Contextualization

The theme "Textual Genre: Tales" is quite relevant in the scope of the Portuguese Language discipline, since the understanding of the various textual genres is fundamental for the comprehension, interpretation, and production of different types of texts. The focus on tales, in particular, offers students the possibility to explore this short narrative genre with a clear structure and well-defined characters, which is ideal for enhancing their writing and reading skills.

Tales are short and closed stories, with few characters and centered on a single conflict. Generally, they deal with everyday situations and are marked by a twist or a surprising ending. This textual genre can be found in various media, such as books, magazines, newspapers, and even on digital platforms, like blogs and web pages.

Understanding tales offers students the possibility to deepen their understanding of narrative structure, plot elements, and character development. This is essential for the development of their writing, reading, and text interpretation skills. Furthermore, working with tales also stimulates students' imagination, creativity, and critical thinking.

In the school context, tales are important pedagogical resources for promoting reading and writing, as they allow working with various themes and literary styles. In addition to contributing to the development of students' language and literary skills, working with tales enables the approach of social, cultural, and emotional issues.

Regarding resources for further exploration of the theme, we suggest these reliable sources:

• Book "Para Gostar de Ler - Volume 5 - Contos", Cia das Letras: a collection of tales by Brazilian authors, ideal for introducing students to the variety of styles and themes found in this textual genre.

• Article "O que é um conto?" on the blog "Escrevendo Ficção": provides an overview of what tales are, their characteristics, and elements.

• Book "Contos Maravilhosos Infantis e Domésticos", by the Grimm brothers, translated by Ana Maria Machado, Editora Ática: a collection of popular tales that allows students to delve into the structure and style of this textual genre.

• Video "Como escrever um conto?" on the channel "Ficção em Tópicos" on YouTube: provides practical tips for creating tales, from the initial idea to the final text revision.

Practical Activity

Activity Title: "Collective Tales: creation, analysis, and comparison"

Project Objective:

Work in a team to:

1. Write an original tale
2. Analyze and compare tales from different authors and styles
3. Apply and understand in a practical way the elements of the textual genre "tale".

Detailed project description:

In this project, students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 participants. Each group will have the mission to explore the universe of tales, both theoretically and practically. This includes writing an original tale, reading and analyzing tales from different authors and styles, and finally comparing these tales with the tale produced by the group itself.

Required materials:

• Books or copies of tales from different authors and styles.
• Writing materials, such as paper sheets and pens, or computers with text editing programs, depending on the available resources.
• Internet for research and references, if available.

Detailed step-by-step for the activity:

1. Group formation: Students should organize themselves into groups of 3 to 5 people.

2. Research and reading: Each group should select and read at least three tales from different authors and styles. The tales can be from a list provided by the teacher or chosen by the students themselves, as long as approved by the teacher.

3. Analysis of the tales: After reading, the groups should analyze the read tales, observing aspects such as structure, plot, characters, time, space, and narrator.

4. Tale creation: Using the acquired references and knowledge, the groups should create their own tale, with at least three paragraphs and a maximum of two pages.

5. Revision and editing: Students should revise and edit their own tale, ensuring compliance with the genre characteristics and writing quality.

6. Comparison: Finally, students must compare the created tale with the studied tales, noting the similarities and differences.

Project deliverables

Upon completing the practical part of the project, each group must write a formal document reporting all stages of the work. This document should include:

• Introduction: Contextualize the theme "textual genre: tales", demonstrating the understanding of the theme, its relevance, and real-world application as well as the objective of this project.

• Development: Explain the theory regarding tales, the analyzed tales and authors, the creation of the original tale, the methodology used, and finally the results obtained.

• Conclusion: Revisit the main points of the project, point out the learnings obtained, discuss the experience of writing a tale in a group, and the discoveries about the genre.

• Bibliography: Indicate the research sources and references used for the work, such as the read tales, online consultations, books, videos, etc.