The term ‘fairy tale’ is actually quite modern, originating in France and entering the language in the 18th century. Interestingly, these tales are rarely about fairies but characteristically they do, according to Iona and Peter Opie in their book entitled
The Classic Fairy Tales
, “contain an enchantment or other supernatural element that is clearly imaginary” (p. 16). It is this element of magic that causes the reader to wonder, to speculate how we would react if we were involved in those same circumstances. The Opies call this license to wonder essential for children. They maintain that “this is the merit of the tales, that by going beyond possibility they enlarge our daily horizon” (p. 16).
In addition to stirring the imagination with their magic and fantasy, fairy tales can also be used to teach children ethics and morals. Rose Dobbs, in her book
, More Once-Upon-A-Time Stories,
explains that from these tales children learn “to respect the humble; not to underestimate the hidden strength of the weak; never to judge the value of a person or a thing from outward appearance; the consequences of choosing mischievous companions; and that kindness was sure to be rewarded” (Introduction, pages unnumbered). Such tales, says Tara McCarthy in her book,
Multicultural Fables and Fairy Tales,
“help children to clarify their own values and concerns about appropriate behavior, and to develop concepts about the meanings of big ideas such as truth, courage and kindness” (p. 5).
For this curriculum unit I have chosen fairy tales that include the following elements: 1) stock characters that are either all bad or all good; 2) a problem or task to be done; 3) the setting; 4) a source or person of magic; 5) a solution or reward; 6) repetitive features (i.e., once upon a time, they lived happily ever after, the recurrence of the number 3, etc.). They are either tales of royal romance or magical transformation.
I became intrigued with the different portrayals of princesses in the multicultural fairy tales I read and have found some princess characters who are rather fragile and sweet, leaving the rescuing prince to fight his battles alone. Other princesses who are exceedingly cunning, proactive, fearless and resolved, bring about the results they are after and change the course of events unaided. Regarding the princes, I have found some needing quite a bit of nurturing, beholden to witches, starstruck by the radiant beauty of a princess; and, in contrast, others who are very clever, aggressive, relentless in battle, strongly desiring to be transformed and driven to successfully perform the tasks asked of them. Dragons are another common character in fairy tales and they too vary in their make-up. Some dragons are evil to the core, repulsive in appearance, greedy, fierce and unfeeling and are destroyed in the end while others are simply waiting for an understanding being who brings about their transformation into a gentle, friendly, law-abiding companion.
Jack Zipes, in his book
, When Dreams Come True
, highlights the myriad of possible facets of the fairy tale including the cunning simpleton, the beautiful but maltreated daughter, the evil witch, the compassionate elves, the man-eating ogre, the fierce dragon, the kind, talking animals, the jealous stepmother, the greedy and unjust king, the magical forests, glass mountains, enchanted castles, the capes that make one invisible and the boots that allow one to move with great speed, and the swords that bring one victory----to name a few (p. 4-5). The purpose of all these facets selectively employed in fairy tales, says Zipes, is to “induce wonder” (p. 5). It is this wonder that distinguishes a fairy tale from other tales and short stories. The great appeal and, indeed, the cathartic quality comes from the ability of these fairy tales “to awaken our regard for the miraculous condition of life and to evoke in a religious sense profound feelings of awe and respect for life as a miraculous process, which can be altered and changed to compensate for the lack of power, wealth, and pleasure that most people experience” (p. 5). .
My research on fairy tales has led me to many sources: picture books, anthologies, plays, and fairy tales on the internet. I found that read-aloud books, of course, were in abundance but books at the students’ reading level took more effort to find. There is an easy way to determine the readability level of a particular story. It is called the Adapted Fry method. My literacy mentor at school recently taught this method to me and I suggest teachers use it when selecting fairy tales for guided reading or independent reading purposes. Very simply, you count the number of syllables in the first ten sentences of a passage and divide the sum by ten. This gives you the approximate grade level equivalent for the passage. A story is at third grade level if the syllables per sentence are within the range of 11.9 to 14.5. By using this method a teacher will be able to use fairy tales that the children can read on their own without a lot of difficulty.
Unit Objectives
To become familiar with the major characteristics of fairy tales.
To compare and contrast different fairy tales.
To identify basic themes common in many fairy tales.
To explore roles of male and female characters.
To examine the varied portrayals of dragons and the use of kind animals in fairy tales.
To use fairy tales to reinforce the writing of narratives.
To strengthen reading comprehension skills through the use of fairy tales.
To write traditional and fractured fairy tales.
To study aspects of the culture from which each fairy tale derives.
Strategies
To chart the basic elements of each fairy tale presented and regularly use it as a reference.
To locate the country from which each fairy tale originates on a world map and note its basic features (i. e., terrain, climate, surrounding bodies of water).
To study a story’s illustrations and to use other research aids (i. e., encyclopedias) to learn how the people of that country dressed and lived in that time period.
To use a venn diagram to compare and contrast the various traits of the princesses, princes, and dragons featured in these fairy tales.
To use the various story frames in Nancy Boyles,
Teaching Written Response to Text
, to help students reflect on and formulate quality written responses to open-ended questions about the fairy tales.
To use fractured fairy tale plays as springboards for writing one’s own version of a fairy tale in narrative or play form.
Meeting New Haven’s Literacy Standards
The New Haven school district’s emphasis on literacy is targeted in all aspects of this unit. As students listen to or read each fairy tale, they will be asked to demonstrate strategic reading skills before, during and after reading (Reading/ Literature content standard 1.0). They will be asked to make predictions, reread, sequence, make inferences about and summarize each tale presented.
The students will also be asked to demonstrate successful writing behavior by formulating brief written responses to questions about each tale (Writing content standard 2.0). They will further participate in a wide variety of writing experiences, including the writing of traditional and fractured fairy tales. By participating in Readers Theatre they will also meet the requirements of the Speaking content standard 3.0.
I teach third-grade in a self-contained classroom at Vincent Mauro School in New Haven. My students are primarily of Hispanic and African-American descent, a heterogeneous group with varying abilities in the seven-to ten age range. Although I have designed this unit with them in mind, I am confident that it could easily be used by teachers of K-5, if not older.
The lessons in this unit will be introduced two to three times a week for a period of 45-60 minutes over a four month period. My curriculum unit is divided into five sections:
Section I The Genre of Fairy Tales
Section II Fairy Tales Featuring Princes, Princesses and Magical Transformations
Section III Fairy Tales Featuring Dragons
Section IV Fairy Tales Featuring Kind Talking Animals
Section V Writing a Fairy Tale
