborhood, or searching for images of their city online)
   • What do you think it might be like to live there? What do you think our neighborhoods might share in common, and how do you think our neighborhoods might be different?
   
   Throughout your conversation, nurture positive feelings such as excitement and curiosity. Explain that it’s normal to notice differences between ourselves and others, and that you will practice doing so respectfully. If any misconceptions or stereotypes arise, gently counteract them and explain how to reframe assumptions by asking questions or making "I wonder..." comments. (e.g., "I wonder what folktales are popular with our new friends.") Ensure that students see this experience as an exciting opportunity to learn from their partner class!
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5. Ask students to prepare to share their selected folktale with their partner class. For example, students might describe: 
   • A brief summary of the folktale, highlighting key characters and events 
   • The message or lesson that the folktale teaches 
   • How the folktale reflects the values and traditions of their community 
   • Any personal connections or experiences with the folktale and its lesson 
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6. Help students come up with questions to ask their partner classmates, such as:
   • What is a story that you like that teaches a good lesson?
   • Do you have any special traditions or memories about storytelling? 
   • Do you celebrate any holidays with special stories? What are they?
   • What is your favorite thing about your city? 
   • What do you like to do outside of school?
   
   Encourage students to write down their reflections and questions on notecards that they can reference during the virtual exchange. 
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7. Establish and share communication norms for the virtual exchange, such as:
   • Keep yourself on “mute” (unless you are talking) to limit background noise, and raise your hand when you want to speak.
   • When it’s your turn to speak, come close to the device, say your comment or question loudly and clearly, and remain at the camera to hear your partner classmate’s response. Start by saying your name (e.g., “Hi, my name is ___. My question is...).
   • Listen attentively to the speaker and use hand signals (e.g., thumbs-up, “me too” signal, etc.) to indicate agreement or similarities.
   • Make sure that others have a chance to speak during the exchange.
   
   Ask students to share additional ideas for how they will show respect to their new friends, and consider leading a practice session so students can practice these strategies and imagine having a fun, positive interaction with your partner class. 
   
   For more tips on setting up your classroom for a virtual exchange, please visit this resource.

Facilitate the virtual exchange using Empatico’s built-in Zoom integration, or the video tool that you previously selected, and follow the suggested exchange structure below:

1. Start the video call by greeting your partner educator, and express gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to connect with each other. Then, facilitate an introduction between students in both classes. You might have them introduce themselves, and share about their class grade, school, location, and/or a fun fact about their community.
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2. Provide space for both classes to share about their folktales, and encourage students to listen carefully and ask follow-up questions to learn more (e.g., “Who is your favorite character in this story? Why?”) Encourage behaviors that show respect and other strengths, like empathy, thoughtfulness, and humility, such as students sharing something they liked about each other’s stories.
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3. Invite students to take turns asking the questions that they prepared, and responding to each other.
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4. End the exchange by asking students to thank their partner class for sharing a part of their day with them, and for the opportunity to get to know each other a little better. Then, students can say “goodbye” and express excitement for meeting again during your next virtual exchange together!