About this book
Subject Area: Language Arts
Reading Level: 3.0
Book Summary
Author Mary Pope Osborne provides a fresh and funny twist on the well-known fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk."
Objective
Students will gain a deeper understanding of the fairy tale genre by reading fractured versions of familiar tales.
Standard: Students will compare and contrast the fractured tales to the originals.
Before Reading
First Is Best?
In order for students to fully appreciate the fractured nature of these fairy tales, they must be familiar with the originals.
- Hold a class discussion about fairy tales.
- Ask students to name fairy tales with which they are familiar; record the titles on your chalkboard.
- Talk about the oral history of the tales. Ask students what lessons or morals might be learned from each of the tales listed on your chalkboard.
- Discuss the plots of "Jack and the Beanstalk, " "The Frog Prince," or other familiar tales.
- Ask students to think about ways that these stories could be retold with a humorous bent. Explain that authors sometimes like to use these familiar tales with a new twist. Ask if they are familiar with any such retellings. Provide several examples for your classroom library.
- Write a class version of the tales using your students' suggestions.
Teaching Plan
Activities
Alike and Different
In order to retain ties to the original, a fractured tale must share some similarities with its originator.
- Now that your students are familiar with both the classic and its reworked offspring, they can compare and contrast.
- Have each student make a list of three ways in which each twisted tale is similar to its original telling and three ways in which it is different.
- Ask students to share their lists with the class.
Twisted
Using what they've learned, have students create their own fractured tales.
- Have each student select a favorite fairy tale.
- Set aside a certain amount of class time and ask students to start twisting their tales! They will rewrite their chosen fairy tale, giving it unique twists.
- Have students invent new titles for their tales — using the original title as a guide.
- Post students stories on a classroom bulletin board after reading them aloud (if time allows).
Other Fractured Fairy Tales
And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon
By Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Everyone knows "Hey Diddle Diddle" and how the rhyme turns out, but what if the dish ran away with the spoon and just kept running? Can the cat, the fiddle, the little dog, and a whole host of fairy tale characters catch the cutlery before the next reading?
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
By Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
No fairy tale is safe from the twists and turns of this talented author and illustrator!
Dusty Locks and the Three Bears
By Susan Lowell
What if, instead of residing in a forest, Goldilocks had lived in the Wild West? Meet Dusty Locks and the three bears — whose beans she samples, chairs she sits in, and cabin she dirties.
Other Books by Mary Pope Osborne
American Tall Tales
The Magic Tree House series
Mermaid Tales From Around the World
Teaching Plan written by Rebecca Gómez
- Subjects:Main Idea and Details, Compare and Contrast, Literary Devices, Plot, Character, Setting, Reading Response, Listening and Speaking, Creative Writing, Literary Response, Creativity and Imagination
- Skills:Literary Elements, Compare and Contrast, Main Idea and Details, Plot, Character and Setting, Descriptive Writing
