Fairy Tales Lesson 2: Elements of a Fiction Story

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Library List

The Elves and the Shoemaker (found in: The Random House Book of Fairy Tales) (Brothers Grimm)

Little Red Riding Hood (found in: The Random House Book of Fairy Tales OR Classic Fairy Tales
           by Scott Gustafson)

Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten! (Shaskan, Trisha Speed)

Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale (Ernst, Lisa Campbell)

Little Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood: Newfangled Fairy Tales (Tocher, Timothy) (free on Kindle)

Hansel & Gretel (found in: The Random House Book of Fairy Tales OR Classic Fairy Tales by Scott

       Gustafson)

Rapunzel (found in The Random House Book of Fairy Tales) (Brothers Grimm)

RAPunzel: A Happenin’ Rap (Vozar)

Day 1

1.       Discuss the various elements of a story (author, setting, problems, character, solution). Here is a set of printable posters defining each element (you could always print more on a page to make them more like flashcards). Print these Self-Checking Story Element Cards to use with each story as you read. Be sure to point out these elements are found in all fiction stories, not just fairy tales.

2.       Keep the various elements in mind as you read The Elves and the Shoemaker. Use this guide to ask comprehension questions. Then, complete this Story Map with each of the elements in the story.

Day 2

1.       Read Little Red Riding Hood. (Point out that this story has been re-told many times. Charles Perrault, another famous collector of fairy tales, published his version in 1729. The Brothers Grimm published their version, called “Little Red Cap” in 1812.)

2.       Use one of these activities to review the various story elements in Little Red Riding Hood.

3.       Have fun coloring & re-telling the story using these printable puppets.

4.       Have some fun with some other versions of the story: Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten! (Shaskan, Trisha Speed) OR Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale (Ernst) OR Little Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood: Newfangled Fairy Tales (Tocher, Timothy).

Day 3

1.       Read Hansel & Gretel.  Complete this worksheet, which reviews some of the elements of fairy tales and all fiction stories, as well.

2.       If you’re feeling crafty, make a gingerbread house like the one Hansel & Gretel find in the woods!

Day 4

1.       Read Rapunzel. If you’ve seen the movie Tangled, you will have to talk about the differences between the movie and the real fairy tale. Use these General Comprehension Questions to discuss the story.

2.       Using one of these generic narration pages, have your child draw a picture of the story and write in his/ her own words (or write for him if he is not a writer) each of the elements found in the story. Be sure he/ she includes the setting, characters, problem, and solution).