Fairy Tale UnitWhitney ReynoldsBackground Template from:www.presentationmagazine.com

The VoyageFor the past three years I have taught kindergarten at Washington Elementary School in Pana, IL. For two years previous that I taught kindergarten in Virden. I will be starting my sixth year this fall with 19 students.

The ObstaclesI am interested in new ways I can incorporate literacy in the content areas. We have many new ideas we want to teach the students, but we are limited on time so when we can combine more than one content area in a lesson it is beneficial. It is difficult to include everything you need to cover in a day filled with Title, RTI, Waterford, PBIS, and many other obstacles. I feel like it is hard to put the necessary time into reading strategies that are so important to students.

The QuestQuestions:How can I use fairy tales to engage and captivate my students interest in reading? Will using fairy tales help my students make connections from their world to the world of make-believe? Will the techniques used in this unit improve their comprehension skills?

What is Reading?Reading requires students to decode text by making sense of the letters, sounds, words, and sentences. They also have to then comprehend the text and make a connection to their personal background to internalize their learning. For some kindergartners this is very difficult because they are still learning the letters and sounds which delays their reading abilities. It is very important to provide them with the right amount of teacher scaffolding to support their learning. Through use of a voice recorder I hope to help overcome some of these problems and promote literacy skills.

Reading and Writing StrategiesImageryPicture walksJournalingSequencingCause/ EffectComparisonsVisualizingSummarizingSynthesizingMaking connectionsPrior KnowledgeInferringEvaluatingQuestioningThese strategies are used to promote comprehension. The teacher can use them to help students link prior knowledge so they can then learn the new strategies that are being taught.

Fairy Tales Unit OverviewIn this unit we will study traditional fairy tales as well as new versions. We will learn about story elements- character, setting, and plot. The students will also compare and contrast different stories and versions of the fairy tales. This study will take place over a 2 week time period. With a culminating activity at the end. This unit will address my questions because I will be able to use their prior knowledge of some fairy tales and link it to the new ideas of story elements. The students will be able to better comprehend the stories because of their previous knowledge and therefore I can teach them strategies to carry on to other texts.

Unit Objectives Give a simple definition of a fairy taleIdentify the characteristics of a fairy tale using terms such as character, setting, and plotSort fairy tales and become familiar with multiple versionsRe-tell, in their own words, a favorite fairy taleUse illustrations to tell a familiar fairy tale Recognize commonalities and differences in fairy tales

Day 1 Lesson PlansWhole group discussion to introduce and define fairy tales. Students will contribute to a list of what they know about fairy tales (diagnostic assessment). Read a predictable chart about fairy tales (see next slide). Read the traditional version of The Three Little Pigs.

According to McEwan, one of the seven strategies to promote good reading skills is to acess prior knowledge (2004). Keene and Zimmermann recommend activating mental files before reading (1997).

Predictable ChartWhat will you find in a fairy tale?You might find a wolf. (Represents the villain or bad character.)You might learn a lesson. (Fairy tales try to teach you something.)You might find the number 3. (Many fairy tales have the number 3.)You might find a forest. (A clue that it is a fairy tale.)You might find talking animals. (Represents fantasy- the story couldnt be true.)You might find a happy ending.

Day 2 Lesson PlansHave students echo read the fairy tale predictable chart. Do a picture walk of the Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. Discuss what they see is different from the original. Read the bookDo a story map on chart paper (characters, setting, main idea, problem, solution, ending, etc.).Students can role play the story using masks and props.

Inferring is a tool we use to go beyond the text, to leverage prior knowledge and create connections among various details and concepts we have learned , to draw conclusions based on the text and our full array of life experience and knowledge (Keene & Zimmermann, 1997).

Day 3 Lesson PlansRevisit the fairy tale predictable chart- Discuss any elements from the books that have been read. Read Pig, Pigger, Piggest by Rick Walton.Stop on the 2nd to last page and have the students draw a picture predicting the ending.Finish reading the book and discuss predictionsMath- Discuss sizes and ordering using teddy bear counters.

When proficient readers infer, they create a meaning that is not necessarily stated explicitly in the text (Keene & Zimmermann, 1997).

Day 4 Lesson PlansRevisit the fairy tale predictable chart. Read a traditional version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. After reading the story pass out sequencing cards the students can color and cut out. Students will put the story in order (formative assessment). Discuss different settings and show pictures of forests, castles, cities, etc. Students can design a fairy tale theater background of the bears house showing items in the house that might be different sizes and use popsicle stick puppets to retell the story.

Keene and Zimmermann state that it is important for readers to use synthesis to share, recommend, and critically review books (1997).

Goldilocks and the Three BearsJames Marshall

Day 5 Lesson PlansHave some students read the fairy tale predictable chart to the class. Discuss different aspects of the stories found in the chart. Listen to Somebody and the Three Blairs on tape by Marilyn Tolhurst.Make a Venn diagram comparing the traditional version to this version.

A key visual strategy is to use graphic organizers, such as a Venn diagram. These are a great way to compare and contrast (Walker, Bean, & Dillard, 2010).

Day 6 Lesson PlansRead Little Red Riding HoodHave a discussion about fact and fantasy. List all of the clues in the book that show clues that it is a fantasy. Put story props in the dramatic play center. Social Studies-Design a map to grandmas house.

Proficient readers are aware of text elements and patterns in fiction and nonfiction and understand that being aware of them as they read helps them predict and understand the overall meanings or themes (Keene & Zimmermann, 1997).

Day 7 Lesson PlansRead Little Red Riding Hood- A Newfangled Prairie Tale by Lisa Campbell Ernst.Make a story map on the dry erase board-focus on the differences in setting.Social Studies- show pictures and talk about prairiesArt- Make a large prairie backdrop together and act out the story.

According to Keene and Zimmermann, proficient readers are aware of text elements and patterns in fiction and nonfiction and understand that being aware of them as they read helps them predict and understand the overall meanings or themes (1997).

Day 8 Lesson PlansRead Jack and the Beanstalk without showing the pictures. Have the students use imagery to think about what the illustrations might look like. Students will choose 1 scene to illustrate. Compare illustrations from the students to the books illustrations. Science- Plant bean seeds. Measure and chart the growth in a science journal.

McEwans seven strategies say that visualizing the text helps to increase comprehension (2004).

Day 9 Lesson PlansRead Jim and the Beanstalk by Raymond Briggs.Discuss beginning, middle, and end.Complete the beginning, middle, and end story layout.Math-Measure pictures of the giant using Unifix cubes. Measure his head, legs, arms, whole body, etc. Measure your own body parts or a friends.

Another of McEwans strategies state that students who can summarize will better comprehend the text (2004).

Day 10 Lesson PlansMath- Complete a graph depicting students favorite fairy tales. Teacher will write sentences dictated from students describing the graph. Complete a journal entry about a favorite fairy tale and use illustrations.Play Whats Behind the Box game and answer questions about the 4 fairy tales (summative assessment).

Literature, such as fairy tales, can be a great motivator for students writing (Morrow, 2005).

FinaleAs an ongoing project the teacher will take pictures and collect artifacts to be put into a slideshow. The students will tape record themselves talking about their favorite fairy tale. They can give a short summary and why they liked the story the best. The recordings will be incorporated into the slideshow. A copy of the presentation will be given to all students and be put on the district website.

AssessmentsDiagnostic Assessment involves pre-assessing the students to find out what they know and what they are interested in learning. Using this assessment a teacher can adjust his/her lessons to better fit her students needs. We will be using a chart to make a list of the fairy tales students already know and what they know about them. Formative Assessment is done throughout the unit to assess students learning. It gives feedback to the teacher and then she and her students are able to again make adjustments and enhance the learning experience. The activities done throughout the unit will be a part of my formative assessment. I will be making notes and filling out my checklist of the objectives when the individual students meet the goals. Summative Assessment can be used at the conclusion of the unit to assess the overall learning of the students and their understanding of the key concepts and objectives. The culminating activity will show the overall knowledge of the unit. The students will play Guess Whats Behind the Box as a whole group. They will show their knowledge of the unit by correctly answering the questions about the stories.

The SidekicksInstructional Supplements

How can I use Fairy Tales to promote ISAT goals? http://www.isbe.state.il.us/assessment/pdfs/iaf_reading.pdf

The Happily Ever AfterCan I use fairy tales to engage and captivate my students interest in reading? Through this unit I have learned that I can cover many content areas as well as goals and standards by teaching fairy tales to students and they can be used to teach ISAT goals in the intermediate levels. I have also learned about new technology that I will hopefully be able to implement in my classroom. I learned how to embed a youtube video into my power point and how to link power point presentations together using a hyperlink. I also explored new power point games that can be used on a Smart board. New questions: Can I use the same concepts and ideas to teach comprehension using other stories and topics?

Review of LiteratureAccording to McEwan, there are seven strategies that promote good reading skills. They involve incorporating prior knowledge, teaching the students to read between the lines, questioning and answering questions about the text, summarizing, and visualizing the text to better understand and to increase comprehension (2004). It is important to model these comprehension strategies for the students. Teachers and adults can think out loud while reading to show the students their process of reading (Keene & Zimmermann, 1997). Literature can be used as a writing prompt and motivate students to write. A writing prompt about fairy tales would help the students with journal writing by giving them a topic they are familiar with as well as a place to start (Morrow, 2005).

Review of Literature, contBy using fairy tales, I can capitalize on the prior knowledge the students already know (Keene & Zimmermann, 1997). I can then build on those ideas to relate it the new concepts I am teaching. Keene and Zimmermann also state that activating mental files before reading can be an effective way to improve comprehension (1997). Students have a better understanding of a story if they can think about their experiences while reading or listening for a kindergartner (Keene & Zimmermann, 1997).

ReferencesKeene, E.O. & Zimmermann, S. (1997). Mosaic of thought. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.McEwan, E. (2004). 7 strategies of highly effective readers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Morrow, L. M. (2005). Literacy development in the early years. Pearson Education.Walker, N., Bean, T., & Dillard. B. When Textbooks Fall Short. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

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