Don't forget to build the characteristics of folk literature into your tale, especially the element of entertainment. One way to do this is to focus on the STYLE of your writing, especially the words you choose and how you use them. Figurative language, repetition, and alliteration are methods to capture the attention of your reader and leave a lasting impression. Using vivid action verbs and descriptive words, adjectives and adverbs, will also make your tale more interesting.
The lesson a tale teaches is another important characteristic of folk literature. Think of a lesson you have learned this year. It should not be something as specific as learning how to convert fractions to percentages, but rather something broad and universal that could pertain to any student of your age. The lesson might be something that involves following directions, making and keeping friends, what a friend is, or about growing up. Decide this lesson first and build your tale around it.
A third important feature of folktales is that they contain a simple plot. All good stories involve a problem that must be resolved. The plot is all of the events that lead to the solving of this problem. Your tale will be developed as a story with an introduction, a development, and a conclusion; it will contain a problem and its resolution. In other words, there should be a clear DIRECTION to your tale.
One final characteristic of folk literature is its predictable and believable characters. Generally there is a character that represents the good and positive qualities of humankind. You might remember we call this character the protagonist. There is always a counterpart to this "good" character. Called the antagonist, this character represents the dark or evil nature of humans. Don't forget to include these characters, using your IDEAS to distinguish between them.
One final thing to include: Since this is a story, you will need to develop a title for it. The title should hint at the lesson you are portraying.
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