Today my objective was just to get the kids thinking about fairy tales and opening their minds to the different kinds of fairy tales as well as the parts of a fairy tale. So I started out with a variation of the game "Telephone." Instead of having the kids pass a bit of information down the line vocally, I had them pantomime an object down the line. I split the class into two and then put each group into a line. Then I had everyone but the first people in each line turn their back while I showed them the object (my objects were a pencil and a set of car keys). The kids loved how much the objects changed and having to guess what they were at the end of the line.
Pantomime telephone was a great way to help students see why fairy tales, folk tales, and fables have so many different versions! Because the stories were told orally in the beginning, each storyteller would change the story ever so slightly and that's why we have different versions of so many stories!
After talking about this idea with the students, I read them one of my favorite stories out of this magical book:
I chose "Aladdin" because the story is fantastic and it is quite different from the Disney version. In this version, Aladdin doesn't pretend to be a prince and Jasmine is kidnapped by an evil magician so Aladdin has to travel halfway across the world to find her. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and really make the story come alive.
So because I knew most of the kids were familiar with the Disney version, I asked the students what the difference was between the two stories. I was definitely surprised at the students' insight. They picked up on a lot of subtleties I didn't expect them to get!
I also had them answer some questions about the who, where, why, and when of the story as well as I pointed out some of the key elements of fairy tales found in this story of Aladdin.
THEN I introduced my "Magic Wand" and I did an activity called "Fairy Freeze" where I had them walk around like different characters in the story (i.e. the evil magician, Jasmine, Aladdin, and the genie in the lamp). Then I had them choose their favorite to walk around as and see who their classmates chose to be.
I think this was a great way to introduce what we'll be learning about in the next few weeks as well as the element of drama. The kids were delighted and LOVED the activity even though it was simple enough. I can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring!
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