Fun With Fairy Tales
Teaching fairy tales to young learners is so much fun! It’s truly one of the easiest genres to teach because children are so captivated by the stories. When I was still in the classroom, this was always one of my favorite lessons. In today’s post, I am bringing some of my favorite tips and activities to have fun with fairy tales in your classroom! I know you and your students will love these simple and engaging activities that go along with 2 classic fairy tales.
INTRODUCE THE Fairy Tales
Before you get started, you will want to make sure you have a copy of Goldilocks and the Three Bears as well as The Three Little Pigs.
There are so many versions available of these stories and really, any of them will do as long as they follow the general, classic storyline. Here are some good options from Amazon:
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Candice Ransom
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Mara Alperin
- The Three Little Pigs by Mara Alperin
- The Three Little Pigs by Patricia Seibert
Also, don’t forget to check your local library, classic stories like these usually aren’t too hard to come by there!
In my Fairy Tales Activities Unit, I have provided tons of fun activities to study both of these classic tales in-depth.
To start the unit, I recommend reading both books to the class. Since you will be focused on these storylines throughout the unit, make sure to take your time with the read-aloud. I would also encourage some natural comprehension questions as you read. It’s a great way to practice some of those important reading comprehension skills you’ve already taught.
One of the skills that is perfect to work on with this unit is story retelling. Using the picture cards, students will practice the important skill of retelling using the character, scene, and story action picture cards included in the resource. I recommend printing these on cardstock and laminating for durability. Then you can use these in a pocket chart or attach magnetic tape to the back and retell the story on your classroom whiteboard. This is also a fun way to test comprehension. You can ask volunteers to tell parts of the story or model it yourself.
GET STARTED WITH ANCHOR CHARTS
Once you have gone through the stories and had some fun retelling as a group, it’s time to jump into my favorite part- anchor charts! I just love the conversation and brainstorming that arises when working on anchor charts.
It’s so much fun to hear what students have to say during this time. In the resource, you will find several sample charts with discussion topics for each story. Students can focus on story elements, identifying vivid language and alternate endings. All three of these options are so much fun, choose the topic that works best for your group or spend some time working on all three!
Large, sticky back chart paper works very well for this activity, and don’t forget to use the story pieces also. If you opted for the magnetic tape on the back of the pieces, you can stick your chart paper to the board and use the story pictures right on top of the chart!
FAIRY TALE CENTERS & activities
Included in my Fairy Tales Unit, you will find many fun options for hands-on centers and activities. These are perfect to use during your fairy tale unit or any time you want students to review these skills. Once they are familiar with the stories they can use these activities any time.
Fairy Tale Element sorting game
This is a great sorting activity for both whole group lessons and center time. In this activity, students will work on identifying a variety of story elements. Through this activity, students will work on characters, setting, problem, solution, and other story elements.
I liked to introduce each of these story elements by completing this during our lesson. Each card allowed me to teach story elements and model thinking for my students. After completing this as a class, I liked to move it into our center rotation for students to continue practicing identifying story elements.
Text to Text Comparison Charts
Learning to compare two stories can be a difficult task for our young students. But with opportunities to practice they can learn to compare and contrast. Fairy Tales are the perfect starting place for learning these important skills.
In this fun activity, students will compare similarities and differences between the two fairy tales.
I always began by drawing a large Venn Diagram on the board. This allows me to introduce this important comparison tool and talk students through the process. I like to start with something simple, like comparing the characters. From here we just keep building our comparison skills. The students loved completing their own Venn Diagrams during our fairy tale unit.
sequencing center activity
Another important reading skill that students need to develop is sequencing. Sometimes our young students just get excited and start with their favorite parts of the story. Teaching the ability to order the story is what this skill is all about.
This game first allows children to practice reading pieces of the stories and putting them in the correct sequence. Next, using the sequence cards as guides, students will cut and paste their answers onto the provided recording sheets to show their work.
WRITING ABOUT FAIRY TALES
Since we are discussing stories, it’s only fitting to include some writing work, right? I love weaving writing into our lessons any time that I can, and this unit is no exception! First graders have never failed to bring a smile to my face with their creative writing. As a classroom teacher, I always looked forward to seeing what my students came up with! Additionally, I’ve always found that first graders get a sincere sense of joy and accomplishment from their own writing!
In the Fairy Tales Unit, I have included 3 different fun writing activities to use with your students. Each is designed to help students connect writing with the reading comprehension skills they are have worked on.
Retelling through Writing
In this activity, students will use what they have learned about retelling and practice retelling in writing. This is a great follow-up activity to learning the skill of retelling.
Don’t be surprised if students’ written retelling is not as detailed as their oral retelling. This should be expected just due to their stronger oral language skills at this age.
Alternate Ending Writers Workshop
This is one of my favorite activities of the entire unit! Students will write a new ending to one of the fairy tales. When I taught this unit, we always set aside time to have an author sharing day. The students loved listening to each other’s story endings.
Once students are done, I highly recommend using these for a bulletin board or hallway display. Students always love to see their work on display and these alternate endings are a great read for anyone in the hallway.
DIGITAL OPTIONS FOR FAIRY TALES
If you’re looking for some digital activities to add to your fairy tale lessons, you’re in luck! My Fairy Tales Unit also includes digital versions of these activities. Integrating digital learning into your classroom is a great way to weave in technology skills while also working on these reading skills.
The digital activities can be projected onto the board and completed as a class or assigned individually. They make a great center activity. The digital activities cover the same skills as the other activities, which makes them perfect for a review or independent practice.
Students will love completing these digital activities and you will love how simple these are to assign and use! No lengthy prep involved!
work on reading fluency with READER’S THEATER
Use these fairy tales that students love to work on reading fluency. The Fairy Tale Unit includes a simple script for each story in both printable and digital formats. Students can practice reading parts of the fairy tales while working on fluency in a fun way!
Let students practice and then perform for the class, another class, or even the parents. I have even included character masks for your students to color and cut out if you would like to make this activity even more exciting!
Fun Fairy Tale Activities
You can find all of these fairy tale activities, and more in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. This Fairy Tale unit includes everything you need to teach The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears along with a variety of reading skills.
SAVE THESE IDEAS FOR LATER
Don’t forget to pin these ideas to your favorite classroom Pinterest board for when you’re ready to dive into fairy tale fun!
