For a thousand years, from around the late 800s until the 1880s, Samurai warriors served the noble families and royal courts in Japan. Much like the knights of Europe, the samurai were a special class of fighting men who wore finely made armor and used special weapons. We see them… Continue reading
Rumpelstiltskin is a story from the Brothers Grimm. In the story, a miller claims that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king demands that she prove it. She is locked in a room full of straw, despairing, when a funny little man comes in and offers to do… Continue reading
The golden goose in this story is not the goose in Jack and the Beanstalk that lays golden eggs. This is a goose with golden feathers, whose story is less well-known, but it’s a good story nonetheless. Since the story is not as familiar, we’ll tell it to you. The… Continue reading
Never Say a Mean Word Again is an award-winning picture book by Jacqueline Jules. We love picture books for all ages. Use them as read-aloud or read-together books for younger grades and as a jumping off point for multiple subject areas with older students. Find lesson plans below for elementary,… Continue reading
If there’s ever been a year that cried out for inspiration, 2021 is it! We think this is the perfect year for a Great Quotations classroom theme, starting out with inspiring words on the walls. There are plenty of ready-made bulletin board and poster sets. You may have your own… Continue reading
“The Ugly Duckling” is not a fairy tale, since there are no magical elements, and it is not a folk tale, since we know that it was written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1844. It is probably best described as a fable– that is, a story that makes a point… Continue reading
“The Little Mermaid” is a story by Hans Christian Andersen. Since it was made into an animated film by Disney, it is well-known and popular, but there may also be confusion in younger students’ minds between the two versions. If you like the Disney version, you can make short work of… Continue reading
“The Fisherman and His Wife” is a Grimms’ fairy tale, though it is also reported in much the same form in Russia and in Central Europe. In the story, a poor fisherman catches a fish, usually a flounder, who claims to be an enchanted prince. The fisherman lets… Continue reading
“Toads and Diamonds” is another story from Charles Perrault. Picture books of the story are hard to find, though DK’s A First Book of Fairy Tales includes it. Read the story aloud and then have students retell the tale. For the class retelling, we like to divide the story into… Continue reading
“The Princess on the Glass Hill“ is one of the more obscure fairy tales, but the image of the suitors trying to get up the glass hill to the princess is familiar to most of us. Since our state frameworks mandate the use of of folk and fairy tales up… Continue reading
