Fairy Tales Teaching Guide
Resources, Strategies, and Discussion Questions for K-12 Educators
Welcome to our comprehensive Fairy Tales Teaching Guide! This resource provides educators with practical strategies, discussion questions, classroom activities, and curated story recommendations organized by grade level. Whether you're introducing classic tales to early readers or exploring complex allegories with high school students, you'll find tools to engage students and deepen their understanding of this timeless genre.
Quick Links: What Are Fairy Tales? • Teaching Strategies • Discussion Questions • Classroom Activities • Resources & Links
What Are Fairy Tales?
Definition & Characteristics
Fairy Tales are stories involving fantastic forces, usually good versus evil, most originating in folklore, mythology, and legend. They feature fantasy beings like dragons, dwarfs, fairies, and talking animals. They aren't just for kids—in fact, many are complex morality tales; some are graphic or morbid, and shouldn't be read to children at all. We recommend previewing stories before reading with your children.
Key Characteristics:
- Setting: Often begins "Once upon a time," typically set in the past
- Characters: Archetypal (heroes, villains, helpers, magical beings)
- Plot: Problem/quest → obstacles → resolution
- Magic: Supernatural elements and enchantments
- Location: Usually occurs close to home (not far-away fantasy worlds)
- Moral Lessons: Explicit or implicit teachings about good and evil
- Endings: Often (but not always) "happily ever after"
How Fairy Tales Differ from Other Genres
| Element | Fairy Tale | Fantasy | Science Fiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Setting | Past ("once upon a time") | Past/Present/Future | Future |
| Place | Close to home | Far from home (new worlds) | Far from home (space/time) |
| Purpose | Entertainment + moral lesson | World-building, adventure | Explore technology/society |
| Examples | Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella | Lord of the Rings, Narnia | Star Trek, Foundation |
Folk Tales & Fables
A Folk Tale is a traditional story shared by a culture, passed on from one generation to the next. A Fable offers a moral lesson, usually involving animals and primarily geared towards children, such as Aesop's Fables. Some fables are intended for older students and adults because they pose complex ethical questions or employ ironic twists.
Teaching Strategies by Grade Level
Elementary (Grades K-5)
Recommended Stories:
Ages 4-7:
Teaching Strategies:
- Read-alouds with dramatic voices and sound effects
- Picture walks before reading to preview vocabulary
- Story retelling with sequencing cards or story maps
- Simple character identification (good/bad/helper characters)
- Art projects: draw favorite character or scene
- Act out familiar stories with simple props
- Identify the moral or lesson of each story
Assessment Ideas:
- Story sequencing activities with illustrations
- Character trait webs with text evidence
- Oral retellings with expression
- Simple written responses ("What was the moral?")
Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Recommended Stories:
Teaching Strategies:
- Identify elements of traditional fairy tales as a class
- Create Venn diagrams contrasting Fantasy, Fairy Tale, and Gothic genres
- Small group discussions using provided discussion questions
- Brainstorm familiar tales → identify modern retellings (Disney, films)
- Point of view analysis and rewriting exercises
- Compare "Fractured Fairy Tales" (e.g., Three Little Pigs vs. The True Story)
- Cultural comparison study (different versions of same tale)
- Analyze archetypal characters across multiple stories
Writing Workshop Ideas:
- Alternate perspective rewrites (villain's point of view)
- Contemporary modernizations (with technology, current issues)
- Tweet series to retell a story (modern storytelling)
- Create "fractured" version with twist ending
High School (Grades 9-12)
Recommended Stories:
Ages 13-Adult:
- The Little Match Girl
- The Selfish Giant
- The Lady, or the Tiger?
- Fantastic Fables by Ambrose Bierce
Teaching Strategies:
- Deep analysis of allegory and symbolism (e.g., The Selfish Giant as Christian parable)
- Compare fairy tale themes to modern literature and film
- Explore psychological interpretations (Jungian archetypes)
- Study feminist criticism of traditional tales
- Analyze cultural appropriation and adaptation
- Connect to philosophical concepts (determinism vs. free will)
- Examine Gothic Horror elements in dark fairy tales
Advanced Activities:
- Literary criticism essays using various theoretical lenses
- Research paper on fairy tale evolution across cultures/time periods
- Gothic Horror rewrite of familiar tale
- Satirical fairy tale writing (social commentary)
- Comparative analysis: original tale → Disney → modern film
Discussion Questions
Identify the characteristics of Fairy Tales, and how they differ from modern Fantasy and Science Fiction.
Grade Level: Middle School & High School
Compare two Cinderella stories: Cinderella (German) with the Celtic version Fair, Brown, and Trembling. Highlight their differences and discuss the cultural distinctions in each story.
Grade Level: Middle School & High School
How have fairy tales changed over time? Take the scary Grimm's version of Little Snow-White and compare it to modern adaptations. Comment on the roles of special effects and graphic violence in modern movies compared to the graphic elements in the original story.
Grade Level: High School
Identify a scary fairy tale inappropriate for small children, with graphic violence. Re-write the story so it can be told to a 3-7 year old. What elements did you change?
Grade Level: Middle School & High School
Consider a modern creator of gothic fairy tales (Tim Burton or Stephen King). Provide examples of either author's works, and how they fit in the fairy tale genre.
Grade Level: High School
Some fairy tales are not straight-forward "morality tales." Read The Lady, or the Tiger? Discuss how its theme of determinism versus free will make this a "grown-up" allegory. Visit our study guide for help.
Grade Level: High School
Pick a familiar fairy tale from the Children's Library, and write a gothic horror version of the story. Use our Gothic Literature Study Guide for background on the genre.
Grade Level: High School
Read The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde. Discuss its surface story and its deeper meaning as a parable in the kingdom of God, where the giant finds redemption by the Christ child.
Grade Level: High School
Choose two of Ambrose Bierce's Fantastic Fables. Identify their "lessons" and ironic twist. How do these absurd tales compare with his Civil War Stories? Use our A Horseman in the Sky Study Guide for ideas.
Grade Level: High School
Writing Prompt: Consider the epic Star Wars saga. Identify elements that are specific to each genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fable, and Folk Tale (all these genres are present). Provide specific examples and reference which episode to demonstrate your understanding of the differences in genres.
Grade Level: High School
Classroom Activities
Read-Aloud & Discussion
Choose an engaging story for your grade level as a read-aloud (yes, even middle school!). Follow with whole-class discussion identifying elements of a traditional fairy tale.
All Grades 30-45 minGenre Venn Diagram
Create a Venn diagram contrasting Fantasy, Fairy Tale, and Gothic genres. Identify overlapping elements and unique characteristics of each.
MS/HS 45 minModern Retellings
Brainstorm fairy tales everyone knows, then identify modern retellings of the same story. Consider Disney movies or contemporary films.
All Grades 30 minPoint of View Rewrite
Rewrite a familiar fairy tale from a different character's perspective. How does the villain's point of view change the story?
MS/HS 2-3 daysFractured Fairy Tales
Compare The Three Little Pigs with "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!" by John Scieszka. Discuss how changing perspective affects the narrative.
Elem/MS 45 minTweet the Tale
Write a series of tweets to tell a fairy tale story, one tweet at a time. Practice concise storytelling with modern technology.
MS/HS 1 hourVideo Performance
Create media coverage as a reporter "on the scene" of a familiar fairy tale. Interview characters to demonstrate different points of view.
All Grades Multi-dayCultural Comparison
Compare two or more versions of the same tale from different cultures. Create a presentation highlighting similarities and differences.
MS/HS Multi-dayCharacter Analysis
Identify archetypal characters (hero, villain, mentor, trickster) across multiple fairy tales. Create a chart showing patterns.
MS/HS 1-2 hoursResources & Links
Lesson Plans
Study Guides
Genre Resources
"I have many beautiful flowers, but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all."
— Oscar Wilde, The Selfish Giant