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Fairy Tales and Gender Roles

 Marcella Ubben Candelaria

The Academic Setting

Garfield Middle School is located in the heart the North Valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Middle schools in the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) district encompass grades six, seven and eight.  The enrollment at Garfield for the 2000-2001 school year was 644 students which has remained fairly constant over the last three years, although below the average enrollment of Albuquerque middle schools.  The dropout rate for Garfield is 2.56% (1999-2000 figures) while the APS average is 1.42%.  The attendance rate for 2000-2001 was 85% which shows a decline from a high of 90.7% reported in 1997-1998.  Garfield is a very diverse school in terms of ethnicity with Hispanic being dominant at 82.1% of the students.  Its Anglo population is 12.9%; African American 1.2%; Native American 3.3%; with other ethnic groups at .5%.  Garfield is also considered a high poverty school due to its free or reduced lunch population which is at 73.3% for 1999-2000.  Terra Nova scores (the standardized test mandated by the State of New Mexico) show composites ranging from a low of 32 in 7th grade to 35 in 6th and 40 in 8th grades.  These figures are from 2000-2001 and include all students, according to the APS Web site.  Garfield Middle School, like many schools in the Albuquerque Public School system, is striving to improve and as such is using many innovative programs to improve student success and performance.  Key among them is an accelerated reading program and a 35-minute homeroom period dedicated specifically to reading.  Garfield also has extensive offerings in its alternative language programs, including ESL Sheltered Content and bilingual programs.  It has adopted a nationally recognized math program and continues to push technology.   Students in 7th grade are required to take one semester of keyboarding.  The school is 99% wired for computers with at least one computer in each classroom and two computer labs for student and teacher-directed class use. 

            This unit is being developed for learning disabled students in middle school,  specifically seventh grade D-level, meaning the services the students receive are eight students to one teacher, and maybe an educational assistant.  These students receive maximum services from the APS district.  The students are in a contained setting, with the special education teacher giving instruction for all core subject areas; i.e., language arts, math, science and social studies.  The students are enrolled in the general student population for their elective classes.  Collaboration with other special education and/or general education teachers is encouraged.  Garfield Middle School will be using a block schedule of 90 minute classes four days a week and one day meeting with all classes for traditional 45 minute periods.  Special education teachers of contained classrooms will be able to tailor their daily schedule to students' Individual Educational Program (IEP) goals and thus may have more flexibility with the block schedule.  Garfield will be a new school for me and as such I am not entirely sure how everything will work.  Having worked in a contained setting before, I know that my curriculum will be integrated between subject areas.  My lessons use culminating projects that often incorporate most of the core subjects.        

            My goals for this unit on fairy tales are mainly in social studies and language arts.  I  begin with the definition of a fairy tale and how it is different from a myth or legend.   We will review myths, a subject the students covered in sixth grade social studies.  They should have spent extensive time on Greek and Roman mythology so they will have background knowledge that I hope to build upon. 

 I will move from myths to oral folk tales and then to fairy tales.  This is an opportune time to show the students historically what was happening in Europe and how history intertwines with other events.  The curriculum for seventh grade is North and South America so we will examine European history in the context of what is happening in the Americas.  We will undoubtedly look at American legends.  Many of the students will be familiar with stories from the Native American and Mexican cultures.     

The district and my principal are now requiring lesson plans to show the standards and benchmarks which are being addressed.  Strand II of Language Arts addresses reading analysis.  It specifically charges that students will examine literature from a variety of cultures and genre.  The students will analyze stories from the perspective of the time periods in which they were written and identify recurring themes from across a variety of cultures.   We will examine the different characteristics of  a fairy tale in anticipation of the students writing their own story.  We will look at gender roles, specifically father-daughter relationships, animal bridegrooms and changing roles in society.  Strand III is expressive language, specifically writing.  Strand IV is expressive language through speaking.  The students will demonstrate competency in writing strategies across content areas.  (APS K-12 Language Arts Content and Performance Standards)  After discussion of themes, the students will write and perform some original works. 

            For learning disabled students, these standards are particularly relevant.  Reading is usually the area of concern for my students and by using a type of story that most will have some familiarity with, I feel they will have success with this unit, both in reading and writing.  Most American children have had exposure to fairy tales, even if it is only through Disney movies.  Many of these tales are told in picture books with vocabulary at an elementary level.  By the very nature of the stories the students will not be offended at using material at their reading level.  Many students today do not read enough to be considered proficient, especially in the middle school grades, typically the ages of  11-13.  In using fairy tales I hope to be able to hold the students' interest.  Reading skills of learning disabled students typically lag 2-3 grades behind the students' actual grade.    Fairy tales told in picture books will be at a level they can read alone.  This ensures they can do the work with a minimal amount of teacher intervention.  At seventh grade I want my students to begin to doGo to top of page. independent work. 

            In studying the fairy tales we will examine gender roles and show that many of today's concepts of male and female originated long ago.  I will use both the original and different versions of The Frog King by the Grimm Brothers and Beauty and the Beast.  We will look closely at the characters, their roles within the story and with each other.  We will examine earlier versions and more contemporary ones.  I struggled with finding stories both boys and girls this age would enjoy.  Seventh graders are still ambivalent about the opposite sex.   The Frog King has themes of a father-daughter relationship and a prince in the guise of a frog, as well as the uncommon idea that the princess has a mind of her own.  Beauty and the Beast is a story with roots in the tale of Cupid and Psyche from ancient times, which fits nicely with our study of myths and legends.  These stories all have elements of traditional and untraditional roles.  I have also found a similar tale from the ancient cultures of the Americas which we will use in our studies. 

Context and Background

My unit is for a four week period.  In teaching fairy tales to a seventh grade class, my goal is to have them examine society's roles for males and females.  I want them to look at the historical context of these roles as told through the fairy tales.  We will delve back into history and begin with myths and legends, continuing onto the tradition of oral folktales.   These tales told what every child needed in order to survive in the society.  By the time of the fairy tales the intent was to socialize and identify the classes.  Gender roles became more specific and we have inherited these today.  Along with examining gender roles in the fairy tales we will look at roles in society to see if they are the same or if they have changed.  We may look at advertising and its effect on teenagers.   I hope my students will look at our society in a different light after our study.   

            We begin by examining myths, the tales from the earliest of man's history.  Most students have read myths from ancient Greece and Rome.  Indeed, the planets and stars bear names that come to us from these ancient civilizations.   Myths were intended to explain occurrences in nature that were not readily explainable.  Myths often told of the struggle between good and evil.  They had heroes and villains.  They had elements of gods, of  a force greater than the humans in the stories (Prentice Hall Regents 27).   

            We will look at the story of Cupid and Psyche from ancient Greek and Roman times.  This is the earliest known recorded version of Beauty and the Beast.  The story is told to console a young bride abducted by bandits on her wedding day.  Psyche, the heroine of the tale, is required to accomplish one impossible task after another.  She never indulges in self pity and in the end she is asked to renounce the feminine virtue of compassion, which is at the heart of the European Beauty and the Beast  (Tatar 25-26).

            Early oral folk tales were just that: stories told by a storyteller or community member.  These tales created a sense of community and explained forces in nature.  The stories were passed generation to generation and carried the wisdom of the culture and the lessons necessary to become a member of the society.  They served the dual purpose of education and entertainment.   All elements of a society were reflected in the folk tales, such as a people's beliefs, language, philosophies, dance, art, music, traditions and customs.  These stories passed from village to village through word of mouth, bringing news from other villages, and instructing and preparing children for life's realities without being specifically meant for children. 

            In the 16th century, life was hard for peasants.  Repeated famines exacerbated the poor living conditions of the peasants, often forcing them to sell any meager possessions for food.  Sometimes they would eat grass and bark and be forced into cannibalism (“Teaching Gender Roles: Fairy Tales and  Beyond,” 1-2).  During this time period, both boys and girls needed to be instructed in survival skills.  The way to survival was to become self-reliant and to live by one's wits.  Every member of the family had to be responsible and work hard in order for the family unit to survive.   The earliest versions of many fairy tales reflect these qualities, showing the protagonist as surviving by the use of his/her wits (“Teaching Gender Roles: Fairy Tales and  Beyond,” 1-2). 

            As the European feudal system and the unity of the Catholic Church began to break down at the end of the 17th century, there were considerable changes in the configuration of the upper classes.  There emerged the idea of civilite, a code of social manners that reflected social standings and privilege.  This concept of social manners gained a strong foothold in France in the 17th century, with the new aristocracy increasingly reliant upon manners and behavior to differentiate itself from other social classes. 

            The irony is that the aristocracy took their stories about behavior from the peasants' traditional folk tales.  By the time of Louis XIV in the 17th century, the traditional oral tales had been adopted to entertain and instruct the aristocracy.  French aristocratic women contributed heavily to the institutionalization of the fairy tale by discussing these tales in their literary salons  (Zipes 18).   They developed narratives expressing sentiments about issues such as morality, education and society. 

            By the 1690s, the authors of these salon fairy tales were writing them down in order to publish them.  The most notable writer from this time is Charles Perrault.  As a member of the court of Louis XIV, he introduced these tales to the court for the purpose of amusement and entertainment.  His works laid a major foundation for the literary fairy tale (Folk & Fairy Tales, Hallett and Karaske, ed. 14).     

             These new fairy tales were not written exclusively or predominantly for children since children were not regarded as different from adults.  They were seen as small adults without special needs or desires  (Shavit 317-318). Children's literature is a recent development and unknown until the 18th century when children became objects of entertainment and diversion within the family.   The Industrial Revolution, the increase in life expectancy and the Enlightenment period all contributed to developing a notion of children as different from adults. They were regarded as creatures thatGo to top of page. must be protected and instructed in particular  ways to conform to society (Shavit 319). 

            Perrault modified the folk tales, editing out much of their cruelty and crassness since this would have been too shocking for his aristocratic audience.   He also modified the tone of the folk tales:   gender distinctions were more finely honed and strictly enforced, reflecting a  social opinion previously unknown.  Perrault's heroines are all helpless and have no control over their own fate.  This represents a major difference to heroines from the folk tale.  For the bourgeois and upper class audience, the complete dependence of the female on the male was desirable.  Perrault placed great value on the beauty and submissiveness of the female.  The goal of the female, and her greatest reward, is marriage to a wealthy and handsome prince. 

           The Grimm Brothers intended their first collection of fairy tales for adults but their second edition was revised to instruct and amuse children as well.    While Perrault used satire and irony and tragic endings, the Grimm Brothers have a naïve tone and happy endings, supposedly more in keeping with the “original” folk tales.  (Shavit 328-329).  These changes were made to appeal to the growing middle class; sexual references that might be offensive were eliminated and Christian references were added.  Specific role models for males and females were emphasized   illustrating Christian morality and the Protestant work ethic as well as social injustices and the possibility for self-determination (Zipes xxv-xxxi). 

            Vladimir Propps' study of the fairy tales, The Morphology of the Folktale,  identifies 37 functions of the stories given to the various characters and creatures.   A function is a basic and constant element of the plot that enables the story to proceed to its conclusion.  The conclusion is generally resolved happily for the protagonist.  Zipes summarizes these functions as follows:  The protagonist has a prohibition that he or she violates.  Because of this violation, the protagonist is banished or leaves the family.  He or she is then given or assumes a task.  There is an encounter with both a villain and someone who gives the protagonist a magical gift or gifts.  Then comes the test of the protagonist where he battles and conquers the villain.   There may be a setback that is only temporary.  Armed with the magical gifts the protagonist achieves his goal either through battles, performing impossible tasks or breaking a magical spell.  The villain is punished and the protagonist survives which usually leads to marriage, money, wisdom, or any combination of the three (64).  This is an element of fairy tales that my students will need in order to complete projects in this unit.  These functions are representative of a fairy tale and the students will use some combination of these when writing their own stories. 

            The best known characters in fairy tales are overwhelmingly female, yet there are just as many male protagonists.  In European fairy tales, the hero is a man and he is shown in his confrontation with the world.  The feminine component is that part of a man closer to nature (Luthi 296).  In a fairy tale all things are possible.  One can rise above oneself and attain the highest things.  The fairy tale hero is essentially a wanderer, someone who sets off from home out into the world.  This conveys a sense of freedom (Luthi 297-298).  The men represent the movers of the plot who arrive at the end to make everything right (Zipes 77).  For females the goal is marriage, for males it is to become the all-powerful king (Zipes 79).  

            The fairy tales that we in Western society are familiar with have basically been frozen in time.  In writing down the oral tales, writers such as Perrault and the Grimm Brothers reinforced the hierarchy of class and race.  In the original oral tales, there were actual possibilities for boys and girls to reach their potential.   The written tales are specific to a male, middle class ideology, oftentimes reinforcing negative gender roles (Zipes 39).  My classes will study these roles both historically and in contemporary society.  

            In examining the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, we will begin with the version written down by Madame de Beaumont in France in 1757, which discusses the virtues of good mannners, good breeding and good behavior.   These lessons pertain almost exclusively to young women, who in the story are showered with either praise or blame.  Beauty preferred virtue to looks in her marriage to the Beast.   In a more modern interpretation, the virtue of Beauty is her willingness to sacrifice herself.  The lessons are of obedience and self-denial, but also of the power of love, the importance of values over appearances (Tatar 27). 

            Beauty and the Beast will allow us to examine the period of history in which the story was popularized.   I want the students to look historically at gender roles and how these ideas have affected our society.  How have these roles changed, or have they?  The fairy tales can reveal social mores and values from past cultures.   These stories set standards for sexual and social conduct.  Animal bridegroom stories, such as both Beauty and the Beast and The Frog King, arise from matriarchal societies.  In these cultures, the female was the initiator of action.  By the end of the seventeenth century when these stories were written down, the female could only find happiness by sacrificing herself to a man.  This was symbolic of society's submission to patriarchal rule (Zipes 33-34).  Society was changing.  In the old society, women were equated with witchcraft.  The open sexuality of the old societies needed to be hidden as the church had ordained that sex without marriage was a sin (Zipes 35).   

             Beauty and the Beast allows the students to see the power of love.   The strength of Beauty's love redefines the beast in a man.  The beast falls in love with Beauty first; she learns how to love him.  Then she understands that love grows not from physical attraction, but from a bond of respect (Heiner 2).  In the historical context, this tale was told to quiet the fears of  young women who were given in arranged marriages, often to older men (Tatar 28). 

            Beauty is one example of a strong woman character in fairy tales.  She is the heroine of the story and plays an active part in the main plot.  Her first love is her father, and that love is so passionate she willingly takes her father's place at the Beast's castle.  Beauty is described as intelligent, independent and respectable.  In any culture or time she is a good role model for girls.  In some versions the father sacrifices his daughter to the Beast, yet it is still her decision to finallyGo to top of page. commit to and love the Beast (Heiner 3). 

            The Beast exemplifies that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.   His persecution results from his appearance and rumors of his evil deeds.  The Beast is trying to reach Beauty; she is not the one proving herself.  This is a story of  men's reaction to women's indifference (Heiner 3).  After his appearance has been restored, the Beast has learned a lesson from Beauty, that looks are not important.   

            The story of Beauty and the Beast will be a good tale to use in the class as children are indoctrinated early into appearances.  This could be a starting point for many good discussions about fashion, advertising and any directions the students would like to take. 

            Another story I will use is The Frog Prince.   Zipes refers to three versions edited by the Grimm Brothers.  The first handwritten copy was in 1810, followed by the 1812 edition and lastly the 1857 edition (49).  The original folk tale is in a simple setting and the girl can be either peasant or royalty.  The only intent of the frog is to sleep with her and the story alludes to a “universal initiation and marital ritual” of primitive matriarchal societies (50).  In the following two editions, the girl is clearly a bourgeois child, wealthy, spoiled and unique.  She treats the frog as lower class and the frog is only interested in being a playmate.  She is obedient to her father but rejects any sexual advances by the frog.  Zipes concludes the final version was able to combine feudal folk notions with bourgeois norms.  These changes in the versions coincide with changes in society and classes (51).  It is these shifts in society that I want my students to study and become aware of.   

             The last tale I want to discuss with my students is a Native American story called The Girl Who Married a Bear.  This story has many of the same elements as the European fairy tales yet the tone is different.  The groom is a man while he is in the village but turns into a bear when he leaves home.  The female is vain and proud, the daughter of the Chief.   She learns lessons from her husband and he in turn honors her because of her respect for him.  The students will compare the style of this tale with the form of the European fairy tale.  We will discuss love, respect and gender roles using these three tales.  Bringing in the North American tale will also tie in with our social studies curriculum. 

Implementation 

As previously stated, this unit will take four weeks.  It will be a multi-disciplinary approach encompassing language arts and social studies, although the standards used here will be those of language arts.  Performance standards addressed will be listed with each lesson plan.   Assessment is generally teacher observation with group and/or individual projects.  Go to top of page.

Lesson 1 

In beginning this unit on fairy tales, I will bring a variety of picture books of myths, legends, fables, fairy tales and tall tales.  The books will be around the room and the students will be allowed to peruse them at every opportunity.   I attempt to arouse their curiosity of what we are going to do.

              We will begin by reviewing what is a myth, followed by discussing Greek and Roman mythology.  Using picture books we will read various myths, paying particular attention to the parts of stories; i.e., characters, setting and plot.  We will also look at elements of mythology such as gods and punishment of the hero.  At this time we will read the story Cupid and Psyche.   

            We will focus on the characters and what the character does in the story.   Characters in fairy tales are stereotypes rather than fully developed persons.  There is a predictable pattern.  Carole Slattery identifies seven character motifs in fairy tales.  She says not every character is in every fairy tale but every character in the story can be classified as one of these seven.  They are elder, hero (male or female), true love, villain, helper, friend and messenger (3-4). 

            After our discussion, the students will create a chart of these character motifs.  After listing each of them we will list the story characters and put them in the slot where they belong.    

            Performance Standard:  Strand I: Reading Process.  Benchmark: The student demonstrates competence with reading processes to comprehend, analyze, interpret, and evaluate a wide variety of informational texts across content areas.  Reading Applications 4. Reads a variety of literary and other texts, both self-selected and assigned, to increase fluency and comprehension. 

            Materials needed are a large variety of picture books of  fairy tales, myths and legends.  The story of Cupid and Psyche is also needed, either one copy to be read to the students or a copy for each.  Assessment will be the chart where each student lists the characters according to their role in the story.   

Lesson 2 

We will look at the history of the fairy tale, beginning with the oral folk tales.  In seventh grade the social studies curriculum is the study of the American continents and New Mexico history.  Therefore we will chart the dates of European fairy tales in connection with events in the Americas.  We will examine each within its historical timeframe. The students will take notes during the discussion.  They will make a time line starting with the 1600s, listing important events that were happening both on the European and American continents. The time lines will have dates of both European and American events.  This may involve some research using textbooks or computer.     The time line will give the students a visual aid for the time period we are discussing, both in fairy tales and events on the American continents.   

            This assignment may take up to one week because of the periods of history that will be examined.  Using various sources the students will probably find a myriad of dates they consider important.  The assignment will be that each student is responsible for a minimum number of dates for both Europe and the Americas.  Assessment will be on the completed amount of entries. 

            APS Standard:  Strand II: Reading Analysis.  Benchmark:  The student examines literature from a variety of authors, cultures, and genre and makes connections among a variety of literary works.  Literary analysis: 7. Analyzes stories and expository texts from the perspective of the time periods in which they were written.  (I D.2)    

              Materials needed are history books of Europe and North and South America.  The time line can be put on butcher paper and done as a group project, or on individual poster board.  The students could use markers or colored pencils and rulers to draw the number line.  Assessment would be completion of the number line, either as a group or individually, using a rubric given to the students ahead of time. Go to top of page.

Lesson 3 

I will introduce the two European fairy tales, The Frog Prince by the Grimm Brothers and Madame de Beaumont's version of Beauty and the Beast.  I will read the original story and the students will identify the characters, setting and plot.    We will use graphic organizers to record the information.   

            We will begin our discussion of gender roles using these stories.  Both stories have some similar elements.  There are animal bridegrooms.   There is a father and a daughter.  There are different kinds of love:  of a father and of a husband.  There is also in both tales feminine roles that are not typical.  We will discuss all these roles and compare them with the students' ideas.  At this point I want the students to look at their own life story and how these roles are similar or different from the fairy tales. 

            The time frame for this lesson would be one or two days.  I hope the class will enjoy a discussion.  Assessment would be teacher observation of class participation and the completion of the graphic organizers. 

            APS Standard:  Strand II:  Reading  Analysis.  6.  Critiques the credibility of an author's development of character and the degree to which a plot is realistic or contrived. 

Lesson 4    

I will read different versions of  The Frog Prince written by more contemporary writers.  I have found a multitude of picture books, all variations of the original.  Some of them that I intend to use are:  The Horned Toad Prince, by Jackie Mims Hopkins, a story set in the Southwest United States; A Frog Prince, by Alix Berenzy, told from the frog-point of view; The Princess and the Frog, by  Rachel Isadora, with illustrations from more modern times; The Frog Prince Continued, by Jon Scieszka, the story after “happily ever after;” and The Frog Princess, by Laura Cecil, the frog is a princess who helps the prince fulfill three tasks to win his kingdom.  I will also use “A Prince in the Throat” from Untold Tales by William J. Brooke and The Prince of the Pond by Donna Jo Napoli.  These last two are not picture books but adaptions and modern twists on the original story.  My purpose in reading these different versions is to show the students the historical perspective of the fairy tale and how they have changed to reflect gender role changes in society.   The modern tales show how writers sometimes take familiar subjects and change them to fit what they want to write.  The students will also begin to see how they might write their own fairy tale, using events from their own lives and twisting a traditional tale. 

            One story that I may emphasize is The Horned Toad Prince by Jackie Mims Hopkins.  This story is set in the southwestern United States.  The language, the characters, and the setting all reflect the West.  The story is concerned with making and completing bargains, again showing a hallmark of our western culture: the integrity of a man's (or woman's ) word.  This will give us the chance to discuss what virtues are necessary today. 

            The students will be assigned to write their own ending to the original version of  the Grimms' story.   They will first use a graphic organizer to identify characters, setting and plot.  They will write a first draft, edit and turn in a final copy.  In creating their own ending they will be responsible for gender roles in keeping with the original time period of the fairy tale. 

            Multiple copies of The Frog Prince will be needed as well as graphic organizers, maybe one or two different formats.   Assessment will be a rubric based on the criteria of story elements and grammar. 

            APS Standards:  Strand II: Reading Analysis.  8.  Identifies elements of plot.  9.  Identifies and analyzes recurring themes across works from a variety of cultures.

            Strand III:  Expressive Language: Writing.  1.  Demonstrates increasing proficiency in using the writing process to create a final product with emphasis on the following: uses graphic organizers to structure information.  Go to top of page.

Lesson 5

We will begin to examine tales from Native American cultures.  I will read the story I chose, The Girl who Married a Bear.  I will also have a variety of picture books with stories from cultures of Canada, Mexico, South and Central America and the United States.  We will discuss the differences and similarities with the European tales using a Venn diagram to list these.   We may do this as a class assignment or in groups.

After reading the three tales I have chosen, and their own choices from among the picture books, the students will be asked to pick a fairy tale they want to rewrite. First they must identify the villain of the story and then write the story from the point of view of the villain of the tale.   

            The picture books of European fairy tales and Native American tales will be on display in the room, giving the students access to many stories to choose from.   They will have their graphic organizers discussing story elements and comparisons.  A rubric will be developed giving points for each of the factors we have discussed, as well as for creativity and grammar. 

            APS Standards: Strand III:  Expressive Language: Writing.  1.  Demonstrates increasing proficiency in using the writing process to create a final product with emphasis on the following: uses graphic organizers to structure information.  2.  Demonstrates increasing proficiency in using elements of effective writing (e.g., idea, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions.) 

Lesson 6 

At this juncture, I think my students will be ready to write their own fairy tale.  We will review the parts of a story as well as the writing conventions that are particular to the fairy tale.  Although Propps listed 37 functions in a fairy tale, I will choose five that I want the students to include in their tale.  They must have a hero or heroine, a villain, a task, something magical and an ending where everything is resolved somehow.   The story must be based on something that has happened in the student's life or on his/her family.   They will do a rough draft, edit, and turn in a final copy.   

            Again the students will have access to all previous assignments and the books will be on display in the room.  They will use computers to type their finished tale and we will publish and display them.   Assessment will be on elements of their tale as well as the finished type product. 

            APS Standards:  Strand III: Expressive Language: Writing.  4.  Demonstrates increasing proficiency in applying appropriate types of writing for the purpose and audience:  expresses individual perspective in written response to personal, social, cultural and historical issues. Go to top of page.

Lesson 7 

I always like to do a culminating project for my units that ties in all we have learned and is something fun to do.  It generally turns into some type of art project.  For this unit, I will have my students form groups.  Each group will choose one fairy tale, either a classic or one they have written, and make puppets to perform the tale for their classmates.  They will need to identify the characters in the story and make puppet forms of   them.  These puppets may be as detailed and intricate as those made from papier mache, or they may be finger puppets made from gloves.  They will need to assign parts and possibly rewrite some speaking roles into the story.   The group will then perform its tale to their classmates. 

            Art materials will be necessary dependent upon what the students decide to make their puppets from.  Assessment will be for any rewrite of the fairy tale, e.g., adding speaking parts, etc. that may be necessary for a successful drama.  Students will also be assessed for their actual performance of the tale based on the following standard, as well as for creativity. 

            APS Standards:  Strand IV: Expressive Language: Speaking.  2.  Demonstrates increasing proficiency with speaking and language conventions (e.g., grammar, standard English, diction) with emphasis on the following:  chooses between standard English and dialects as appropriate for the topic, purpose and audience. 

             In general I use rubrics when assessing my students.  They are given the rubric at the time of the assignment so they know exactly where and how they will earn their points. There are a maximum number of total points broken into the categories dependent on what the assignment is.  I discuss all the elements of the assignments and ask the students for any questions.   I make sure they understand what is expected and how they can earn the total points.  At the end of the unit the students see that there was a grand total number of points and that a grade is earned for so many points.   Rubrics are a great visual for my students, letting them know exactly what each element of the assignment is worth.  It is there when they begin the assignment and the decision is left to them where to put their best efforts.   I always include a section for creativity which gives students an outlet for what may be the best way they learn. 

Documentation

“The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault.”  Wesleyan University.  July 2002.

            Website that chronicles Perrault's writing down of the oral folktales.

Hallett, Martin, Barbara Karasek, eds.  Folk & Fairy Tales.  New York: Broadview Press                Ltd., 1996.  Go to top of page.

            Collection of fairy tales and articles about them.

Heiner, Heidi Anne.  “SurLaLune Fairy Tale Pages.”  July 28, 2002                             
            <http://www.surlalunefairytales.com>.

             Website that has the history of fairy tales and actual fairy tales can be read here.  

Luthi, Max.  “The Fairy Tale Hero: The Image of Man in the Fairy Tale.” Folk & Fairy Tales.              Eds. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek.  Orchard Park, New York: Broadview Press               Ltd., 1996. 295-305.

            Article discussing men in fairy tales.

 McCarthy, Tara.  Multicultural Fables and Fairy Tales.  New York: Scholastic Inc., 1992. 

              Teacher workbook for use with fairy tales.

Prentice Hall Regents ESL, Marvelous Myths.   Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Prentice                Hall Regents, 1996.

            Teacher and student workbooks of myths.

Shavit, Zohar.  “The  Concept of Childhood and Children's Folktales: Test Case - 'Little Red                Riding Hood.'“  The Classic Fairy Tales. Ed. Maria Tatar.  New York: W.W. Norton                & Co., 1991.  312-32.

              Article regarding childhood.

Slattery, Carole.  “Fairy Tale Motifs.”  Cap O'Rushes.   July 2002     
            <http://home.attbi.com/~caporushes/>. 

            Teacher resource website for fairy tales.

Tatar, Maria, ed.  The  Classic Fairy Tales.  New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1999.   

Many versions of traditional fairy tales divided into chapters each with introductions and opinions.
 

“Teaching Gender Roles: Fairy Tales and Beyond.”  FIST 255.  Wesleyan University.  June 8,                2002  

              History of fairy tales with emphasis on gender.

Zipes, Jack.  Creative Storytelling.  New York: Routledge,  1995.   

            Details how to use storytelling in the classroom.

---.  Don't Bet on the Prince.  New York: Routledge, 1987. 

              Contemporary feminist fairy tales.

---.  Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion.  New York: Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Inc.,                1991. 

              Chapters of fairy tales detailing civilization process.

Teacher Resources 

Brooke, William J.  Untold Tales.  New York: HarperCollins, 1992.   

            Different twists to traditional fairy tales. 

Nappoli, Donna Jo.   The Prince of the Pond.  New York: Cutton Children's Books, 1992.   

Modern twist on the fairy tale.  The frog prince in the pond has a mate and children but eventually turns back into human form.
 

Perrault, Charles.  The Complete Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault.  Trans. Neil Philip and                Nicoletta Simborowski.  New York:  Clarion Books, 1993.

              Book of Perrault's collection of fairy tales.

Scieszka, Jon, Lane Smith.  The  Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales.  New                York: Viking, 1992. 

              Great resource for kids; different twists of traditional tales.

For Children 

Berenzy, Alix.  A Frog Prince.  New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1989.   

            Story is told from the frog's point of view. 

Cecil, Laura.  The Frog Princess.  New York: Greenwillow Books, 1994.   

            The frog is a princess and helps a boy become the king. 

Hopkins, Jackie Mims.  The Horned Toad Prince.  Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, Ltd., 2000. 

            Set in southwestern United States. 

Isadora, Rachel.  The Princess and the Frog.  New York: Greenwillow Books, 1989. 

              Picture book with romantic drawings.

Scieszka, Jon.  The Frog Prince Continued.  New York: Viking, 1991.   

            The story after the “happily ever after.”Go to top of page.