Fairy Tales Lesson 1: What is a Fairy Tale?

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Library List

The Frog Prince (found in: Classic Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson OR The Golden Book of Fairy

               Tales OR The Random House Book of Fairy Tales) (Brothers Grimm)

The Prog Frince: A Mixed-Up Tale (C. Drew Lamm)

The Emperor's New Clothes (found in: The Classic Treasury of Hans Christian Andersen)

The Bremen Town Musicians (Brothers Grimm)

Rumplestiltskin (Brothers Grimm) (found in: Classic Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson OR The
               Random House Book of Fairy Tales)

Day 1

1.       Begin discussion with the differences between fiction and non-fiction stories. Find a helpful chart here that you can reproduce. If your student is familiar with Venn Diagrams, you may also want to use this.

2.       If you would like to further your studies on fiction and non-fiction stories, gather a large selection of books from your own collection (or pictures from a catalog) and have the student sort them into fiction vs. non-fiction (either by piles or on paper if you are using pictures).

3.       Use this Folktales Anchor Chart to discuss the various types of “folktales” (fairy tales, tall tales, fables, myths & legends). We will be focusing more in depth on the fairy tales and tall tales this year!

4.       Discuss some of the characteristics we typically think about when we think of a fairy tale. You can use this printable Anchor Chart to help your discussion.

·         Begins with “Once upon a time…”

·         Found in all different cultures, passed down from generation to generation, usually orally

·         Usually has some sort of magic or make-believe

·         Often may take place in a castle, or maybe in the forest

·         Sometimes has talking animals

·         End with “happily ever after…”

5.       If you can, explore the “398.2” section of your library, where the fairy tales are shelved. Allow the student to choose a few of his/ her own from this section.

6.       Read The Frog Prince (Brothers Grimm). (There are several versions of this story, but any will do as a good example of the elements of a fairy tale.) Discuss the fairy tale elements found in The Frog Prince. Begin the Fairy Tale Comparison Chart by filling in the various elements.

7.       For fun, you could also read The Prog Frince: A Mixed-Up Tale, which is a different version of the story. Talk about the differences and similarities in the story.

Day 2

1.       Talk about various "authors" of fairy tales. Some great info. can be found here. Note that the Brothers Grimm typically did not actually write their fairy tales, but instead compiled a collection based on tales they heard from others. Hans Christian Andersen, on the other hand, did write many of his tales. If your student is familiar with Venn Diagrams, use this one to compare Brothers Grimm & Hans Christian Andersen.

2.       Yesterday you read a tale by the Brothers Grimm. Today you will read one by Hans Christian Andersen. Read The Emperor's New Clothes.  Ask some questions at the end to ensure comprehension. (If you are unsure what to ask, you can find a Story Guide here.) Complete another line on the Fairy Tale Comparison Chart.

Day 3

1.       Continue completing the Fairy Tale Comparison Chart. Read The Bremen Town Musicians (Brothers Grimm). (There are many stand-alone versions of this story with great pictures!)

Day 4

1.       Complete the Fairy Tale Elements Chart, reading Rumplestiltskin (Brothers Grimm). Ask some questions for comprehension.

2.       Practice sequencing (putting the events of a story into the proper order) by using this worksheet for the student to color, cut out, and paste onto another sheet.

3.       If your child is a writer, do a persuasive writing essay to convince us that Rumplestiltskin wasn’t really a “bad guy” by telling the story from his point of view.