During my Internship in college, my mentor teacher read a book called, Baby Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave to her second grade class. The book is a Russian fairy tale that very closely follows Cinderella. The main character, Vasilisa, is tormented by her step-mother and two step-sisters because of her beauty. In order to rid themselves of Vasilisa, they send her to the ancient, terrible Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga is a witch-like creature that lives in the forest, who eats humans. Vasilisa is able to survive her encounter with Baba Yaga by her mother's love and goes on to marry the Tsar and live happily ever after.
This story is written incredibly well and engages the students from the very beginning. The illustrations are eye catching and both the second grade students and my current fifth grade students were equally interested in the story. I use this story to teach the writing traits of voice and word choice. The students use the author's example to model their own writing for the beginning of a spooky story we write each year. This is a very motivating story that can engage every child.
One of my best friends adopted a young girl (age 6) from Russia and I remember this story as one that we looked for when we were buying books for her new room. We also used this book to help her learn the English language. It was amazing the number of stories that we could relate to from our childhood years.
ReplyDeleteGreat story Ashli! I agree that teaching is so much more than instructing. I don't have any work experience in the teaching field, but I had a 5th grade teacher who was the sweetest being on this earth. I still remember her today. She was so nurturing and encouraging. I never had another teacher like her since then. You kind of sound like her. I bet your heart just melted when your student told you that he wished that you were his mom.
ReplyDeleteMemories of moments with teachers can last a lifetime. I still remember my fifth grade teacher praising me for a story I wrote. That encouraged me so that I continued to write throughout school and adult life. One highlight is that I was offered a publishing deal through a major publishing company. I hope to get it done soon. Moments with teachers can carry through a childs whole life.
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