Fractured Fairy Tales 
An Online Language Arts Unit
for Grades 5-7

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I. Classic Fairy Tales
          A. What is a fairy tale?
              1)Definition
              2)Common elements
              3)View and discuss examples (see books, Real Fairy Tales link)
          B. Map a fairy tale
              1)Identify elements of five of the tales discussed
                   a)someone good
                   b)wants...
                   c)but someone bad
                   d)wants...
                   e)so...
              2)Create spreadsheet on the five fairy tales, listing elements of each (see example below)
 

FAIRY TALE	SOMEONE GOOD	WANTS	BUT SOMEONE BAD	WANTS	SO
The Three Little Pigs	three pigs	to stay safe in their homes	big bad wolf	to eat the three pigs	the pigs trick the wolf

II. Fractured Fairy Tales
         A. What is a “fractured” fairy tale?
              1)Definition
              2)Common elements—no rules?
              3)View and discuss examples (see books, Fractured Fairy Tales link)
         B. Compare and contrast classic and fractured fairy tales
              1)The Three Little Pigs vs. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
              2)The Little Red Hen vs. The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Philemon Sturges
              3)The Gingerbread Man vs. The Stinky Cheese Man by J. Scieszka
              4)The Frog Prince vs. The Frog Prince Continued by J. Scieszka
         C. Create an original fractured fairy tale
              1)Discuss “politically correct” language use in fractured tales
                   a)grumpy = attitude challenged
                   b)old = youth impaired
                   c)smart = academically advantaged
              2)Brainstorm “PC” titles (i.e. Snow White and the Seven Vertically Challenged Adults)
              3)Create a wacky web tale (see Activities link)

III. Projects
         A. TV Report/News Article
                1)View Sesame Street clip(s) of Kermit the Frog interviewing fairy tale characters
                2)Write a TV interview or news article about a fairy tale character (see News Report link) or
                3)Film a one minute news interview with a fairy tale character
         B. Wanted Poster
                  1)Design a wanted poster for a fairy tale character (see Wanted Poster link)
                  2) Use draw tools or copyright-free graphics to illustrate the poster
         C. Word Puzzle
                  1)Select a fairy tale and list 15 words (characters, places, actions) from story
                  2)Go to http://www.puzzlemaker.com and create a crossword or word find
                  3)Print and exchange word puzzles with students
         D. Scrambled Point of View
                    1)Pick one in each category: good (prince, frog...), evil (witch, troll…), setting (forest, castle…), magic (seeds, rock…)
                    2)Write an original fairy tale using elements chosen
         E. HyperStudio Fractured Fairy Tale
                  1)Use Ready-Made Card with book pattern as background for each card
                  2)Brainstorm ideas using the “Someone Good Wants, But…”
                  3)Use draw tools or download copyright-free graphics to illustrate story
                  4)Create an “About the Author” page at end of stack including digital picture of author

 IV. Extensions
         A. “Fairy Tale Story Starter” Station
              1)Begin a new word processing file with a fairy tale story starter (“Once upon a time there was a singing frog.”)
              2)Take turns adding to the story, assuring each student has input
              3)Create illustrations for each page
         B. “Fairy Tale E-Mail” Station
              1)Read the online e-mail message to Cinderella (see Fairy Tale E-Mail link)
              2)Type an e-mail reply to the wicked stepmother
              3)Print and display the responses
         C. “Another Point of View” Station
              1)Read fairy tales rewritten by seventh grade students (see Activities link)
              2)Rewrite "The Three Little Bears" from Goldilock's perspective
         D. Storybook Weaver Station
              1)Write and illustrate an original fairy tale using Storybook Weaver software (The Learning Company)
              2)Print and assemble into book
         E. Imagination Express Destinations: Castle Station
                1)Write and illustrate an original fairy tale using Imagination Express Destinations: Castle  (Edmark)
                2)Print and assemble into book
         F. Class Movie Review
              1)Discuss plot of the movie Shrek
              2)Identify elements of a fairy tale found in the movie
              3)Discuss what makes Shrek the “ultimate fractured fairy tale”
 

NEBRASKA READING/WRITING STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS UNIT:
8.1.1   8.1.2  8.1.3  8.1.4  8.2.1  8.2.2

NEBRASKA STUDENT ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS IN TECHNOLOGY ADDRESSED IN THIS UNIT:
8.1.3  8.2.1  8.3.1  8.3.2  8.4.1  8.5.1  8.5.2  8.6.4