Click any of the links above to find a Unit Study that I've designed (and usually tried with my own kids) just for homeschool families like you! This is a work in progress, so none of the units are completely finished, but hopefully you can find something you can use with your own family!
(All can be found in American
Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne)
Davy Crockett: A
Life on the Frontier (Krensky, Steven)
Sally Ann Thunder
Ann Whirlwind Crockett (Kellogg, Steven)
Stormalong: The
Legendary Sea Captain (Metaxas, Eric)
Febold Feboldson,
the Fix-It Farmer (York, Carol Beach)
Day 1
1.Read
about Davy Crockett. Compare his character to John Henry &
Paul Bunyan using a Venn Diagram. You can also use the
worksheet here on pg. 50 to organize your thoughts.
1.Read
about Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind
Crockett, the wife of Davy Crockett (who was also an exaggerated character
combining the story of many female characters).
2.Use
the worksheet
titled “How do characters contribute to the story?” on pg. 47 to discuss
the
various characters in the tale and how they
affected the events in the story.
(All can be found in American
Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne)
John Henry: An
American Legend (Keats, Ezra Jack)
Paul Bunyan
(Kellogg, Steven)
Johnny Appleseed:
The Legend and the Truth (Yolen, Jane) or
The Story of Johnny
Appleseed (Aliki)
Pecos Bill
(Kellogg, Steven)
Day 1
1.Refer back to this Folktales
Anchor Chartto discuss
the characteristics of a Tall Tale. Discuss the differences between a Fairy
Tale and a Tall Tale using a Venn Diagram. Point out that most Tall Tales are
an American tradition.
2.Read John Henry. You can find a coloring page here to use while reading. You will begin two different
ongoing worksheets today: Use this
worksheet to fill in the elements found in typical tall tales.
Then use this map to find the location of John Henry’s story.
3.Use this worksheet
to determine which parts of John Henry’s story are real and which are fiction.
Day 2
1.Read Paul
Bunyan with this coloring
page. Fill in the characteristics of tall tale on this
worksheet you began yesterday. Fill in his location on the map.
2.Use the Tall
Tale Cause & Effect Chart & activity on pg. 36-37 to discuss
various events that happened in the story and other events that were caused as
a result.
Day 3
1.Read Johnny
Appleseed with this coloring
page. Fill in the characteristics of a tall tale on the worksheet
and add his location to the map.
2.Use this
worksheet to talk about the character of Johnny Appleseed.
3.Use this Notebooking
Page to have child re-tell the story in his/ her own words (they can write
or dictate to you).
1.Read The
Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella (Hickox, Rebecca). Talk about
the area of the world where this fairy tale originated. Discuss the
similarities and differences to the original version.
2.Use
the “Fairy Tale Graph
Printable” Cards on this page to review some of the stories you’ve read.
Have the child re-tell each story in his/ her own words as you show him the
card.
Day 3
1. Read The Princess and the Pea (also known as The Real Princess). (You can have it read to you
online and play some games here.) Have fun coloring this page
while you read. Then put the story in the correct sequence using this worksheet.
2.Discuss how princesses are portrayed in fairy
tales such as this one, Cinderella, and The Frog Prince. Make a chart on a
piece of paper listing characteristics of royalty in various tales you have
read.
3.If you’re crafty, make a castle
craft out of toilet paper rolls.
Day 4-5
1.Have fun writing your own fairy tale. This
packet has a great set of pages to help plan and write out your very own
story.
The Three Little
Pigs (found in Classic Fairy Tales
by Scott Gustafson)
The True Story of
the Three Little Pigs (Scieszka, Jon)
The Three Little
Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (Trivizas, Eugene)
Goldilocks &
the Three Bears (found in Classic
Fairy Tales by Scott Gustafson)
Goldilocks &
Just One Bear (Hodgkinson, Leigh)
Goldilocks &
the 3 Dinosaurs (Willems, Mo)
The 3 Billy Goats
Gruff (Galdone, Paul)
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
(found in The Random House Book of Fairy
Tales) (Brothers Grimm)
Day 1
1. Read The Three Little Pigs. Find some fun
activities from this free
printable pack.
2.Read The
True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Scieszka, Jon) and/or other versions
of this fairy tale. Then, using this page as a guide,
have the student write his/ her own sequel to The Three Little Pigs.
Day 2
1.Read
Goldilocks & the Three Bears. Discuss
the author’s purpose & the moral of the story using this
worksheet.
2.Create a character mobile like the one on this page, using 4 character traits of
Goldilocks.
3. Have some fun with some of the activities from
the Goldilocks & the 3 Bears Printable
Pack.
Day 3
1.Read The 3
Billy Goats Gruff. Find some fun activities from this free
printable pack.
2.Compare The Three Little Pigs and The
3 Billy Goats Gruff using this
worksheet.
Day 4
1.Read The
Twelve Dancing Princesses. That’s it. Just have fun reading together!
2.Define “cause” and “effect.” You can create a
little chart similar to the one on this
page OR, there is a fun little
poster found here. Fill in this cute Cause
and Effect Template with 4 events in The
Golden Goose that happened that led to something else.
Day 2
1.Read Jack
and the Beanstalk. Use this
worksheet to put the story’s events in order. Talk about which events
caused which other events.
3.Practice comparing two stories. Complete a Venn
Diagram to discuss similarities & differences between the miller’s youngest
son in Puss and Boots and Jack from Jack & the Beanstalk.
Day 4
1.Read The
Sleeping Beauty in the Wood. Compare it to today’s popular Disney version
of Sleeping Beauty. Use this Fairy Tales
Features worksheet to review elements of a fiction story.
2.Read Snoring
Beauty (Hale, Bruce) for a fun comparison!
Beauty & the
Beast (found in: The Random House
Book of Fairy Tales and The Golden
Book of Fairy
Tales)
The Ugly Duckling
(found in The Classic Treasury of Hans
Christian Andersen)
Snow White
(found in: The Random House Book of Fairy
Tales or Classic Fairy Tales by Scott
Gustafson) (Brothers Grimm)
Snow White and Rose
Red (Brothers Grimm)
Day 1
1.Read The
Fisherman & His Wife. Discuss the idea of theme. Here is a great
chart listing common themes found in fairy tales and fables. Have your child
choose which they think best fits this story. (Those who are greedy and want
everything may end up with nothing.)
2.Look back at some of the fairy tales you’ve
already read. Use the theme chart from
above to determine the themes of some of these. Here are some:
The Emperor’s New Clothes- Deception & lying will catch up to
you.
The Elves & the Shoemaker- Even the biggest can use the help of
the smallest.
Hansel & Gretel- Good triumphs over evil.
Day 2
1.Read The
Beauty & the Beast. Discuss a possible theme for this story
(“Appearances can be deceiving).
2.Begin to discuss character traits. Help your
student come up with a list of words that can be used to describe a person. Use
this Character
Traits List as a guide. Then, help students begin to understand the
difference between how a character looks on the outside and how he/ she acts on
the inside. Use the Beginning
Character Mapping Worksheet to discuss both main characters in the story.
Day 3
1.Read The
Ugly Duckling (Andersen). Use the
discussion
questions to review comprehension.The
theme of this story could be “Don’t judge things based on their appearance.”
Choose a character from the story and complete the “Characters
Have Personality!” worksheet.
Day 4
1.Read Snow
White (Brothers Grimm). Use this Comparing
Characters worksheet to compare Snow White and the evil Queen.
2.Also read Snow
White and Rose Red. Discuss why you think the Brothers Grimm may have
written two tales with similar names. Discuss the theme of this story (“Do what
is right even if it seems hard.”) Compare the following characters using a
bubble map on a piece of paper: Snow White, Rose Red, the dwarf, and the bear.
What traits did they each possess? How did they look on the outside vs. the
inside?
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.
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).
The Frog Prince(found in: Classic Fairy
Talesby Scott Gustafson OR The Golden
Book of Fairy
TalesOR 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 Talesby Scott Gustafson
ORThe
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 theFairy Tale Comparison
Chartby 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 befound here.
Note that the Brothers Grimm typically did not actually writetheir 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, usethis oneto 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 aStory Guide here.)
Complete another line on theFairy 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, readingRumplestiltskin(Brothers Grimm). Ask some questions
for comprehension.
2.Practicesequencing(putting the events of a story into
the proper order) by usingthis worksheetfor 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.
