The role of fairy tales in teaching English at primary school level

Teaching foreign languages through fairy tales on the materials of Cinderella in the English literature
Teaching English as a foreign language through fairy tales

The role of fairy tales in teaching English at primary school level

INTRODUCTION
Literature plays an important role in our life. Fairy tales as a part of the children’s literature could be a valuable source for teaching English as a foreign language. Fairy tales might be considered one of the possible supplementary teaching materials for English language learners. It is not only the atmosphere of mystery, thrill and wonder which makes fairy tales so unique and valuable but they can bring the whole magic world to a young reader and learner. They can open the old wisdom and knowledge of humankind which we often forget about. Literature provides wonderful source material for eliciting strong emotional responses from students and using it in classroom is a fruitful way of involving the learner as a whole person. Fairy tales may contribute to the enrichment of a young reader’s knowledge in a number of ways. They teach moral and values highlighting the most universal norms and standards of language existence. In addition to that, fairy tales are a particular type of text which can be adapted to suit the child’s age, whereas their composition of sentences and plot is simple and understandable. Previous research on fairy tales in the English classroom was conducted by a student of the University of Tartu Narva College in 2007. The research was done by Valentina Ivanova in her graduation thesis „Modern Fairy Tales at English Classes in Compulsory School”. The research focuses on the usage of modern fairy tales in school practice. Ivanova conducted the survey among the students in order to find out whether they liked to read fairy tales or whether they liked to learn English through modern fairy tales. When she received positive results, 80 per cent of the students replied that they enjoyed reading fairy tales and they would like to learn the language through modern fairy tales, the author picked some modern fairy tales and made lesson plans, the procedure of the lessons was presented in tables. Ivanova made three lesson plans: learning adjectives through modern fairy tales, learning grammar through modern fairy tales and personal growth through modern fairy tales. The research introduces ways and techniques of how modern fairy tales might be used in English lessons. Many teachers believe that the basic truth of learning a foreign language naturally entails doing work of the ´boring but necessary´ type. Others spend a lot of time trying to find more interesting ways to teach foreign language by searching materials on the Internet or looking for materials in the additional books. However, the teachers should do their best in order to motivate and support the learning environment in the classroom as much as possible.