As an educator, one of your primary goals is to help your students develop critical reading strategies that will enable them to gain richer, deeper insights into the stories they encounter. When it comes to myths, fables, and folktales, one of the key skills that students must develop is the ability to identify and articulate the underlying themes or messages that these stories convey.

Fortunately, there are a variety of activities that you can use to help students explore and interrogate the themes of myths, fables, and folktales in a fun and engaging way. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Conduct a “theme hunt”:

One effective way to help students identify themes is to have them scan a particular story and identify key phrases or sentences that seem to capture its central message. You might begin by introducing students to some common themes found in myths, fables, and folktales (such as the importance of honesty, the perils of greed, or the power of love) and then ask them to search for examples of those themes in a specific story.

Use graphic organizers:

Graphic organizers such as Venn diagrams, mind maps, and story maps can be excellent tools for helping students identify and organize the various themes of a particular story. Alternatively, you might have students work in groups to create their own graphic organizers based on specific themes or motifs that they notice in the story.

Engage in thought-provoking discussions:

One effective way to help students deepen their understanding of a story’s themes is to engage them in open-ended discussions that encourage them to ask questions and make connections. For example, you might ask students to consider how a particular theme in the story relates to their own experiences or to other stories they have read.

Create multimedia presentations:

Another fun and engaging way to help students explore the themes of a story is to have them create multimedia presentations that incorporate elements such as images, music, and video. For example, students might create a video that uses images and music to explore the theme of transformation in a particular folktale.

Write and perform skits or plays:

Finally, you might encourage students to write and perform their own skits or plays based on the themes of a story. This can be an excellent opportunity for students to reflect on the meaning of the story and to explore the various ways in which its themes might be interpreted.

By using a variety of these activities, you can help your students develop the skills they need to identify and articulate the themes and messages conveyed by myths, fables, and folktales. In doing so, you can help them become more critical readers, better able to engage with the stories they encounter and to draw deeper insights from them.