Fairy tales share information about human cultures, about human emotions, and about the nature of the world. They’re also fun to read for all ages. Here are some of our folk and fairy tale lesson plans: Rapunzel Sleeping Beauty Foolish Jack Jack and the Beanstalk Pinocchio Goldilocks and the Three… Continue reading
Carlo Collodi (pen name of Carlo Lorenzini) wrote his Adventures of Pinocchio in 1883. The book told the story of a wooden puppet who dreamed of being a real boy. American students usually are more familiar with Walt Disney’s 1940 animated film version of Pinocchio. In either version, the… Continue reading
The Frog Prince is another classic fairy tale written down by the Brothers Grimm. In the story, a princess is playing near a pond, and drops her golden ball in the water. A frog offers to get the ball for her, but only if she will let him live… Continue reading
Seven at One Blow or The Brave Little Tailor is a Grimm’s fairy tale about a tailor who swats seven flies at once, and is so proud of himself that he boasts to everyone that he has killed “seven at one blow.” When his listeners think he means that he… Continue reading
Pandas make a great classroom theme. They connect naturally with studies of biology, environmental science, art, and punctuation — and hey, they’re cute! It’s also very easy to find ready-made panda gear to decorate your classroom — at this time of year, that’s a big plus. Panda Pals from Edupress… Continue reading
The Lambikin is a folk tale from India. It is not very well known in the United States, so it would be a good one to use when you have a class that is tired of all the folktales they already know. In the story, the Lambikin is going to his… Continue reading
The Five Chinese Brothers was written by Claire Huchet Bishop in 1938. While it is generally described as a Chinese folktale, I haven’t found any earlier collections of it. The story begins, “Once upon a time, there were five Chinese brothers, and they all looked exactly alike.” Each brother… Continue reading
Folk and fairy tales are suggested in our state frameworks for students from kindergarten through middle school. They are a good example of a literary form, great for studying story elements, and always bring up interesting character points. One fairy tale that’s well suited to multiple grade levels is Jack and… Continue reading
The pine is our state tree, and it might be yours, too, since it’s quite a popular state tree. If not, you can still enjoy these links and ideas for a study of pine trees. Many include trees in general. “If Trees Could Talk” is an interesting lesson plan… Continue reading
Probably the best thing to do for classes on Earth Day is to get out of the classroom and enjoy the beauty of the earth, or perhaps clean up a bit. You may not have that option. It’s not too late to plan a classroom lesson. Here’s a nice… Continue reading
