Who doesn’t love fairy tales with their dramatic plots, evil characters and good ones, fantastical settings with magical happenings and, of course, the predictable happy ending! Young--and not so young-- children cheer for the good guys and boo the bad, sit wide-eyed as they wait for the next amazing event, and breathe a sigh of relief as the ultimate “good over evil” prevails.

In this six-week second-grade literacy unit, the students focus on the essential questions: Why is it important to understand choices that characters make? What elements need to be present in an adaptation of a classic tale? How do writers and directors create their own versions of a fairy tale? This unit specifically focuses on the story The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen and Disney’s loose adaptation of this story in the film, Frozen. Students will learn to recognize the similarities and differences in the language used in each version of the story as well as the story itself.  The students will create adaptations of fairy tales of their choosing and create their own storyboards, act out and recite scenes. Together, they will film these adaptations and invite parents and fellow students to enjoy our work. 

(Literacy, grade K; recommended for Literacy, grades K-3)