Fairy Tales (including Myths and Folklore)

~~~ What is it? ~~~
fairy tale- n.  
  1. A fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children.
  2. A fictitious, highly fanciful story or explanation.
(American Heritage Dictionary n.d.)
myth- n.
a traditional story accepted as history; serves to explain the world view of a people
(WordNet n.d.)
folklore- n.
  1. the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people.
  2. the study of such lore.
  3. a body of widely held but false or unsubstantiated beliefs.
(Dictionary.com n.d.)

Standard ELA4R1- The student demonstrates comprehension and shows evidence of a warranted and responsible explanation of a variety of literary and informational texts.
Critical Component:   For literary texts, the student identifies the characteristics of various genres and produces evidence of reading that:
a.  Relates theme in works of fiction to personal experience.
b.  Identifies and analyzes the elements of plot, character, and setting in stories read, written, viewed, or performed.
c.  Identifies the speaker of a poem or story.
d.  Identifies sensory details and figurative language.
e.  Identifies and shows the relevance of foreshadowing clues.
f.  Makes judgments and inferences about setting, characters, and events and supports them with elaborating and convincing evidence from the text.
g.  Identifies similarities and differences between the characters or events and theme in a literary work and the actual experiences in an author’s life.
h.  Identifies themes and lessons in folktales, tall tales, and fables.
i.  Identifies rhyme and rhythm, repetition, similes, and sensory images in poems.
 
benefits of genre-
explaining or coping with sensitive subjects in a easily digestible (fantasy) format.
multi-level learning
variety- different cultures may have their own version of the same story.  why do they stress the differences?  what is relevant to that particular society's version?

~~~ Selection Criteria ~~~
(Selection Criteria taken from Bishop, 2007, p 59-64)

  • Appropriateness of Content to Users- Content and presentation must be stimulating and challenging, but not beyond the ability of the intended audience.  However, consideration must also be taken to ensure that the content is not presented in a condescendingly.  A benefit of Fairy tales is that there is a generally high amount of interest in these simple stories, which appeals to a wide variety of readers at different levels.
  • Scope- Content may be duplicated elsewhere in the collection, but the varying perspectives and background found in Fairy tales broadens the scope of the collection.
  • Treatment- It is important that the content is presented in a way that catches and holds the user's attention. 
  • Instructional Design- The material needs to meet the expectation of the learner as well as the teacher.  Effective use of graphics and color for younger readers.  The text needs to be easily readable for Hi-Lo readers.
  • Special Features- When considering scope, selection is influenced by the special features of the item.  Even if the story is duplicated in another form, this item may have a unique feature or perspective that lends value to the collection.
  • Value to the Collection- Does this item meet the needs of the school program or users?  Can this resource serve more than one purpose? Who are the likely users?  Hoe often would they use the item?
  • Technical Quality- Item should have Clear and eye catching illustrations, and a balance of illustrations to text appropriate to the needs of the user.
  • Aesthetic Quality- The resource should appeal to the intellect, senses, and imagination.
  • Durability- Fairy tale books should be chosen for their durability as they are used primarily for leisure reading and will often be handled by younger readers.

Book Criteria (taken directly from Bishop, 2007, p 72)

  • Are the shape and weight of the book appropriate for the intended audience?
  • How opaque is the paper? Print that shows through the page may be confusing to a young or disadvantaged reader.
  •  Is the typeface suitable for the intended audience?
  •  Is the spacing between words and between lines adequate for the young or reluctant reader?
  • Is the book jacket attractive?  Does it reflect the content of the book?
  •  Are the illustrations placed within the text where readers can use them easily, or are they placed all together in an inconvenient location?
  •  Is the medium used for illustrations appropriate to the setting and mood of the story?
  •  Do the page layouts and color add appeal and clarity to the book?
  •  When a readability formula, such as Fry or Spache, is applied, is the text appropriate for the intended audience?
  •  Are the bindings durable and covers attractive and easy to clean?
  • Are the reinforced bindings available for titles that very young childrenwill use ot titles that will circulate frequently?
  • Will the hardcover books lie flat when open?


~~~ Vendors ~~~
  • Amazon.com 
  • Borders
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Follett 
  • Penguin
  • Scholastic


~~~ Useful Tips ~~~



~~~ Personal Recommendations ~~~

Visual aids-

When doing my field experience in Fall of 2008, I observed Fernbank's Media Specialist, Alicia Jacobs, using some unique tools when reading certain fairy tales aloud to her kids.  She read Rafe Martin's The Rough Face Girl to the students.  She had gathered a few items from the school grounds to use as visual aids for the story.  She had collected leaves, bark, and soft grasses and let the students handle these objects while reading the story.  The heroine of the story adorns herself in tree bark and other natural resources when she goes to meet her lover.  Mrs. Jacobs tied these visual and tactile elements to the story, thus creating a deeper experience for the students!

Variety-

I observed Mrs. Jacob's reading several tales that weren't quite the traditional stories I had grown up with.  For example, she read a Bigfoot version of Cinderella where the smelliest, ugliest Bigfoot maiden was the most attractive.  This is a great opportunity to discuss the differences with the students between the version read and the version they know.  Also, it can be a great insight to other cultures, past and present.

"With a little encouragement even the apparently shyest seem to find a voice through stories. It is not so hard to find the actor in us, especially those aiming to become teachers, who have a little of the performer within us." (Horak, n.d.)

~~~ Instructional Uses ~~~


"With thoughtful adaptation these stories are suitable for use with all ages and all levels. Even teenagers who feel they have outgrown fairy-tales can appreciate updated versions or discuss the deeper levels of meaning within the tales or compare similar stories from various cultures... They are suitable not just with children beginning English but older learners too. Language can need grading since the language in typical story books can be rather flowery or poetic. Combined with visual aids lower levels can cope with fables and fairy tales in particular since there is an element of familiarity of format, plot and character types from similar stories in their mother tongue. If you start with Cinderella for example you have common point from where to begin since it is said that there are 700 versions of this well-known little rags-to-riches saga world-wide." (Horak, n.d.)


Fairy tales can be put to great use in ESOL classes.  They are great for language instruction when you are blending familiar themes with an unfamiliar language:


"We can use this most profitable in practicing pronunciation and fluency skills in particular. We have all seen students who simply need to practice speaking to improve their fluency but seem stuck for what to talk about. The story telling circle seems to break down their shyness barrier and also call on the fund of material within their heads from childhood." (Horak, n.d.)





Resources:
Bishop, K. (2007). The collection program in schools: Concepts, practices, and information sources (4th ed.). Westport, CN: Libraries Unlimited.
fairy tale. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, (4th ed.). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from
Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fairytale
folklore. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved March 16, 2009, from Dictionary.com website:
 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/folklore
Georgia Department of Education (2008).  Georgia Performance Standards. www.georgiastandards.org
Horak, T. (n.d).  Using fables and fairy tales with older children.  Retrieved March 16, 2009, from Forgein Language Teacher Training College website:
http://ettc.uwb.edu.pl/strony/ptt/dec95/41horak.html
Martin, R. (1992).  The Rough Face Girl.  New York: Putnam
myth. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/myth














1. Give us something in print to represent your exhibit. All of the rubric elements should be present here. This could be:2. In addition, make sure that any electronic material is mounted on your assignment page AND linked to the Exhibition Page (collaborate with the Manager to get this done).  This is important for absentees, people who need another look later, for your future reference, and for team grading.

3. Hand in your partially completed rubric along with your printed materials.


Component
                                                                                 
Value
Student
Assessment
MAF's Assessment
(w/ comments)
Did you provide a definition and/or description of the format, and provide examples?
2

.
Did you list specific selection criteria?
2

.
Did you list several sources or vendors for these materials?
1

.
Did you provide some useful tips for using this format?
1

.
Did you provide one or more personal recommendations for choosing materials in this format? 
2

.
Did you provide at least one suggestion for instructional use of this format?
2

..
Did you self-assess?   (Use this rubric, middle column.)
1

.
Did you provide all the necessary elements?
[]handout
[]it's online
2

.
Is your exhibit mechanically clean?  (Grammar, spelling, formatting, etc.) Did you cite your sources?
Standard: high -- all publically available materials should be as mechanically perfect as possible.
2

.
Total
15

..