Folktales and fairy tales began as oral stories that were told to help people explain the world around them. Some are fantastic with ogres while others are more realistic. They can be written in rhyme or with repetitions and as narratives. We have a lot of children’s stories that revolve around Sang Kancil (Mouse Deer). The story of Sang Kancil and the Crocodile is one of my favourite Malaysian Folktales where the tale tells how Sang Kancil managed to outwit a Crocodile. Sang Kancil,  (mouse deer) is regarded as the most intelligent animal in the forest. Many animals will come to seek advice and help from him. Despite its small size, it always manages to trick and defeat his enemy. In today’s busy and sophisticated world children are not aware of their own country’s folktales therefore, I would advice the teachers to put some effort to introduce back Malaysian Folktales to students as it is part of our identity.

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As a Students ...

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How folktales can be useful in the classroom?

1. Students will participate in a teacher-led discussion about folktales to include the following points: Characteristics: exaggeration, humour, hardships to overcome, and hero/heroine to save the day.

2. The teacher reads a folktale to the class. Display on power point presentation of a story sequence chart. With students’ help, the teacher models how to write in story elements. Afterward, students make their own sequence charts.

3. Practice retelling/summarizing the story using the story map. Go through process several times with different students.

4. The teacher models writing a summary of the story. Students copy the summary.

5. Have a Q and A session about what they have learnt.