Fairy Tales

Our latest unit on fairy tales provided the children many experiences listening to and discussing these classic stories.  We've read everything from Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, The Snow Queen, The Three Little Pigs, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Thumbelina to Cinderella.  These stories are at once captivating, enchanting, fascinating, and at times, slightly scary. There is magic, drama, adventure, strife, and usually a happy ending. The kids let out a sigh of relief when they hear those words, "happily ever after."

Beyond reading these captivating tales, we've also analyzed, discussed, compared and contrasted, and thought deeply about the stories.  Students are given a chance to strengthen those all important reading comprehension skills as they make sense of complicated plot twists in The Snow Queen, or compare versions of Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella. Questions are pondered - how is the Egyptian Cinderella similar or different from the original version of Cinderella?  The children get to stretch their thinking muscles and dig deep to compare and contrast.

Comparing and contrasting versions of Jack and the Beanstalk

Identifying story components 

The unit culminated with writing our own fairy tales.  We all started with an outline of sorts called a "Fairy Tale Formula."  This helped students to choose a setting, create characters, and develop a plot - complete with a problem, magic, and a solution.  For some children this was extremely helpful - a way for them to organize their thoughts and remember those critical elements that make a story shine.  Other children got to work on a rough draft in their writing journals, diving right into their story. 

Title page complete! 

First draft in our writing journals

Illustrating the cover page 

Getting ready to illustrate

Outline to help organize thoughts

A first draft in our "frog" books 

One page done! 

Adding illustrations to the title page

The finished products were original and imaginative.  Some children borrowed ideas from one of the many tales we read in class or used other familiar stories as a starting point, while other children developed completely original ideas.   Getting inspiration from quality literature is a useful tool for even our youngest writers.  Some of the children may take off on their own - ideas brimming over while the pencil tries to keep up with the brain.  Others may need gentle coaxing to get their stories out.  This is all part of the writing process.   Organizing thoughts into a logical structure to make sense for readers is no easy task.  This takes planning, thinking, and hard work from our students.  The weeks we've spent sharing examples of these magical stories surely helped to prepare and inspire the students as they wrote their own fairy tales.

At the table getting ready to illustrate their stories

Finished stories awaiting assembly

This week it will be time for the children to read their stories aloud to the class.  Sitting in front of their classmates, reading their work, and taking comments and questions provides that all important, final layer of learning.  A true highlight for all.