English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers, Education -- Curricula, Curriculum enrichment 

"The ideas and write-up of the unit on story telling originated with a group of English Second Language (E. S. L.) teachers in Winnipeg, Manitoba during the 1971-80 school term. The group selected a traditional folktale entitled "The Big, Big Turnip" to base the unit and exercises on. This folktale deals with a farmer, the turnip he planted and grew, and the efforts of him, his wife, daughter, dog, cat and a passing mouse to pull it out of the ground.

In order to make the story and practice activities relevant and useful to children in northern Saskatchewan, a lake trout and fisherman were substituted for the turnip and farmer. The fisherman, his wife, son, daughter, dog, cat, and a passing squirrel all work to pull out a fishnet in which a very large lake trout has been caught.

Lois Dalby, a northern artist who resides at English Bay Saskatchewan, re-drew the characters to reflect the northern flavour of the altered version of the story.

It is hoped that the story unit in its altered form will prove as useful and enjoyable in school classes throughout northern Saskatchewan as "The Big, Big Turnip" was in English Second Language classes in Winnipeg."--Preface.