Fractured+Fairy+Tales

What is a fairy tale?

Scholastic explains fairy tales



Elements found in fairy tales:
Click on FairyTales.biz in order to find a list of classic fairy tales. If you click on the list, it will take you to the story and you can read it.



Fairy Tale Elements


 * Setting is usually in the past: A long, long time ago in a land far away. The land is often a kingdom. References are usually made to castles, forests, and villages.
 * Fairy tales must have some sort of magic. This is often an object such as a bean, spells such as a poisonous apple or animals speaking such as a fox or bears. Magic can be good or evil.
 * Often includes objects, events, animals or people in groups of 3’s or 7’s.
 * The theme is generally a cultural value like honesty or a lesson that needs to be learned: such as don’t talk to strangers. The story demonstrates the importance of this value.
 * The plot focuses on a problem that needs to be solved.
 * There are clearly defined good characters and evil characters; none of those sorta O.K. characters with a couple of annoying faults.
 * Fairy tales most often have happy endings based on the conflict being resolved.
 * Often fairy tales start with “Once upon a time” and end with “They all lived happily ever after.”

Here are some YouTube clips of fractured fairy tales: media type="custom" key="23605714"

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=Assignment Steps:= =Step 1= It's time to analyze some fairy tales. Download this document. Do this by making a copy of the document and renaming it with the same name and your name at the beginning. Read a fairy tale and a fracture of the same tale. Fill out the form and submit it to your teacher. (You may need to be signed into your Google account in order to access the document).

Fractured Table
 * Take a look at how many elements are fractured. Compare this to the elements that are not fractured. Create a ratio: Example. 5 elements are fractured to 7 that are not fractured.


 * Now share this information with your class. create a table of ratios and come up with an average of fractures per story.
 * Next have a discussion as to which elements are usually fractured. Create a tally table with the elements.
 * Discuss why these elements are the ones that are usually fractured. Debate which elements are best to fracture and which are better left alone.

Step 2:

Now it is time to analyze the character traits in the stories and compare these traits to those in a fracture of the same story.

Let's start by analyzing one of our favorite characters

Watch this video of Donkey from Shrek. Using the Frayer model, write down the plot elements. Then list Donkey's characteristics. Now, decide which characteristics are essential to the plot and which are added to make the character interesting and remember able. media type="custom" key="23868348"

Next: Find a story and a fracture. Download the document, copy it, rename it with your name in the front. Now read the fracture and the story. Fill out the table. with show examples. Remember show examples are actions done by the character or dialogue used by the character.

[|character traits analysis]


 * Compare these with your class. What differences usually occur in the characters between the traditional story and the fractured story?

These lists of traits may help you describe the traits more precisely. [|List of Character Traits] [|Character Traits and Examples]

=Step 3=

This is the time we have been waiting for: Your fractured fairy tale. First you need to decide on what story you want to fracture. Read the traditional story carefully and fill out the first column of the fractured table in step one. Just make another table and call it by your name and then the word "My" in front of the original name.

Decide what to fracture. Keep in mind the number of elements that should be fractured and the elements that are usually fractured. Now fill out the second column with what you want to do.

=Step 4=
 * A. First go to "Characters" under __ Reading __ and study this lesson.Character
 * B. Next go to the page under English called "Adding humor to writing". Study the types of humor that can be added to writing. Think about the characters in the story. Decide to make one or more funny by adding humor to their character.
 * C. Now remember character traits are a lot of fun. Think back to the traits that were fractured. Remember the discussion. Fill out the first column for the character traits analysis which describe the characters from the traditional story. This is the document linked in step 2. Remember to make a copy and rename it with your name and the word "my" in front of the original document name. It's time for you to change some of the traits and thus the behaviors. For help with this, refer to the character traits links above. When you are done, highlight the character that will be funny and submit your work to your teacher.

=Step 5=
 * A. First go to "How do Settings Affect a Story" and study this lesson. Settings.
 * Copy the Power Point in Note form. Watch the presentation and fill out the notes explaining how each setting would affect your character.
 * Now read a fairy tale and fill out this graphic organizer. [[file:Graphic organizer.pptx]]
 * Next carefully decide on your settings. Think about how they will affect your character.
 * Then fill one out for your story.
 * Then fill one out for your story.

=Step 6= Download and watch this Power Point:

Fill out this Plot Skeleton:

=Step 7=

Write your story. Look at your climax. You need to explode this moment. Create tension by adding details:

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Exploding the moment:

Find the significant moment in the story. If there was one it often needs more attention. Explode it, write details about it all over the page. If there isn’t one, then you really don’t have a story yet. Think harder about the conflicts and changes involved in your piece. Use thoughtshots, snapshots, and scenes. Use sensory detail and make your description move.

The bases were loaded and it was up to me, but the coach asked me not to swing at the ball. I wondered why until I heard the coach whisper to the assistant coach, “They’ll never strike out that shrimp. “ I was short and up to that moment I was proud to be on the Little League team, but when I realized I was only on the first string because I was short and too difficult to strike out, I was hurt, really hurt.
 * Example One:**

Ask: What is the significant thing here? It is the moment that the boy overheard his coach. The author then writes thoughtshots and snapshots about this scene. He slows down the moment and gives it sensory detail.

I could feel my cheeks flush red with embarrassment. I reached down and picked up the bat. It was cold in my hands. I looked up at the stands and I could see my father cheering. He was thrusting his fist up in the air and shouting something I couldn’t understand. I looked at the pitcher. The ball was moving up and out of his glove following his hand in one fluid motion. I swung before it was halfway there. “Stee-rike,” the umpire shouted…

Here’s another exploded moment. This one was done by writing a much shorter account and then asking questions.
 * Example Two:**

I watched myself begin this horrible deed. My hand seemed to suddenly have a will of its own. It picked up the mild carton. The spout was already open. My arm extended over Carol’s head, tipping the carton. The liquid poured in slow motion, steady thick unending stream down through her long blonde hair, soaking the back of her clothes and running onto the floor. As the milk reached the floor, I shifted the spout slightly to begin another long milky journey down the front of her. It poured over her forehead, in the eyes, running in rivers down each side of her nose, converging on the chin and splashing into her plate. Her food ws soon awash and mild poured over the edge, and ran into her lap. And still I poured on-it was too late to stop now. The rapture of it all! Oh, sweet revenge. Carol was shocked into absolute silence, her milk-washed eyes staring at me in total disbelief-almost uncomprehending. What had I done? I only meant to pour a little to scare her and now it was all over-everywhere. Her chair was a four-legged island in the middle of a giant white pond in the kitchen floor. How could one quart of mild go so far? For a second or two she didn’t react and I had a brief but fleeting prayer that she was stunned speechless. However, not for long. Daddeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Here’s another one. Lets act it out.
 * Example Three:**

There was a crashing of bush and a low, snarling growl. An immense paw reached through the thicket and tumbled the cub over andout of sight. In its place loomed a huge brown shape. Bursting through the leaves was a head three times as big as the cubs. No curiosity in those small eyes, only an angry reddish gleam. Somehow Matt had the sense not to run. He stood frozen on the path. A bear could overtake a running man in a few bounds. And this one was only two bounds away. The bear’s head moved slowly from side to side. Its heavy body brushed aside the branches as though they were cobwebs. It swayed, shifting its weight from one foot to the other. Slowly it rose on its hind legs. Matt could see the wicked curving claws. Matt would never know why he acted as he did. Hecould not remember thinking at all, only string with numb horror at the creature about to charge. Somehow he did nmove. He swung the dead rabbit by its ears and hurled it at the bear’s head. The tiny body struck the bear squarely on the nose. With a jerk of the head the bear shook it off as though it were a buzzing mosquito. The rabbit flopped useless to the ground. The bear did not even bother to look down at it (__Sign of the Beaver__, 1983, pp. 72-73)

6 ways to create suspense Click on Ian Irvine's book to see what he has to say about creating suspense:

Use this graphic organizer. Download now, fill out and submit to your teacher.

You will be paired up with another person in order to help you edit. Comments are a great way to do this. Highlight your Tell sentences in yellow and your Show sentences in Green.

Here are examples of tell sentences that are turned to show sentences: It is important that you and your partner work together to do this. Help each other turn your yellow sentences green.

I**t was a dark and dreary night.**

A single streetlight cast long shadows from trees spookily fluttering amidst the fog hanging near the ground.


 * Her hair was golden blond.**

The sunlight glittered through her blond hair as she bounced down the street with Sam.


 * Sam has green eyes and is disheveled.**

Sam turned, his green eyes intense upon her, a serious look for a boy with rumpled auburn hair and a slouchy shirt.


 * I was so excited to go, I couldn’t stand it.**

A smile widened across my face and I fidgeted in my seat, perched like a mother bird waiting for her fledglings to return.

You will be graded on your writing with a 6 traits rubric by two of your peers. Make your revisions and then submit it to your teacher for final grading.

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