Objective:
To demonstrate to students that folktales are fashioned by the community over time and are changed and modified as time passes.
Methods:
For this lesson, students will read, organize, and dramatize one of the folktales read. For example “Reep on Stepping” from
Black Folktales
is a good place to start.
1.
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Student groups will choose a narrator and the parts of master, missy, and the children. The narrator retells the story of Dave and also acts the part of Dave. He describes the events as though they were his own memories.
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As Dave nears the end of his story, he keeps on stepping as the master tells him “Dave! The children love you. I love you, and Missy, she like you. But remember Dave! You still a nigger!”
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2.
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The class will discuss the significance of what it means to “keep on stepping”. The class will apply this story to a modern day situation where a person in the public eye has to “keep on stepping”.
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3.
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Students who do not wish to be part of the dramatization can help make small props. For example in “Keep on Stepping” they will need a boat, a hoe, and a picture of a plantation house.
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