In this unit, we deconstruct a well known fairy tale and figure out how it works! We also look at different responses to the fairy tale, like sequels, satire, and retellings, before setting out to write our own.
Grade levels:Â 2-3
Resources: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, James Marshall; Goldilocks Returns, Lisa Campbell Ernst; Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, Mo Willems
Week 1:
Ask students if they are familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Try to get a student volunteer to (briefly) retell/explain the story of Goldilocks.
Have student volunteers re-tell the story of Goldilocks via a short Readers Theater performance. You can either use five student volunteers (Narrator, Goldilocks, Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear), or have four students play the characters and ask all students to choral read the Narrator part.
Finally, read Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
Now we’ve heard three versions of the same story. How were they different? What elements stayed the same? Why? What has to happen in the story for us listeners/readers to still recognize it as Goldilocks and the Three Bears?
Week 2:
Read: Goldilocks Returns and Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs
How did Ernst and Willems change the traditional Goldilocks story, and what elements stayed the same? Do their new versions change the theme or message of the original story? What is the difference between what Ernst did and what and Willems did? (sequel vs. retelling). What kind of story do WE want to tell?
Weeks 3-4:
Mad-libs style re-write of the Goldilocks story: given a template (set up in advance on computer), class will work together to create a new version of the Goldilocks story, which we will then print and illustrate.
Each student will illustrate a page of the Goldilocks book. If necessary, students may finish their page the following week. During the final week, we’ll compile the student pages into a book and read it as a class.