Study Guide for "Ferradiddledumday" and Other "Rumpelstiltskin" Stories
("Ferradiddledumday" is a Blue Ridge version of "Rumpelstiltskin" by Becky Mushko)
March 4, 2002, Becky Mushko read her story to a group of third
graders and fifth graders (see photos below) at Ferrum Elementary
School, Ferrum, VAnear where the characters in "Ferradiddledumday"
might have lived. Below are some of the ideas the students discussed
after hearing the story (from notes taken by Tina L. Hanlon. Contact her if you
have questions or comments on these pages, or if you want to contribute
your own comments or teaching ideas to AppLit). Later some of the
students drew pictures to illustrate the story. More of these pictures
appear on the page with the story itself.
How is the story different from the traditional "Rumpelstiltskin"?
What other details make this version an Appalachian story?
Notes by the author: The name Gillie was apparently popular in the 1800s in Franklin County, VA. I got the name from a tombstone on our Union Hall farm and used it for one of the characters in my book Patches on the Same Quilt. Whenever I do a reading, someone invariably comes forward and asks me about the name because a grandmother, aunt, or other ancestor had that name. About the name Ferradiddledumday: I read a tale once where the term ferradiddle was mentioned. I found that it or its variant taradiddle had to do with a little imaginary creature. I thought it had a catchy sound, couldn't find any other stories so named, so I used it.
The Oxford English Dictionary lists the slang or colloquial noun taradiddle or tarradiddle: "A trifling falsehood, a petty lie; a colloquial euphemism for a lie; a `fib'." As a verb it means "To impose upon, or bring into some condition, by telling fibs. Hence taradiddler [is] one who taradiddles, a petty liar." Examples from 1795-1909 are given. Another dictionary defines it as "a small lie; pretentious nonsense; origin uncertain."
More Questions to Discuss, by Becky Mushko and Tina Hanlon
Virginia Standards of Learning and Teaching Ideas by Becky Mushko
The story is especially suitable for elementary and middle school students. Teachers may use it just for fun or as part of a learning experience. You can approach this story from many angles. The following are some of the Virginia Standards of Learning that may be applied to activities related to the story. For details, go to Virginia's Standards of Learning web site. (Photo of Becky Mushko at Ferrum College at right.)
English: Creative writing (VA English SOLs 6.4, 6.5, 6.7, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6,7.8, 8.3, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5):
English: Critical thinking (VA English SOLs 6.4, 7.4, 8.3, 8.4):
Improvisational Drama (VA English SOLs 6.1, 7.6):
Science: (VA Science SOLs 4.8, 5.5, 6.1, LS.4, LS.11, ES.7, BIO.5, BIO.9):
History (VA History SOLs 5.3, 5.9, 6.10):
For discussion of Barry Moser's Appalachian adaptation of "Rumpelstiltskin," Tucker Pfeffercorn, see Transplanted in Appalachia: Illustrated Folktales by Barry Moser - essay by Tina L. Hanlon.
For other teaching ideas on folktales, see Activities to Accompany Study of Appalachian Folktales and Dramatizations by the Jack Tale Players.
For other ideas on folktales and SOLs, see Standards of Learning Covered by Study of "Mutsmag" and "Ashpet" Dramatizations.
For background on Appalachian language, and use of dialects in other stories, see Resources on Appalachian Dialects.
page created 3/4/02