‘Momotaro’ (Peach Boy)
In this traditional Japanese tale, a baby is found inside a peach.
In the following Storytime session 3, the field (subject matter) is a Japanese fairytale. A small boy and his animal friends rescue his village from bandits, and the villagers are very grateful (tenor). Although a version of the text is provided below, teachers are encouraged to orally retell the story to their students with prosody and passion, using spoken-like language (mode). I aim to captivate children’s attention by immersing them in a dramatic presentation of the text. Storytelling is underpinned by an oral, playful approach to learning. It helps students to develop a love of rhyme, rhythm and story.
Learning Intentions:
To play a rhythmic pattern in unison
To listen and repeat key phrases in story with prosody
To produce onomatopoeic language with the voice
To enjoy an oral story together
To raise cultural awareness through storying (Cousins & Minns, 2024)
To recite rhymes and rhythms which supports language development.
