New
New
Year 3

Understanding the genre of 'Mulan'

I can explain what a legend is.

New
New
Year 3

Understanding the genre of 'Mulan'

I can explain what a legend is.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. ‘Mulan’ is a legend which belongs to the genre of folklore.
  2. Folklore is a genre in which oral stories are passed down over time and they originate from a range of cultures.
  3. Legends are a type of folktale that reflect some element of true history and convey an important moral or lesson.
  4. ‘Mulan’ originated in China during a time of real war and it challenges ideas around the role of women.
  5. The legend of ‘Mulan’ is about a young girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to fight in the army.

Keywords

  • Folklore - a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time

  • Legend - a type of folktale that reflects human elements that are believed to have taken place in true history

  • Moral - a lesson that can be learnt from a story or experience

Common misconception

Children may find it difficult to understand the difference between stories within the genre of folklore.

Explore the differences between legends and fairytales. For example, fairytales are more likely to involve magical or enchanting elements whereas legends tend to reflect some true element of history and focus on human actions and behaviours.

Include illustrations from the book 'Mulan' by Michaela Morgan to support in telling the story. Encourage students to infer greater meaning from the images by asking questions. E.g. What can we infer about the characters' emotions from the illustrations on pages 2 and 3?
Teacher tip

Equipment

You need a copy of the 2014 Oxford University Press edition of ‘Mulan' written by Michaela Morgan for this lesson.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
What is a genre of text?
the type of characters in a story
how many pages are in a story
Correct answer: a style or category of literature
Q2.
Order the following to show the structure of a narrative story.
1 - Beginning
2 - Build up
3 - Climax
4 - Resolution
Q3.
What is a setting?
the people in a story
the meaning behind a story
Correct answer: where a story takes place
Q4.
What is a character?
the person who wrote the story
Correct answer: the people or animals in a story
where the story takes place
Q5.
How are stories normally shared today?
Correct answer: They are written down by the author
They are told orally by the author
They are sung by the author
Q6.
Before written stories, how were stories told?
They were shared on the internet
They were shown on the television
Correct answer: They were shared orally

6 Questions

Q1.
What type of story is 'Mulan'?
a fairytale
Correct answer: a legend
a nursery rhyme
Q2.
Which genre does a legend belong to?
fantasy
Correct answer: folklore
non-fiction
Q3.
What is the definition of folklore?
Correct answer: a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time
a genre in which stories are written down the first time they are told
a genre in which stories are turned into rhymes
Q4.
Which country does the legend of 'Mulan' originate from?
United Kingdom
Greece
Correct answer: China
Africa
Q5.
Who is the author of this version of 'Mulan'?
An image in a quiz
Michael Morgan
Correct answer: Michaela Morgan
Morgan Michaels
Q6.
Why does 'Mulan' need to disguise herself as a boy?
so she can play football on a boys team
so she can go to school
Correct answer: so she can become a soldier and fight in the war
Q5 Mulan, Michaela Morgan, 2014 Oxford University Press