Marco Moves In

Abstract

The Arabian Nights is a collection of oral stories told to a betrayed man. This man marries, and then kills, a different woman each day to avenge his betrayal, until he marries a woman who evades death by telling these stories. The strange and magical tales take you to another world. Some, such as Aladdin and the Lamp, appear familiar, but are slightly different from the westernised stories we know well. With unfamiliar words (often borrowed from other countries) this book will challenge advanced readers in upper primary. In spite of this, the almost poetic way in which the book is written will engage the children meaning it is perfect for reading aloud to children throughout key stage 2. Children can dip in and out of individual stories, which should take one or two 15-20 minute sessions to finish. Although the fables are very similar to fairytales, they do not have such feminine connotations. With the main characters often being male, they appeal to boys as well as girls. These stories lend themselves to being performed. The children could work in groups to turn some of them into plays over several lessons. They could write the plays, focusing on the features of a script and what each character says, rather than the plot. They could then perform them to the rest of the class.