What's So Nice About Fairy Tales?

"Once upon a time . . ." Language learners examine the key elements of well-known fairy tales and then craft their own.

The well-known fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" is at the center of this exercise that asks learners to consider the nature of power and corruption. Class members read the tale and then respond to three questions related to the text.

Disney versus Grimm? To launch a five-week unit on fairy and folk tales, class members compare modern versions of these classic stories with more original versions. The richly detailed unit, while largely teacher led, encourages middle...

Here is a must-have resource for studying fairy tales, myths, and folktales with your class! It includes instructional ideas, activities, and materials to support a month-long review of these three unique genres of writing.

Through reading and writing, learners explore common elements found in fairy tales. After discussing traditional fairy tales, class members listen to The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by John Scieszka, a hilarious retelling of the...

Is trickery ever justified? Is it okay to steal from someone who has stolen from you? Puss, from Puss in Boots, and Jack, from Jack and the Beanstalk, might have some ideas about these ethical questions. After listening to a series of...

Young readers examine the basic story elements of the short story. They listen to the classic fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood," and watch a PowerPoint presentation of the Elements of a Short Story. Then, they complete a graphic...

Promote sentence variety through an engaging writing activity. First, read through a plain version of Cinderella and discuss what makes it so boring, focusing on sentence structure and beginnings. Then, read a more exciting version and...

Your authors create news stories that share a familiar fairy tale from a new perspective. They review a familiar fairy tale, select a character to "interview," and write original news stories from the perspective of that character.

Readers reflect on enjoyable stories they know, brainstorm criteria that make a story "good," analyze a New York Times article about innovative children's performances, re-envision classics on their own, and peer edit drafts. Use this as...