Foundations of Language and Literacy · Junior Infants

Active learning ideas

Stories from Around the World

Active learning builds deep connections for Junior Infants when they move beyond listening to stories and into making meaning through talk, movement, and creation. These activities let children process cultural differences and shared human experiences through their bodies and ideas, which strengthens both comprehension and empathy at this developmental stage.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Appreciation of Language
• NCCA: Primary - Cultural Awareness

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• World Café
• 30 min · Whole Class

Story Circle: Global Discussions

Gather the class in a circle for a read-aloud of one folk tale. Pause after key events to discuss differences in characters or places using picture prompts. End with children sharing one similarity to their lives via show-and-tell objects.

What is different about the characters or places in this story?

Facilitation Tip

In Story Circle, pause after each turn to echo a child’s idea and ask another child to add to it, which builds turn-taking and validates contributions.

What to look for

After reading a story, ask: 'Tell me one thing that was different about the people or places in this story compared to our classroom. Now, tell me one thing the children in the story liked to do that is the same as what you like to do.' Listen for specific details and comparisons.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• World Café
• 25 min · Pairs

Drama Pairs: Act Alike Scenes

Pair children to reenact a story scene, first mimicking unique characters or places, then adapting with Irish elements. Switch roles and discuss what felt the same or different. Record short performances for review.

What do the children in this story like to do that is the same as what you like to do?

What to look for

Provide students with picture cards representing elements from a story (e.g., a character, a setting, a cultural object). Ask them to hold up the card that shows 'where the story happened' or 'who the main person was'. Observe their ability to recall and identify key story components.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• World Café
• 35 min · Small Groups

Group Maps: Story World Markers

In small groups, place tale images on a large world map. Children add yarn lines to Ireland and draw similarities like family meals. Discuss learnings from other places as a group.

What can we learn about another place or family from hearing this story?

What to look for

Give each child a sticky note. Ask them to draw one thing they learned about another country or family from the story. Collect the notes to see what cultural insights they retained.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• World Café
• 20 min · Individual

Individual Journals: My Story Links

Each child draws one story element and one personal match, labeling simply. Share in pairs before whole-class gallery walk. Use as prompts for oral retells.

What is different about the characters or places in this story?

What to look for

After reading a story, ask: 'Tell me one thing that was different about the people or places in this story compared to our classroom. Now, tell me one thing the children in the story liked to do that is the same as what you like to do.' Listen for specific details and comparisons.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic by balancing celebration of difference with clear comparison to children’s lived experience, using simple language and repetition. Avoid over-explaining cultural contexts; instead, let children’s questions and observations guide discussions. Research shows that concrete activities like role-play and mapping help young children grasp abstract concepts such as culture and place.

Successful learning shows when children can name one difference and one similarity between story elements and their own lives, use simple props to act out a scene with clear roles, and point to a map marker to show where a story took place. They should also share feelings or actions from the story during discussion and journaling.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Story Circle: Global Discussions, watch for children saying stories from other countries share no similarities with ours.

  After children name differences, ask them to turn to a partner and share one thing the children in the story did that is the same as something they do at school or at home. Use this peer sharing to build evidence of shared experiences.

• During Drama Pairs: Act Alike Scenes, watch for children acting out magical elements as real-life actions.

  Provide a simple prop list with everyday items (e.g., a bowl, a hat) and ask pairs to focus their scene on actions like cooking, playing, or helping. After acting, ask: 'Was that something real families do? How do you know?'

• During Group Maps: Story World Markers, watch for children thinking characters and places in folk tales are exactly like real life today.

  Point to a map marker and ask: 'Is this place real? Could we visit it?' Then ask children to describe a magical or exaggerated part of the story and mark it with a star sticker to show it’s a special story part, not a real place.

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Methods used in this brief

• World Café