Fairy-tale texts as a means of teaching foreign-language reading in primary school. Part 1

The problem for the research. Teaching foreign languages in primary school is aimed at a harmonious development of a pupil’s personality. One of fruitful ways to achieve this goal is reading and discussing foreign-language fairy-tales. The problem of this study is related to the search for methods of using fairy-tale texts as an effective means of developing communicative skills and all spheres of a younger student’s personality. Methods of investigation. Experimental work on teaching reading of foreign-language fairytale texts in primary school was organized and conducted on the basis of Gymnasium No. 46 in Kirov, Russian Federation (52 pupils of grades 4 “A” and 4 “B”). Foreign-language fairy-tale texts are selected and organized, sets of exercises of an emotional and value character are constructed, aimed at achieving subject, meta-subject and personal learning results in a trinity; criteria and levels of their assessment are developed. The findings of the study. At the end of the experimental work, an increase in the subject results of teaching foreign-language reading was noted in 21% of pupils of the experimental group and only in 10% of students of the control group. According to meta-subject results, the data are 23% and 16 %, respectively, and 27% and 8% for personal results. The calculation of the G-criterion of signs shows that at the end of the creative experiment in the experimental group Gemp ≤ Gcr. (0 ≤ 5) for subject and meta-subject and 0 ≤ 6 for personal results. Consequently, the improvement in the performance of the experimental group students is not due to accidental circumstances, but to the conduct of experiential teaching. Conclusions. The theoretical justification and approbation of foreign fairy-tale texts in the educational process of primary school, as well as a set of exercises of an emotional and value nature for teaching reading, make it possible to assume that fairy tales are an effective means of a harmonious development of a younger student’s personality.