Fairytales are folktales that include an element of magic or an imaginary creature such as a troll, a dragon, or animals that act like people.  You will often find two extremes such as good and evil, reward and punishment, or rich and poor exhibited in a fairytale.  Other common elements in a fairytale include royalty, things happening in threes, magical spells, and places of enchantment.

    Commonly known fairytales that exude these story elements include:

Cinderella Red Riding Hood Beauty and the Beast The Three Bears Rumplestiltskin

Lesson 1:

• Folktale and Fairytale Introduction
• Define Genre and Fairytale
• Give Examples
• Read two different fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty and Rumplstiltskin
• Class completes a good vs. evil chart on  the two stories read

Lesson 2:

• Fairytales Travel Around the World (show map)
• Read Cinderella and Yeh Shen
• Discuss what makes these stories fairytales                                                       
• Have students complete a Venn Diagram of the two stories
• Discuss everyone's responses on the diagrams

Lesson 3:

• Why is it a Fairytale?
• Groups of students look at different fairytale books and determine what makes them fairytales
• Groups use props to retell a well-known fairytale to the class
• Discuss as a class what makes a fairytale a fairytale

Lesson 4:

• Fractured Fairytales
• Read several examples of fractured fairytales
• Share Cinderella book from a former class
• Have students write their own version of any fairytale - due next class
• Great website:  http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/fairytales/

Fairytale Links
SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages