For Halloween, for a new way to get reluctant readers to enjoy the classics, or just for fun, try some vampire lessons. English Start with vampire literature: Vunce Upon a Time is a heartwarming story from the illustrator of Olive, the Other Reindeer. Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots is part… Continue reading
Is Peggy Rathmann’s Good Night, Gorilla really a classic? I think so. For little children, this nearly wordless book provides just the right amount of plot and character. There’s wit and suspense. If you’re three, it’s absolutely gripping. The story is simple. The gorilla steals the zookeeper’s keys as the… Continue reading
Monsters make a good metaphor for fear. Small children are sometimes sincerely scared of monsters, but older students can relate to the idea of vanquishing the monsters in their lives. Approaching monsters, feeling the fear, deciding whether it’s wise to continue, and showing courage or prudence — these are… Continue reading
Let’s read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The title links you to a simple, traditional telling of the story, with pictures. In the story, a little girl named Goldilocks goes into the house of a bear family and tastes their porridge (which they have left cooling while they went for… Continue reading
We’ve posted lots of serious fairy tale lesson plans for you, and any of them can give you plenty of ideas for creating a fairy tale theme for your classroom. Fairy tales include heroes, villains, helpers, difficult choices, good and evil, challenges, and consequences. They make an extremely versatile… Continue reading
The Emperor’s New Clothes is a fun story, with little magic and nothing scary in it. The title links to Virginia Lee Burton’s classic picture book. The Emperor’s New Clothes: A Tale Set in China is Demi’s version. Susanna Davidson has done a simpler version with very funny pictures younger… Continue reading
The story of “Sleeping Beauty” is very well known, especially in the form of the Disney animated film. The story begins with a new baby princess, and a party for her. There were thirteen wise women or fairies in the kingdom, but the king and queen had only 12 golden… Continue reading
“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” is one of the stories from1001 Arabian Nights. This is one of the more complex stories among popular fairy tales. Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter, is in the forest one day when he hears a band of thieves coming. Frightened, he hides. He… Continue reading
The Italian fairy tale “Snow White” is one of the best-known fairy tales, one of the most dramatic and exciting, and it is also one of the most violent and frightening, including as it does murder, cannibalism, and red-hot shoes. Our state standards mandate the use of folk and fairy tales… Continue reading
“Puss in Boots” is one of the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, of “Cinderella” fame. It is not as well-known to today’s kids as “Cinderella,” but the character’s inclusion in the “Shrek” movies and the Dreamworks film have made Puss, if not the story, popular again. Share it with classes… Continue reading
