Reasons+for+using+traditional+lit

=What are the reasons for or benefits of using traditional literature with children?= Added by Helen Mastico Traditional literature has many elements that make it a good teaching tool. The stories are often old and sometimes familiar. There are similar stories that are excellent for compare and contrast lessons. For example, one of our elementary libraries has 36 different versions of Cinderella. Cultures from all around the world are represented, Korean, Irish, Mexican, Cambodian to name a few. It is important to note that many of the different cultures have their own version of a story of a hard working, loving girl who suffers but then is rewarded, they are not merely retelling the story with a different ethnicity. These stories bring in certain ideals that are valued in the different cultures, such as filial obedience in Cambodian culture.

The fact that animals are often anthropomorphized in this genre opens up the discussion as to how people and animals relate to one another. They often have a moral lesson, what to do or not to do. Children can relate these morals to their own lives and can be prompted to think about cause and effect. The idea of good versus evil pervades this genre, and this is something that children of all ages are fascinated by.

The fantastical nature of these stories can stimulate the imagination of anyone creative. After hearing a few different tales, students can begin to see how they might create their own. The magical words, “Once upon a time…” are the gateway to another world. Older children can generate their own fables, extrapolating from those heard to aspects of their own lives. Myths and legends try to answer the questions of what it is to be human and how the world (or part of it) came to be and they can become a really interesting project. Older elementary age students really enjoy the discussion of how something came to be what it is and they learn connectedness and cause and effect from this.