It is wonderful to welcome back Miss Sarah West and a new class of Rootstown second graders to the AT&T Classroom. This morning the class kicked-off their AT&T Classroom experience with guest speaker, Dr. Babacar M’Baye, Associate Professor of English and Pan-African Studies at Kent State University. Dr. M’Baye engaged the students in a very interesting lesson focused on African folktales. Dr. M’Baye shared several folktales with the second graders and also taught the students about important elements that are inherent in a folktale, particularly with regard to animals as central characters of the tale who take on human characteristics to teach “life” lessons and illustrate the virtues and foibles of humankind. Learning about folktales promotes children’s literacy development as they are exposed to different writing styles and narrative forms. Further, folktales also provide rich opportunities for children to learn about other cultures, their heritage, and their traditions.
