Pourquoi Tales Reading Comprehension and Story Writing Lesson

Description

This pourquoi tales reading comprehension and story writing resource gives students everything they need to read, analyze, and write their own origin stories.

Pourquoi tales are a sub-genre of folktales that explain how something in the natural world came to be, and they show up across many cultures. This resource walks students through reading example stories, analyzing story elements, answering comprehension questions, and then planning and writing an original pourquoi tale of their own.

WHAT YOU WILL GET:

• Two example pourquoi stories written at a 3rd grade level
• Story outline/analysis page
• Original pourquoi tale with comprehension questions and answer key
• Story planning graphic organizer
• Writing paper
• Question prompts for writing ideas

Example Stories:

The set includes retellings of How the Leopard Got His Spots and Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky, both written at a 3rd grade reading level. These work well as an introduction to the genre and give students a clear sense of what makes a pourquoi tale — the characters, the problem, and the explanation of how something came to be.

Story Outline:

This one-page organizer can be used alongside the example stories or with any pourquoi tale you’re already using in your classroom. Students identify the characters, setting, problem, and solution. It also doubles as a planning guide when students are ready to write their own story.

Reading Comprehension Story:

Students read an original pourquoi tale called How Giraffe Got a Long Neck and answer a set of comprehension questions that go with it. An answer key is included.

Writing Activity:

Students use a graphic organizer to plan the main elements of their own original pourquoi tale, then write it out on the included writing paper. The planning page helps them organize their thinking before they draft.

Question Prompts:

A set of writing prompt questions is included for students who need a starting point. These can also be used to spark discussion during whole-group instruction or handed out to small groups for a collaborative writing activity — give each group a different question and have them write a story together.

This resource works well as part of a folktales or narrative writing unit. You can use the example stories and outline for whole-group instruction, the comprehension story as an independent or small-group activity, and the writing pages as a culminating task. It also fits literacy centers or early finishers who are ready to move into the writing portion on their own.

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