Leprechauns and Other Trickster Tales...an Online Unit!

March is the perfect time to explore the genre of "trickster tales." The leprechaun is an Irish trickster, known for his cleverness and ability to get himself out of trouble! Here are some of the leprechaun stories we read this month:

Tricky Alex
Leprechauns Never Lie
Clever Tom and the Leprechaun
Daniel O'Rourke
Pot Of Gold
Leprechaun in the Basement
Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato (dePaola)
Jack and the Leprechaun
A Leprechaun's St. Patrick's Day
The Gold at the End of the Rainbow
Leprechaun Gold
Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk (McDermott)
Lucky O'Leprechaun
The Luckiest Leprechaun

Of course, there are other trickster characters in stories from around the world, and we read and compare those too.

Anansi the Spider (McDermott)
Anansi's Narrow Waist
Why Spider Spins Tales
Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock (Kimmel)
Anansi and the Talking Melon
Anansi Goes Fishing
Tiger Soup
The Boy Who Cried Wolf!
Raven (McDermott)
Coyote
Papagayo
Zomo the Rabbit
Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby
Tops and Bottoms
Tale of a Tail
Tricking Tracy (Rigby)
All Stuck Up!
Hello House!

Here are a few leprechaun songs:

Have You Seen A Leprechaun (tune of "Muffin Man")

Oh, have you seen a leprechaun, a leprechaun, a leprechaun
Oh, have you seen a leprechaun who comes from Ireland?
Among the shamrocks he may hide, he may hide, he may hide
Among the shamrocks he may hide
So catch him if you can!

I'm A Little Leprechaun (tune of "Teapot")

I'm a little leprechaun dressed in green
The tiniest man that you've ever seen.
If you ever catch me so it's told
I'll give to you my pot of gold!

Wee Little Leprechaun (tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider")

A wee little leprechaun
Went out St. Patrick's Day.
To look for the gold that was hidden far away.
Over the rainbow was where he was told
So with a wink of his green eye
He ran to get the gold!

A Shamrock (tune of "If You're Happy...")

A shamrock has 3 leaves, a shamrock has 3 leaves
Happy St. Patrick's Day
A shamrock has 3 leaves.
A shamrock brings good luck
A shamrock brings good luck
Happy St. Patrick's Day
A shamrock brings good luck!

Early in March we introduce the genre of trickster tales by reading Anansi the Spider stories. Anansi is an African trickster. We read McDermott's version of Anansi as well as several Eric Kimmel books featuring Anansi. After each Kimmel book, we compare and write about who was tricked and how.

Next we read and compare Gerald McDermott's trickster tales from around the world, and locate each country on a world map. While reading these stories we focus on characteristics of the trickster and write about them. Because McDermott's artwork is so bold and colorful, it is fun to recreate animals in his outstanding, geometric style. We also read the traditional tale of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and sequence and rewrite that story, focusing on the moral, or lesson, of the tale.

As we near March 17, we focus on the leprechaun, reading many stories. As a culminating writing activity, we use a prewriting graphic organizer in the shape of a clover to gather our ideas on "How to Trick a Leprechaun." For this project, we will use the writing process, as we write a first draft, revise, edit, rewrite and finally publish our own tale.

There are many, many adorable art projects that can be used with the study of leprechauns. One we like is decorating a cup with a leprechaun face, filling it with soil, planting grass seed, add a paper hat on a craft stick, and then watch our leprechaun grow hair! I've also seen this done using a potato as the leprechaun head, which would be a nice extension of "Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato."

A math game that we play during this unit is called "Saving O' The Green." Although the game board is a commercially-made worksheet, it can be easily made. To play, each player needs 4 pennies, and a pot of coins in the center of the game. The gameboard consists of a circle marked with squares, each one telling the players what to do. For example, one square might say "Take one dime from the pot" or "Give each player one penny." Players take turns flipping a coin (I use a pretend half-dollar, since that coin is not used for the game). If it lands on heads, the player moves two spaces. If it lands on tails, move one space. When each person completes the circle, he/she counts the money. The person who finishes first is NOT necessarily the winner...the richest player is!
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