Fairy Tales; Grendel Test; Documentary Project: Day: 6

Period 1:

Fairy Tales

Let's read Anne Sexton's poems from her book Transformations.

Take 5 minutes. Brainstorm your favorite fairy tales. Which fairy tales were your favorite (or are your favorite)? Why do you like these stories? Discuss a favorite fairy tale with a partner or neighbor. Together discover how the stories might be similar or have similar elements. Be ready to share out what you discussed. I will ask each pair to share out.

The Archetypal Fairy Tale

• Stories, often told to children, to entertain, instruct or teach

• Often used to illustrate the problems that children and young people face as they become adults
--What might be some of these typical problems?

• The characters in fairy tales represent part of our own “psyche” or inner self

Common themes in fairy tales include:

• Metamorphosis

• Transformation

• Imprisonment

• Love

• Good versus evil (overcoming obstacles)

• Death or transition

• Illusion or misunderstanding

• Rules or authority

There are often boy and girl fairy tales. These differ in plot.

• Boy fairy tale plots focus on exploration, discovery, and include a climax which separates the boy from his childhood. Usually by the end, the boy has grown into a man.
• Girl fairy tale plots focus on discovery as well, but also abduction, outside threats, powers beyond their control, and falling in love. Usually by the end, the girl has grown into a woman.

Think, Pair, Share (5 minutes): knowing this, apply what you've just learned to the fairy tales you know. What kinds of fairy tales have these been? Were your favorite fairy tales boy or girl fairy tales? Discuss.

Fairy Tale Characters

• Often good, innocent, or sometimes foolish.

• Often instructed by an older person or character (sometimes a mystical creature)

• Often fairy tale characters have to face great odds

• Often fairy tale characters are given an item(s) that allows them to discover who they are

Fairy tale form:

• Usually written in 3rd person point of view with an omniscient narrator

• Usually begins with “Once upon a time…” and ends “happily ever after.”

• Usually include the rule of 3 (the first two times a character tries something, it usually doesn’t work)

Writing Task:
Read this short article: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130801-too-grimm-for-children
Then check out these websites: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimmtales.html

German: The Brother's Grimm
Danish: Hans Christian Andersen
French: Charles Perrault 

• Choose a fairy tale that you want to work with (consider your favorites--or strike out into the unknown with a story you are not familiar with and read it. Be unique and consider one that is not as well known)
• Write a narrative or prose poem or a story or scene or an essay in which you explore gender and fairy tale themes. Use the archetypes and characteristics of a fairy tale to tell your own.

Use whatever time we have left writing (or read/study Grendel for your test second period).

Period 2:

Please take the test on Grendel. If you finish before the end of class today, please continue to work/research your chosen pantheon and your documentary project. Or continue to write your myth poem/story draft or your fairy tale.

HOMEWORK: If you did not finish reading Grendel please do so for our discussion on the book next class. Note the major characters and follow the plot. Bring your books back with you to next class.