Junior IV Composition 2017

Unit: Narrative – fiction

Project: “Fractured fairytales”

Final task: A collectively fractured fairy tale.

Teaching objectives:

 To encourage students to use their creativity to intervene traditional fairytales in order

to create a new story; this will later on become the raw material for the annual
concert.
 To present students with one more way of approaching the writing of a narrative.
 To guide the students through the exploration of the genre (its elements, the intended
effect on the reader, the audience, humor, archetypes, etc.) so as to raise awareness of
what they must bear in mind throughout the writing process.
 To show students that with the aid of social networking they can reach experts on
different areas when they are to carry out research.
 To encourage and guide students to carry out research about fairy tales from an
individual, local/national, and global perspective. This will lead to the discussion about
the difference between fairy tales and folk tales.
 To foster the following 21st century skill in the students:
Cooperation
Creativity
Critical thinking
Effective communication
Curiosity and enquiry
Empathy
Conflict resolution
Start with the end in mind
Metacognition

Expected outcome:

By the end of the project the students should be able to:

 Approach the writing of a narrative from a new point of view, taking textual
intervention such as fractured fairytales as springboard for a new, different story.
 Identify different elements in fairy tales in order to use them to their own purposes so
as to achieve the desired effect.
 Collaboratively create fractured fairytales that are suitable for the target audience.
 Identify the conflict in the stories dealt with and think of and analyse possible solutions
to them in class discussions.
 Appreciate peers´ opinions and contributions and avoid being judgmental. All ideas
must be given their time to be discussed in group work.
 Gather information as part of the research process.
 Understand the role of fairy tales and folk tales in culture.

Global Perspectives
I am going to base the enquiry process on Cambridge´s IGCSE
Global Perspectives Syllabus.

The idea is that throughout the project, the students can enquire
about fairy tales from a wide range of aspects using the following
questions as a guide.

From an individual perspective:

 Have you ever read/been read or told a fairy tale? When?

 What are some famous fairy tales you know? What do they have in common?

 Do you have a favourite? Which one is it? Why do you like it? What do you find
particularly special about it?

From a local/national perspective:

 What is your family´s relation with fairy tales? Ask the adults in your family if they used
to read or were read fairy tales. If so, which ones do they remember? What was their
favourite?

 Are the stories your parents and grandparents were told the same as the ones you
know? Why do you think many of them are the same?

 What is the role of fairy tales?

 Difference between folk tales and fairy tales. Think about the folktales you have read in
your own language, which one is your favourite? In what way are fairy tales and
folktales different and similar?

From a global perspective:

 What is the origin of fairy tales?

 Do kids around the world read them? Are they the same stories you know?

 As regards folk tales, what are some traditional folk tales in other countries? What do
they have in common with the ones from your country?

Procedure

Week 1

I will tell the students the title of the project and will elicit from them what they think they
are going to learn about and the final task they will do.

We will begin by analyzing what a fairy tale is. The individual and local perspectives of the
research will take place during this week.

Week 2
We will get global by analysing the difference between Argentinean folk tales and others
from around the world. In the best scenario, we will share one of our folk tales with a
classroom in another country and they will share one with us. Otherwise, I will bring some
foreign folk tales to the classroom and share them with the kids.

We will discuss their roles in culture and their similarities.

Week 3

Popular fairy tales will be dealt with in Story-stations (description below) for groups of
students to analyse them by answering a set of questions for further discussion.

I will introduce the concept of “fractured fairy tales” and we will have the Skype visit of
author Tara Lazar who will read one of her stories and will give us tips on how to write
fractured fairy tales. Students will take notes during this session.

We will have a “Gallery-walk” (explanation below) during which the students will read
summaries of different fractured fairy tales in order to find out the different ways in which
stories can be intervened. We will analyse the use of humor, archetypes and other
elements of narratives.

Week 4

We will have our second Skype visit, this time author Rebecca Gomez will share one of her
stories and answer students´ questions.

The writing process will begin. The class will vote one fairy tale to fracture. I will ask
students in groups of four to reflect on what is funny for them in a story or a cartoon. After
sharing with the rest of the groups (see how below), we will work on how to make simple
sentences funnier (worksheet).

The original groups of four reunite and rewrite the story using some of the strategies the
authors have shared with them.

Week 5

Each Communicator will read their story. Afterwards, I will let the class choose one element
from each of the fractured fairy tales and as a whole group we will make the final version
of our story.

Description of strategies

Story-station: I will divide the classroom into four or five different stations (depending on
number of students) in each of which a small group of children will have to read a short
version of a fairy tale and answer a set of questions related to the elements of literature
they already know from that subject. Afterwards, each group shares the results in circle
time during which we will complete a comparative table of all the fairy tales.
 Gallery walk: I will display summaries of fractured fairy tales around the classroom for
couples of students to walk along completing a chart in which they have to write how the
story has been fractured.

For the students in groups of four to share their ideas I will ask them to form new groups of
four (in case they are uneven, there can be more groups or some of 5) with one student
from each group so that each of them can share their ideas and perhaps come up with new
ones.

Group dynamics

Each group of four will have:

 A Moderator, who will be in charge of ensuring that all ideas are respected and
taken into consideration. In the case that the group cannot reach an agreement,
the Moderator can make the final call.

 A Time Keeper, who will ensure that discussions don´t extend too long.

 A Facilitator, who will make sure that everyone contribute and keep the group on
task.

 A Recorder, who will write down everything for the group.

 The role of Communicator can be performed by the Time Keeper.

Assessment

The students will be assessed throughout the whole project on the basis of their oral and
written performances, attitude and contributions.

Each member of the groups of four will be assessed with regard to his group performance.
They will get the same mark each for the group´s final product, except for those students who
have made no contribution whatsoever.

On the other hand, the students will be encouraged to self-assess their performance in the
roles they have taken and as a group they will have to analyse what they have done well and
what aspects they have to improve. I will give them a form for them to complete individually
and as a group. The form will have a band scale with which they can assess their own
performance.

The band scales for assessment will run from 1 to 4 (the latter being the highest mark) and the
aspects assessed will be:

Organisation (Coherence) 30%

Grammar 10%

Content (strategies used) (Coherence) 30%

Vocabulary 10%

Use of linkers and sequencing phrases/words (Cohesion) 10%

Collaborative work 10%