Classroom subject areas
“There was an old lady who swallowed a fly…” goes the traditional song. “I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she’ll die.” The old woman goes on cheerfully enough to swallow a spider “that wriggled and jiggled and ticked inside her” and then a bird, a cat, a… Continue reading
Seven at One Blow or The Brave Little Tailor is a Grimm’s fairy tale about a tailor who swats seven flies at once, and is so proud of himself that he boasts to everyone that he has killed “seven at one blow.” When his listeners think he means that he… Continue reading
Many teachers have a favorite Back to School Lesson Plan to kick off the new school year. Heather McDonnell from Walter Turnbow Elementary suggested an unusual one. She studies skylines. Heather’s mission, she says, is “to bring the world to my classroom.” So she uses the Dr. Seuss bookOh,… Continue reading
Rock & roll makes a fun classroom theme, with some surprisingly serious lesson opportunities. It’s one of the easiest things to pull together, too. There’s a Rock the School mini bulletin board set. An easy rock music bulletin board can go up in minutes. There are also cute electric guitar… Continue reading
Indonesian shadow puppets are intricately cut and beautifully painted — and then hidden behind a screen. Used to perform traditional folktales or stories from Hindu epics, these puppets are one of the most characteristic art forms of Indonesia. The concept is simple: put a solid shape behind a transparent… Continue reading
Pandas make a great classroom theme. They connect naturally with studies of biology, environmental science, art, and punctuation — and hey, they’re cute! It’s also very easy to find ready-made panda gear to decorate your classroom — at this time of year, that’s a big plus. Panda Pals from Edupress… Continue reading
Science heroes can come from any place or time, but since I’m posting this during Asian and Pacific American History Month, I’d like to start with China. One year, I taught English to a group of Chinese physics students. They taught me that science heroes were lauded in their… Continue reading
Japan’s lucky cats, or Maneki Neko, have become a popular good luck charm or symbol. The original story tells of a white cat at the Gotoku-ji temple. The temple was poor, and the monks living there struggled with cold and hunger, yet they shared their food with the cat.… Continue reading
The Lambikin is a folk tale from India. It is not very well known in the United States, so it would be a good one to use when you have a class that is tired of all the folktales they already know. In the story, the Lambikin is going to his… Continue reading
The Five Chinese Brothers was written by Claire Huchet Bishop in 1938. While it is generally described as a Chinese folktale, I haven’t found any earlier collections of it. The story begins, “Once upon a time, there were five Chinese brothers, and they all looked exactly alike.” Each brother… Continue reading
