Fables and Stories: Supplemental Guide 9A | The Tale of Peter Rabbit 149
Introducing the Read-Aloud 15 minutes
Folktale Review
- Remind students that a folktale is a made-up story from a long, long
time ago. Folktales were first passed down from person to person,
and then some were written down and put into a book for many
people to enjoy. - Ask students: “Are folktales real or make-believe?” (Folktales are
make-believe.) Remind students that folktales are one kind of fiction. - Remind students that they heard a Jewish folktale. Using their
sequence of the story (Instructional Master 8B-1), have students retell
the story, “The Crowded, Noisy House” to their partner or with home
language peers. - Remind students of the lesson the poor Jewish man learned. (Do not
get upset when things are going badly because it could always be
worse.)
Introducing “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”
Show image 9A-1: The Rabbit family/Mrs. Rabbit with her bunnies
- Tell students that today they are going to hear a well-known story—or
a classic tale—called “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.” Mention that this
story is not a folktale, because instead of being told orally from person
to person, this story was written down and made into a book. The
author and illustrator of this story is a woman named Beatrix Potter.
Picture Walk - Tell students that you will take a picture walk through this story
together.
Show image 9A-1: The Rabbit family/Mrs. Rabbit with her bunnies - Tell students that this is the beginning of the story.
- Have students identify the characters in this story: Mrs. Rabbit,
Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail.
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