Grades
PreK–K, 1–2
Subject Area: Language Arts
Reading Level: 3.0
Kate is the clever and confident heroine in Kate and the Beanstalk, a lively retelling of the classic fairy tale, "Jack and the Beanstalk." Upon climbing the beanstalk, Kate meets a disguised fairy queen who tells her the fearsome giant stole a knight's castle long ago.
In The Frog Principal, Marty Q. Marvel the magician accidentally turns Mr. Bundy into a frog and the students of P.S. 88 don't know what to do! It's not always easy having a slimy, green-skinned amphibian for a principal. Even worse, Mr. Bundy has started playing leapfrog, swimming in the kindergarten sink, and eating students' fly collections. Will he ever be his old self again?
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.
In order for students to fully appreciate the fractured nature of these fairy tales, they must be familiar with the originals.
Alike and Different
In order to retain ties to the original, a fractured tale must share some similarities with its originator.
Twisted
Using what they've learned, have students create their own fractured 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.
American Tall Tales
The Magic Tree House series
Mermaid Tales From Around the World
Gator Girls series
Rosie: A Visiting Dog's Story
The Principal's New Clothes
Give a Dog a Bone: Stories, Poems, Jokes, and Riddles About Dogs
Teaching plan written by Rebecca Gómez.
Guide students through a fairy-tale genre study. By immersing themselves in the genre, students will determine why people tell such magical tales!
