Lesson Plan: Figures From Folklore

Sometimes a short deadline motivates the students to put the hammer down and produce something that is even better than what they’d manage in lessons upon lessons of preparation. I wanted a quick lesson plan as a filler just before my students left on autumn break. Here’s what I came up with.

Suitable Tie-In Discussion Topics:

• Halloween
• Fear
• Ghosts and Goblins

Figures from Folklore

Prepare a short presentation of one of the folkloric creatures listed below, but remember — first come first served. You won’t be allowed to present the same creature as someone else.

Creatures to choose from:

• Krampus
• Nixie
• Hanako-san
• The Jersey Devil
• Bloody Mary
• Melusine
• Baba Yaga
• Eglė the Queen of Serpents

The presentation should answer at least the following key questions:

• How would you describe the character? Feel free to include illustrations.
• Where does the creature originate from?
• When did it first appear?
• Does it appear still in popular culture? Where?

• Did you already know about this particular creature?
• Can you name other figures from folklore?