The Evolution of Fairy

Tales:
Whats Changed?
Whats Stayed the
Same?

September 2016
PS3 Unit Number One
By: Ashley Malcomson

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Unit Overview
Topic: The Evolution of Fairy Tales: Whats Changed? Whats Stayed the Same?
Grade: ELA Grade 9
Timeline: 22 lessons (approx. 4-5 weeks).
Central Emphasis: In this unit students will be asked to explore and develop their
understanding of fairy tales. The goal is for students to move from viewing fairy tales as childish
entertainment to a meaningful reflection of societal values that change over time but remain part
of western culture to this day.

Daily Instruction: At the beginning of the unit, lessons will focus on class discussion,
individual reflection, and direct instruction. The middle of the unit will be characterized by group
work and presentations. Lastly, the unit will wrap up with the students working independently to
create their own fractured fairy tales.

Texts: This unit will allow for several texts to be consulted based on student interest,
however, some of the texts that will be introduced and/or made available include: Tales
from the Brothers Grimm and Sisters Weird, Twisted Fairy Tales, Dust City, Little Red
Cap, Little Red Riding Hood, and Honestly, Red Riding Hood was Rotten.
Technology: Projection equipment, whiteboard, computers, internet, PowerPoint, YouTube

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Activities/Assignments: There are many assignments that will be used during this unit in order
to give students different opportunities to demonstrate their understanding.

Free Write: Students will begin the unit by taking time to free write everything that
comes to mind when they think of fairy tales. This activity will be completed again at the
end of the unit to help students visualize what they learned.
Is This a Fairy Tale? After determining a class favorite, students will briefly retell the
fairy tale they chose as a class. They will then decide which elements of fairy tales
apply to their selection, and which do not, to decide if it is a true fairy tale. Students will
then be asked to repeat the exercise in small groups by reading several lesser known tales
and justifying which stories should be considered fairy tales.
Journal Entries: Each week students will be asked to respond to at least one prompt
designed to help them assess and reflect on personal learning. Journals will be submitted
for completion marks and will account for 5% of the overall unit mark. Each missing
journal entry will result in the loss of 1%.
Visual Representation: Students will be divided into groups and assigned to an author
station. Each group will preview a selection of fairy tales written or compiled by a given
author. As a group, students will create a visual representation of the general tone/mood
of the author towards children. Groups will then present their representation to the class
and explain their reasoning.
Messages to Children: After comparing and analyzing different versions of the Red
Riding Hood story students will work in groups to create a message to children that
makes the theme of the story obvious and memorable. Before beginning this activity,
students will view a YouTube clip of Let It Go to see first hand how a theme can be
made very memorable for younger audiences. Students will be encouraged to be creative.
Group Project: Students will compare and contrast two versions of the same fairy tale.
They will then try to account for variations by considering historical/cultural contexts and
present their findings to the class.
PreWriting: Students will choose two fairy tales they would like to fracture for their
final assignment. Students will then document key elements from each fairy tale and
begin planning/mapping out how they would make changes to each. Students will then
make an informed decision when choosing which of their ideas to follow through to
publication. Students will submit both plans for completion marks.
Create a Fractured Fairy Tale: This will be the final summative assessment for the unit.
Students will work through the writing process to create their own fairy tale. Students
will be involved in creating a checklist/rubric for the assignment based on what they
deem essential to a good fairy tale. The finished products will be combined into a class
anthology which students will be given time to review.
Portfolio Conference: Students will meet with the teacher for a brief one on one
interview following the completion of the unit. During this interview, students will
discuss their thought process for choosing which fairy tale to fracture and will also justify
a self evaluation of their final piece. Lastly, students will set personal learning goals for
the next unit.
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Connections to the English

Language Arts Strands
Speaking: Students will be involved in several discussions ranging from wholeclass to think-pair-share. Students will also be expected to speak in front of the
class during their group presentation.
Listening: The beginning of this unit will include direct instruction which will require

attentive listening. Students will also need to listen to each other during discussions,
group work, and presentations. Students will listen to songs and clips from YouTube.
Reading: Students will read several fairy tales throughout this unit. The group project
will require research regarding historical/cultural context. Biographies will be included
for the Grimm Brothers and Walt Disney.
Writing: Writing will take place in some form or another nearly every day. Some of the
activities students will complete that require writing include: free writing, recording
findings, justifying selections, responding to readings, completing exit slips, two stars
and a wish peer editing, and writing a fairy tale.
Viewing: Students will view images of important authors, video clips, songs,
PowerPoints, and group presentations
Representing: Making the Moral Stick is an opportunity for students to creatively
represent the moral of a fairy tale they are interested in. Students will illustrate their fairy
tales in a way that enhances the tone and mood of their piece.

Unit Learning Outcomes

The students will
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Recognize and be able to justify changes in common fairy tales over time.
Demonstrate personal preferences by selecting fairy tales they find interesting to study.
Work together to create a short, but engaging presentations.
Participate in respectful classroom discussions.
Write an original fractured fairy tale complete with personal reflections.

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General & Specific

Learning Outcomes
1.1.3ExpressPreferences:
a) Explainpreferencesfortextsandgenresbyparticularwriters,artists,storytellers,andfilmmakers
2.1.1UsePriorKnowledge
b)Usepreviousreadingexperiencesandpriorknowledgeasabasisofreflectingonandinterpreting
ideasencounteredintexts
2.2.1ExperienceVariousTexts
b)Identifyanddiscusshowtimelessthemesaredevelopedinavarietyoforal,print,andothertexts
c)Considerhistoricalcontextwhendevelopingownpointsofvieworinterpretationsoforal,print,
andothermediatexts
e)Expressthethemesoforal,print,andothermediatextsindifferentformsofgenres
2.2.2ConstructMeaningfromTexts
a)Analyzehowthechoicesandmotivesofcharactersportrayedinoral,print,andothermediatexts
provideinsightintothoseofselfandothers
b)Identifyanddiscussthemeandpointofviewinoral,print,andothermediatexts
2.2.3AppreciatetheArtistryofTexts
d)Identifyfeaturesthatdefineaparticularoral,printandothermediatexts;discussdifferencesin
styleandtheireffectsoncontentandaudienceimpression
2.3.1UnderstandFormsandGenres
a)Explaintherelationshipbetweenpurposesandcharacteristicsofvariousformsandgenresoforal,
print,andothermediatexts
2.3.2UnderstandTechniquesandElements
a)Comparethedevelopmentofcharacter,plot,andthemeintwooral,printorothermediatexts
c)Compareamaincharacterinonetexttothemaincharacterinanothertextfromadifferentera,
genre,ormedium
2.4.3StructureTexts
a)Createoral,print,andothermediatextsthatinterrelateplot,setting,andcharacter,andrevealthe
significanceoftheaction
4.1.1 Appraise Own and Others Work
4.1.2 Revise and Edit
c) revise to combine narration, description and exposition effectively
4.3.4 Demonstrate Attentive Listening and Viewing
5.1.2 Relate Texts to Culture
a) Analyze how oral, print, and other media texts reflect traditions, beliefs, and technologies of
different cultures, communities or periods in history
5.2.1 Cooperate with Others
5.2.2 Work in Groups
b) Share responsibility for the completion of team projects by establishing clear purpose and
procedures for solving problems, monitoring progress, and making modifications to meet stated
objectives
5.2.3 Evaluate Group Process

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a) Establish and use criteria to evaluate group process and personal contributions; set goals and make
plans for improvement

Essential Unit
Questions
1. How do historical and cultural contexts influence fairy tales?
2. What is it about fairy tales that makes them timeless?
3. Which aspects of a fairy tale can be fractured without making it
unrecognizable?

Assessment Plan
Evaluation: Students will be assessed in a variety of ways throughout the unit.

Pre-Assessment: Free Writing Activity and Class Discussion

Formative Assessment: exit slips, Q&A, response journals, Messages to Children,
Disney vs. Grimm Visual Representation, personal conferences, peer editing,
Summative Assessment: Is This a Fairy Tale? Write a Fractured Fairy Tale, Unit Test

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(Tentative)Unit Calendar
September 2016
Monday

Friday
1
2
Teacher Planning Teacher Planning
Teacher Planning
NO SCHOOL FOR NO SCHOOL FOR
GRADE 9
GRADE 9
5
6
7
8
9
Title: Introductions
Title: Building a
Title: Building a
Title: Where do we
Community
Community
stand?
NO SCHOOL

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Objective:
Create an inviting
and comfortable
atmosphere

Objective:
Students will assess
personal strengths
and weaknesses

Objective:
Students will see
each other as more
than just names and
familiar faces.

Objective:
Determine each
students current
understanding of
writing an essay.

Activities:
Review Course
Outline
Class Contract
Snowball Fight
Common Ground

Activities:
Multiple
Intelligence
Inventory
Student
Questionnaire
Personal Goals

Activities:
Time Capsule

Activities:
PLC Shared Essay

12
13
Title: Lets Talk
Title: Fairy Tale
Title: Famous
Fairy Tales!
Elements
authors

14

15
Title: Comparing
Red Riding Hood

16
Title: Analyzing Red
Riding Hood

Objective:

Objective:

Objective:

Objective:

Objective:

1.1.3 Express
Preferences
2.1.1 Use Prior
Knowledge
1.2.1 Consider the ideas
of others

2.3.1 Understand forms and

genres

2.2.1c consider historical

context

2.2.1b identify and discuss

how timeless themes are
developed
2.2.1c consider historical
context
2.2.3d identify features
that define a particular text

2.2.1b identify and discuss

how timeless themes are
developed
2.2.1c consider historical
context
2.2.1d express the themes of
texts in different forms or

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genres
2.2.2b identify and discuss
theme and point of view in
texts

Activities:
Free Write
Class Favorites
Journal entry

Activities:
Class read aloud of
two traditional
versions of the story

Activities:
Brainstorming
Direct Instruction
Is This a Fairy Tale?

Activities:
Direct Instruction
Author Sampling
Stations
Journal Entry: Who Venn Diagram
is your favorite?
20
21

19

Activities:
Messages to
Children (visual
representation)

22

23

Title:
Analyzing Red
Riding Hood
Objective:
2.2.1b identify and
discuss how timeless
themes are developed
2.2.1c consider
historical context
2.2.1d express the
themes of texts in
different forms or
genres
2.2.2b identify and
discuss theme and point
of view in texts

Activities:
Direct Instruction
Literary Theory
Messages to
Children
26

School based
PD DAY

FLEX DAY

Group Project:
Work Period

27

Group Project:
Begin Presentations

Group Project:
Work Period

28

Group Project:
Finish Presentations

Group Project:
Work Period

29

30

Title: Fractured
Fairy Tales

Title: Pre-Writing

Objective:

Objective:

2.3.1 Understand forms

and genres
1.2.2 Combine Ideas
2.2.2b Identify and discuss
theme and point of view

2.4.2 Elaborate on the

Expression of Ideas

Activities:

Activities:
Select a traditional
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Direct Instruction
YouTube Clips
Honestly, Red
Riding
Hood was Rotten!
3
Title: Drafting

Title: Revise/Edit

Title: Publishing

Objective:

Objective:

Objective:

2.4.2 Elaborate on the

Expression of Ideas

4.1.1 Appraise Own and

Others Work
4.1.2 Revise and Edit

4.1.1 Appraise Own and

Others Work

Activities:
Peer Editing

Activities:
Display final drafts

Activities:
Work Period

Title: Drafting
Cont.

fairy tale
Brainstorm changes
to be made

Objective:
2.4.2 Elaborate on the
Expression of Ideas

Activities:
Work Period

FLEX DAY

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