Classroom Activities
Activity One: Learning the Stories
In this first activity, the students will learn the original story, The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen as well as Disney’s adaptation in the film, Frozen. This part of the unit will take about two weeks to complete. The fairy tale is quite long but conveniently broken into seven “chapters” making it easy to present in parts. Read-aloud each section, only one per day, followed by a discussion answering the questions that who, what where, when, why and how. Allow the students to ask questions of their own and answer in an authentic way. It is important to keep track of questions and answers for future reference as the students will be comparing the written text to the film adaptation. Using one chart per section will help the students when they need refer back to the what they have learned. The following are a few questions to use to get the discussions started:
Part One: How does the story begin? Who is causing all the trouble? What happens with the mirror? What are some problems that could occur with the pieces of the mirror?
Part Two: Who are the characters? What is their life like? Where do they live? When does the story take place? Why are the characters so close? What problem occurs with Kay?
Part Three: How is Gerda feeling? What does she decide to do? Who helps her and doesn’t help her? What do you think about the flowers in this part of the story?
Part Four: Who does Gerda during her trip? Are they helpful or not and how? What does the Raven say to her? Where is she at this point and does she like being there? Why or why not? Does she learn anything during her visit?
Part Five: Who are the new characters Gerda meets? What does she think of them? Where is she now? What animals does she meet during this part of the story?
Part Six: Why is the Reindeer important? Where does he take Gerda? What new characters are introduced? Who tells Gerda about Kay and what does she know? How does Gerda escape? What do we learn about Kay at the end of this section?
Part Seven: What is palace like? Who lives in the palace? How is Kay when Gerda finds him? What is happening with the Snow Queen? How are Kay and Gerda able to escape? Who do they meet on their return trip? Where do they end up and how have they changed?
The students will then view the film adaptation in full. Revisit the same questions generated during the read-aloud and document responses relative to the film. Be prepared to return to sections of the film to verify both questions and answers.
Activity Two: Analyzing Similarities and Differences
Students will recognize the similarities and differences in the language used in each version of the story as well as the story itself. They will use the writing process to create two illustrated summaries of the story, one based on the fairy tale, one on the film. Students will demonstrate understanding the beginning, middle, and end of each by creating a book or poster to show the similarities and differences between the two versions. Their summaries should include who, what, where, when, why and how with images to show scenes from The Snow Queen and scenes from Frozen. Students will use the work done during Activity One to help guide their work. Students may choose to use up to three “middle” sections to show major events that drive the story. This will not be a complete retelling but rather a broad summary to show understanding of the major similarities and differences.
Activity Three: Choosing Fairy Tales to Adapt
The students will create adaptations of fairy tales of their choosing and create their own storyboards, act out and recite scenes. In groups of four or five, students will agree upon a fairy tale they would like to adapt. They will all read the fairy tale and create storyboards, drawings that depict the way they will tell the story through film. Once they have their ideas on paper and in sequence, they will practice acting out each scene and learning the lines. This portion of the unit will take about two weeks.
Activity Four: Filming Adaptations
Students will film these adaptations and invite parents and fellow students to enjoy our work. After completing their adaptations in Activity Three, students are ready begin filming. Each group will prepare sets, backdrops, costuming, props to be used during the filming and movie posters to promote their film. This is an opportunity to engage older students or volunteers to assist with production and actual filming. We will use the iMovie app on our iPads to do the actual filming, editing and sharing but there are other options do use for this activity. Once the movies are edited and ready, we will invite the parents and families to attend a viewing day, with popcorn and lemonade as a treat.
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