Fables, fairy tales and folktales are so much fun to read with kids! Students love the element of magic in a fairytale and the moral of a story in a fable. Folktales can teach students about cultures of a particular region. If this unit is coming up in your curriculum calendar, then sit back, grab your coffee and check out these great ideas to introduce the fable, folktale, and fairy tale genre to students!
Fairy Tale Genre
Perhaps the most famous of the three genres, fairy tales, often starts with the words “once upon a time”. Although there are many types of fairy tales written, these stories contain many elements specific to the genre.
Elements of a Fairy Tale Anchor Chart
The following are the most common fairy tale genre characteristics:
Making a fairy tales element anchor chart, like the one below can be beneficial to cement student learning and set the stage for fun fairy tale conversations.
Compare & Contrast Fairy Tales
A really fun way to work in fractured fairy tales is by comparing and contrasting them to the original version of the tale! Check out this post: Compare and Contrast Fairy Tales for ideas!
Fairy Tales to Read With 2nd Graders
Students love to have books in their hands! Here are some great fairy tale books (and some fractured versions) to share with the class as a read aloud or for their independent reading time.
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Folk & Fairy Tale Easy Readers Pack
Written at guided reading levels E-I, these are perfect for the lower readers to feel some independence.
Rough Faced Girl
Always a student favorite, this story is the Native American Version of Cinderella. It has beautiful illustrations and elements of magic.
Cinderella Stories Around the World-4 Beloved Tales
This book contains four versions of Cinderella from Canada, China, Egypt and France.
The Frog Prince
A traditional telling of this famous fairy tale.
The Frog Prince Continued
Why not share the fractured, hilarious sequel?!
Fairy Tale Videos
We all know videos are engaging for students, so why not kick of your fairy tale unit with one!
1. Elements of a Fairy Tale-Michale Byrne
This is a quick intro video listing the elements of fairy tales.
2. Fairy Tales Fitness-Mr. Melissa
This is a fun idea for a brain break during the fairy tale unit! The exercises are set to fairy tale characters!
Folktales Genre
Elements of a Folktale:
Folktale Books to Read With 2nd Graders
The Little Red Hen
Stone Soup
Always a student favorite!
Fables Genre
Fables usually feature the following elements:
Fables Anchor Chart
Classroom Activities with Fables
Work on Moral of the Story and fluency at the same time! Lucky Little Learners has a resource perfect for combining these two skills! Part of the growing 2nd Grade Reading Comprehension & Fluency Passages resource is a Summarizing the Moral of the Story pack.
This resource features three levels of fiction passages that focus on moral and summarizing. There are also comprehension questions for each text.
Fables to Read With 2nd Graders
Aesop’s Favorite Fables
More than 130 Classic Fables for Children
The Ugly Duckling
Bonus book idea: Do fairy tales readers theater with this great resource!
12 Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays
Print and Go Resources for Teaching Fables, Folktales, and Fairy Tales
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3. Are you teaching Fables, Fairytales & Folktales? Lucky Little Learners has a literacy center for that! Download it from All Access below!
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Hopefully these ideas get your fairytales, folktales and fables unit off to a great start!
Happy teaching!
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