Brenda Seabrooke's Teaching Guides

THE SWAN’S GIFT

“This is a beautiful, modern folk tale, set in the timeless north of crystal cold winters, poor farmers and magic swans... A heart-warming story beautifully told...” --The School Librarian

American Book Seller’s Pick of the List

ACTIVITIES

  • Collect pictures of swans. Make a list of the different kinds of swans and where they live.
  • Make a frieze of swan pictures, both collected and drawn, around the room.
  • Find pictures of other woodland animals. Make a list of the foods they eat in winter time when the ground is covered with snow.
  • Look for other stories about magic swans to read and talk about how each swan’s magic is different and what it is used for.
  • Listen to the music from Swan Lake and identify the swan music. Discuss why it sounds like a swan.
  • Find out the different sounds swans make and try to imitate them.
  • Decide who is the giver and who is the receiver of The Swan’s Gift.
  • Rewrite The Swan’s Gift as a newspaper article.
  • Write a story or news article about another magic animal.

ISBN:1-56402-360-5, Ages 4-8
Candlewick Press, $15.95
ISBN:0-7445-4070-4,Paper -$5.99
Illustrations copyright 1996 by Wenhai Ma
Also published in Gaelic

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