Fantasy Creatures

by Anila Scott-Monkhouse

Teacher’s Notes

Objective: To practise all four skills, i.e. read a short passage on a fantasy
creature; fill in a table to answer questions and speak from notes; listen to
descriptions and make notes.

Level: Intermediate +

Age: Teenagers / adults

Time: 45 – 60 minutes

Materials: Make enough copies of the information sheet (i.e. description of

creatures) so that each student has the description of one creature; cut along
the dotted lines. Make one copy of the table per student.

Procedure

1. Ask students if they know any names of fantasy/magical creatures and elicit
anything else they know about them. Explain that they are going to read and
exchange information about these kinds of creatures.

2. Give each student a copy of the table and a card with the description of one
fantasy creature. Allow them time to read their card and make notes in the
table. If there are more than 13 students, make more copies of the sheet and
divide the class into groups. If there are less than 13 students, leave out some
of the creatures and delete the names from the table. Otherwise, the students
can ask the teacher for the information about any creature that is not
assigned.

3. When they have finished writing notes about their creature, tell the students
they must move around and ask each other questions about the fantasy
creatures they know nothing about in order to fill in the table. If a student has
already collected information on some other creature apart from the one on
their card, they can pass it on. The students should be working in pairs / small
groups which keep changing. The teacher’s role is to monitor, coordinate and
assist.

4. When they have completed the table, ask for class feedback to make sure
everyone has filled in the table correctly.

5. (Optional) Ask students if they have discovered anything

new/interesting/unusual, etc. and which creature they prefer / would like to

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meet, etc. Ask if they have similar figures in their own culture. Ask if they
recognize any figures from movies, books or computer games they know
about (they should be able to quote The Lord of the Rings, Shrek, Harry
Potter, Dungeons and Dragons). Introduce Halloween as a traditional festival
with its costumes.

Follow-up Activities

Reading: Read an extract from The Lord of the Ring/Harry Potter or a fairy
tale e.g. by Enid Blyton, Hans Christian Andersen.

Video: Watch part or the whole of one of the Shrek/ Harry Potter films.

Writing: a) Students choose one or more of the creatures and invent their
own fairy tale (which can be developed into drama). b) Students choose one
creature and write a letter/email to it to get more information. c) Students
imagine they are a creature of their choice and write a diary entry to describe
their typical day / plan the following week / describe their weekend.

Project work: a) Students carry out research on mythological figures e.g.

unicorn, dragon, cyclop, mermaid, etc., stereotypical fairytale characters e.g.
Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, witch/wizard, giant, etc. or contemporary
myths and legends e.g. Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. b) Students compare
fantasy creatures to modern superheroes.

CLIL:
Music: The Fairy Garden by Ravel, Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy by
Tchaikovsky; The Fairy’s Kiss by Stravinsky.
Literature: The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, A Midsummer Night’s
Dream by Shakespeare (characters of Oberon and Titania), Peter Pan by J.M.
Barrie (character of Tinker Bell).
Botany: The Fly Agaric (i.e. the red and white spotted mushroom associated
with fairies).
History: The MacLeod clan and Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye (legend
of the magic flag).
Art: Victorian Fairy paintings; paintings and illustrations by Charles Robinson,
Sophie Anderson, Cicely Mary Barker, Richard Doyle, Arthur Rackham,
Charles Folkard, Mabel Lucie Attwell, Mildred Entwisle
Arts and crafts: Students draw the fantasy creatures, prepare outfits for
Halloween or an end-of-the course fancy dress party / performance, etc.

Alternatives
The texts can be simplified depending on the level of the students.
The teacher can provide a glossary, with either a simple definition in English,
or a translation in the students’ L1 (with a monolingual class). Otherwise, the
teacher can pre-teach difficult/unknown lexis which might interfere with
carrying out the activity.

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Motivation
Both teenage and adult students generally enjoy reading about fantasy
creatures because it stimulates their imagination, provides a touch of
nostalgia tied to their childhood days and gives a feel of the culture related to
the language (i.e. legends and traditions). It also fits in with the current trend
in books, movies and computer games.

Approach
Task Based Learning.
It is a holistic activity, all skills are practised and it is non-threatening even for
shy students.
All types of learners are catered for: the visual learner is stimulated by the
layout of the table, the auditory learner by the listening and speaking involved,
the kinaesthetic learner by the mingling section.
Both brain hemispheres are activated: the left hemisphere by summarising
and organising information in a table, the right hemisphere by the topic itself
and by the element of interaction.

Sources
Alexander, M. A Companion to the Folklore, Myths & Customs of Britain,
Sutton Publishing, 2002
Davis, J. Fairies – The Pitkin Guide, Jarrold Publishing, 2006

Wikipedia

Search engines (entering ‘Fantasy creatures’, ‘fabulous creatures’, ‘mythology

and folklore’, ‘creatures of imagination’, ‘unseen creatures’ or the names of
the creatures).

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Fantasy Creatures

Fantasy What do they What are Where do What do they do? Other
creature look like? 1 they like? 2 they live? What can they do? information
Brownies

Dwarves

Elves

Gnomes

Goblins

Gremlins

Hobbits

Leprechauns

Noble fairies

Nymphs

Ogres

Pixies

Trolls

1) appearance
2) character and personality

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Fantasy Creatures

Brownies: They are hairy little brown creatures who live in farmhouses and other country
buildings in Scotland and Northern England. While the people of the house are asleep, they
do housework and jobs in the garden or on the farm. They wear ragged brown clothes but do
not like any form of pity, and if their work is criticised they become very angry and destroy
whatever they have done. Only children can see Brownies because of their innocent nature,
but Brownies help adults too. They are helpful, loyal and protective creatures, but solitary too;
they become attached to the family so if the family moves, the Brownies go with them, but if
they are treated badly or offered payment (especially in the form of clothes) they vanish
without trace.

Dwarves: They are short but powerfully built, with big hands and feet, and very long beards.
They look old because they have a beard at the age of 7. Their homes are the caves and
holes in the mountains of Scandinavia and Germany, where they mine for gems and precious
metals which they make into extraordinarily beautiful jewellery and tools. They are creatures
of the earth and darkness, and cannot appear above the ground during the day. They are
very industrious, helpful and cheerful, and love to sing. At night, when everyone’s asleep, they
clean people’s houses. They are very stubborn, unforgetting and take pride in their work.
However, they are not always so good: they enjoy tripping people up and knocking glasses
over at meal times.

Elves: They are tiny people who have formidable magical powers: they can change
themselves into any shape they please and can disappear in a puff of smoke. They are
creatures of the air and light. The females are young and beautiful, whilst the males are little
old men. They live in the woods, in hollow logs. They have large hands and feet in
comparison to the rest of the body, with very thin legs, pointed ears and noses, and a pale
skin. They are tall and regal compared to other fairy creatures, and strong and agile
compared to humans. They dress in green and build very refined weapons. They are unhappy
little fairies and even when they dance, only very sad music is played. They love dancing on
swords lit by moonlight. They are unreliable because they are helpful at times, and can even
be dangerous at times.

Gnomes: They are very small old men with dark brown skin, white hair and a beard, and a
pointed hat. They are smaller and less rotund than the dwarves their cousins, but have larger
noses. They can live for 600 years. They are protectors of the natural world and look after
gardens. They live underground in areas of rocky hill, well wooded and uninhabited by
humans; if they are exposed to sunlight they immediately turn to stone. Because they are so
small they are suspicious of the larger races (humans and elves) and very reserved and
unsociable, but not hostile. They guard gold and other valuable objects (e.g. precious stones
and jewellery) and are masters of gem polishing and cutting. They have a lively sense of
humour, especially for practical jokes.

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Goblins: They are small, ugly, thin and mischievous, with green skin and pointed ears. They
are nomadic, living for short periods in caves or woodlands. They live in tribes, ride wolves in
battles, and enjoy causing trouble and playing tricks (e.g. they visit kitchens and turn the
cream sour, spill the milk, hide things or change signs to confuse humans). They are very
fond of horses and small girls, but will pinch and beat naughty children. Halloween is
traditionally the time when they can be seen by humans.

Gremlins: They are the most modern fantasy creatures, as they are spirits of tools and
machinery and are responsible for mishaps and breakdowns with tools and equipment. They
enter houses as occupants of household appliances. Originally they were friendly and helped
engineers and inventors build things, but when these people took all the credit the Gremlins
felt insulted and started to work against humans. They bite through cables, drink petrol when
the supply is low, and move the runway when the plane is about to touch down. Although they
are destructive, they can be helpful and intervene miraculously to solve situations.

Hobbits: They are approx. 1 metre tall and can live for up to 130 years (adult age is reached
at 33); they have a round, jovial face, short, brown curly hair, pointed ears and large hairy
feet. They wear green trousers, a red or yellow waistcoat, a brown or green jacket, a hood
and a cloak, but no shoes. They are shy and enjoy an unadventurous bucolic life of farming,
gardening, eating and socialising. They eat at least 7 meals a day and like simple food (e.g.
bread, meat, potatoes, cheese), they love mushrooms, tobacco and beer. They give away
gifts on their birthday, instead of receiving them. They live underground in hillsides and river
banks, but also in brick and wooden houses with round doors and windows which recall the
tunnels underground.

Leprechauns: The name ‘leprechaun’ is derived from an old Irish word which means ‘little
body’. Leprechauns live in Ireland, look like little old men and live alone in remote places such
as farmhouses and wine cellars because they are solitary creatures. Leprechauns are happy
fellows and dress in old-fashioned green clothes and wear a red cap. They spend their time
making shoes for the Irish fairies and possess a lot of gold: a human who can capture a
leprechaun will obtain the treasure.

Noble fairies: They are the most charming of all. These delicate creatures have beautifully
coloured wings attached to their backs and fly about, weaving their magical spells. They are
benevolent, full of love and sympathy, and friendly to humans, but humans rarely see them.
Fairies tend to have specific purposes, for example the Tooth fairy collects children’s teeth
and exchanges them for coins; the Fairy Godmother instead is like a guardian angel. Fairies
can sometimes be guides to lost people.

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Nymphs: They live in secluded, peaceful places, close to a pure source of water. They are
very beautiful, and hate evil and ugliness. They are peaceful and avoid conflict. If challenged,
they use their magical powers to confuse their attacker and flee. They are forever young, full
of charming grace and intelligence.

Ogres: They are twice as tall as humans and are strongly built with large muscles. They are
not very intelligent, but they are neither stupid nor evil. They tend to rely on their physical
strength rather than brains. They are good fighters and other races try to recruit them as
mercenaries for armies as Ogres like fighting and will do it for money.

Pixies: They are handsome little creatures who live in the rocks of Cornwall and Devon
(South of England); they have red hair, turned-up noses and dress in green. They are
hardworking, and work in the fields all night for food. They are naughty because they pinch
lazy people, steal babies and horses, and play tricks such as throwing objects around the
house, leading night travellers astray and forcing those who see them dancing in the woods to
join in and lose track of time. It is believed that wearing an item of clothing inside out will keep
the pixies away.

Trolls: They are ugly, friendly little men with humped backs and crooked noses who wear
grey jackets and red, pointed caps. They live in gold and crystal houses in caves in the
hillsides of Scandinavia. They have a strange diet because they eat anything, including metal,
bone, wood and rocks. They are not very intelligent and have the power to regenerate even if
they are cut in two – the only way to stop a troll regenerating is by burning it. They have
magical powers but never use them harmfully. They can predict the future and, by casting
spells, make people rich. They guard treasures and are very skilled with their hands.

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