I. Russian Fairy Tales (Elementary students) Objective: Students will learn about Russian folk tales and fairy tales (and variations) and be able to identify classic characters, cultural objects and themes in Russian folk lore. This was integrated into the 1st grade unit on fairy tales. Using Russian Fairy Tales: Palekh Painting, by Alexei Orleansky, as a guide, we identified setting and themes in Russian tales, and the lessons such tales can teach us. Over several weeks, we read: The Littlest Martyoshka, by Corinne Demas Bliss Masha and the Firebird, by Margaret Bateson-Hill The Enormous Turnip, by Kathy Parkinson (and variations) Babushka Baba Yaga, by Patricia Polacco Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave, by Marianna Mayer And – our favorite! – Bony-Legs, by Joanna Cole We paid special attention to the clothing worn by the characters as shown in the illustrations in these books – as the characters are often in folk costume. Our students starting pointing out the folk costumes in all sorts of fairy tales they were reading – like in Little Red Riding Hood – and identifying that the characters are dressed that way to show how people dressed in that region long ago. Mrs. Fielding dressed up in Russian folk costume one week! All our first graders now know who Baba Yaga is, that she lives in the forest in a house on giant chicken legs called ishbushka, and that she flies in a stupa. We sang a Baba Yaga song to the tune of “London Bridge” and made individual Baba Yagas with stupas. Next year, we plan to order any other Baba Yaga books we don’t already have and do this Baba Yaga unit annually at Halloween. Resources: library books as listed above Baba Yaga puppet, a gift from our friends in Murom Russian folk costume, provided by Ron Pope Copycat, Sept/Oct. 2000 Edition, pages 43-47. (see attached Baba Yaga, Fairy Tales and Copycat worksheets)