Seattle Art Museum: Grandfather's House

Lesson 7: Picture This! Illustrate a Korean Folk Tale

Grades 1–5

Washington State Reading Essential Learnings Focus

The student will:
1.4 understand elements of literature—fiction
2.1 comprehend important ideas and details
2.2 expand comprehension by analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing information and ideas
3.3 read for literary experience

Washington State Communication Essential Learnings Focus

The student will:
1.2 listen and observe to gain and interpret information

Washington State Arts Essential Learnings Focus

The student will:
1.2 organize arts elements into artistic compositions
4.4 recognize the influence of the arts in shaping and reflecting cultures and history

Washington State Geography Essential Learnings Focus

The student will:
3.3 examine cultural characteristics, transmission, diffusion, and interaction

Suggested introduction:

Teachers may wish to introduce the p’ansori tradition of singing and storytelling. The folk tale students will hear was originally told in the form of an epic song. This story was one of the five basic tales in the p’ansori tradition. A singer could take several days to sing and tell the full story! The singer used her voice and some movement to tell the story; the audience saw the events in their minds instead of on a screen. To help the audience visualize the unfolding story, the singer included many descriptive details. At certain points during the story, the singer would include many verses listing the contents of the house or room in great detail.

Teacher prompts for discussion while students plan their illustration of a story event:

Where did the episode happen? Inside the house or outside? If inside, in which part of the house? This is the setting for the event.
What are some items found in this area of the house that you could include in your drawing to show where the incident took place? Review images that can create a setting:

Kitchen: kettle, stove, cooking pots
Veranda: fan, rice chest, mat
Women’s quarters: bedroll, clothing, purse
Courtyard: storage jars, kite, gate, wall
Men’s quarters: calligraphy brushes, furniture, hat

Essential Question How can I create a folk tale illustration showing its household setting?		Generalization Folk tale words and illustrations can be enriched by the details of a setting.
Description of Lesson Students read and illustrate a Korean folk tale.	Resources Handout of folk tale "The Queen Swallow’s Gift," images of Korean houses, drawing materials
Target Learnings The student illustrates a story incident within its household setting.	Assessment Criteria 1. The student drew an illustration of an incident from the Korean folk tale. 2. The illustration depicts the house as its general setting (includes walls, roof, or other general feature). 3. The illustration depicts the appropriate part of the house as its setting (includes household or courtyard items specific to one area).
Instructional Strategies What the Teacher Does Reads, or has students read, the Korean folk tale with discussion of the household setting at the places indicated by an asterisk. Guides students in recalling events from the story and putting them in proper sequence. Guides students in choosing an incident from the story to illustrate in a setting of a part of the house. For K-2: students choose a favorite incident from the story as a group. For 3-5: Students choose their own event individually. Explains that students should draw the event in its setting, and discuss visual elements that can be included in the drawing to create this setting. Guides students in drawing their story event in the center of their page, reminding them to leave some space around it to draw in the setting. Suggest that students begin by drawing some part of the house (such as door, walls, or roof), and then add a household item. Compare results. How did different drawings show the event? Show the setting?	Creative Process What the Student Does Listens to story and identifies which part of the house or what type of house (thatched-roof or tile-roof) is involved for specific incidents; names some of the contents of the rooms. Recalls events from the story in sequence. Draws or positions story characters within a household setting. Draws details to indicate a specific location within the household setting.
Assessment Strategies Performance-based assessment of visual art work	Evidence of Student Learning Student illustrations
Vocabulary Folk tale, sequence, setting, space, auspicious, eaves, gourd, silk, brocade	Life Applications Student can visualize settings from text. Student can use key selected visual elements to represent a larger whole.

Possible extension: If enough students have illustrated different episodes, their work can be put together into a set of storytelling cards. Students can take turns retelling the story while showing the illustrations.

Or compare versions of the story. A different version is included on the audiotape Tales of Korea by Cathy Spagnoli (New York: The Korea Society, 1994) and on the Explore Korea page of the Museum’s web site. In this version, a talking turtle takes the place of the swallow; the tape teaches and then uses the Korean words for family members and the numbers 1–5.

The version of the story with the swallow has also been published with the title "The Grateful Swallow," in Korea for Children: A Treasure of Legends, Myths and Heroes, vol. 2 (Seoul: Daihak Publishing, 1982), and "Hungbu Nolbu: Two Brothers and Their Magic Gourds," in Korean Folk Stories for Children, series II (Seoul: Seoul International Tourist Publishing, 1981).