Literacy

Unit
Writing: Fairy Tale Genre

Name: Tori Howe____________________________ Grade Level: 3rd______________
1. Target Area
My target area for guided lead teaching will be writing, with a specific focus on genre
study. The genre I have decided to focus on is Fairy Tales. I will lead my students in
exploring the specific elements of a fairy tale to increase their knowledge of the fairy tale
genre, while also preparing them for writing their own fairy tales.
2. Common Core State Standard(s)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.4
With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and
organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing
types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3
Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how
their actions contribute to the sequence of events
3. Objectives
1. When reading a text, students will pick out the elements of a fairy tale based on explicit
and implicit information from the text.
2. Students will depict their understanding of setting by writing a description of their own
setting using 3 to 5 details.
3. Students will display their ability to determine the problem and solution within a text by
creating a new problem and solution from an already existing story.
4. Students will demonstrate their ability to recognize the good character and the bad
character within a story, and describe a characters traits, feelings, appearance,
relationships, and changes.
5. Students will write a fairy tale narrative that includes the elements of the fairy tale gene;
They must describe the setting using 3-5 details, identify a good character and a bad
character, incorporate magic within the story, and create a problem-solution scenario.
4. Rational
Teaching in the target area of writing will provide opportunities for students to develop
and enhance their writing skills, and learn about the elements of the fairy tale genre.
Students will use what they learn about the fairy tale genre to tap into their imagination,
creativity, and life experiences to write a fairy tale narrative. This lesson will also include
learning through literacy since I will be reading stories in order to display the different
elements within fairy tales.
5. Assessment(s)
The main assessment I will use to determine if my students met the unit objectives is a
summative writing assessment. Each student will write their own fairy tale narrative,
which I will use to evaluate their comprehension and understanding of the unit goals. In
addition to the summative assessment, I will elicit a writing conference with each student
while they are writing their narratives. I will use my conference notes along with their final
fairy tale narrative to also assess my students progress in working toward their writing
goal, given to them during their writing conference.

6. Core Practice
My professional goal area is to productively and effectively elicit writing conferences with
my students. I think writing conferences are very constructive towards building students
writing skills, and I would like to practice and enhance my ability to elicit these writing
conferences with each student.
7. Differentiated instruction in one area (content, processes or products), and how that choice
appropriately meets some of my students learning needs:
I plan to conduct writing conferences with each student while they are writing their fairy
tale narratives. During these conferences I will meet with each student, observe their
writing, and provide them with a small goal to work towards. These writing conferences
allow me to meet with every student in the class, which means I am able to monitor and
assist all students no matter their skill level. I will be able to provide a different goal for
each student, which allows me to assist students with different learning needs.

Unit Overview
List the following
for each lesson

Instructional Format

Ongoing
Assessment:

Teaching Notes:

Day 1:
Objective # 1

Whole group lesson and

reading of a mentor text,
followed by a whole
group discussion.

- Through assessing
and monitoring a
group discussion, I
will assess whether
students are able to
pick out the fairy tale
elements within the
mentor text

Day 2:
Objective # 2

Mini lesson followed by

individual work and
conferencing.

- I will assess my
students
understanding of
setting through the
discussion during the
whole group lesson.
- I will conference with
students as they draw
their fairy tale setting,
and see that they
write 3-5 details to
describe the setting
they drew.

- Discuss what students

already know about fairy
tales
- Make an anchor chart of
the common elements within
a fairy tale.
- Read: Mufaros Beautiful
Daughters by John Steptoe
- Discuss the fairy tale
elements within the text as a
whole group
- Discuss setting
- Display the first picture in
the book, Beauty and The
Beast by H. Chuku Lee, and
model a think aloud
describing the scene
- Display second picture in
The Girl In Red by Roberto
Innocenti. Describe setting
through a think aloud while
also probing students to
participate
-Now show the night scene
of the book Rumpelstiltskin
by Paul O. Zelinsky. Have
students describe setting on
their own in a whole group
setting
- Brainstorm possible
settings
- Have students draw a
setting they imagine for their
own fairy tale, and write a

Day 3:
Objective # 4

Whole group lesson,

followed by individual
work.

- I will assess my
students learning by
evaluating the
character study chart
they will complete. I
will check to see if
students described
the characters
feelings,
relationships,
changes,
appearance, and
traits.

Day 4:
Objective # 3

Whole group lesson

followed by small group
work and individual work.

- I will assess my
students ability to
depict the problem
and solution within a
story by evaluating
comments during the
whole group
discussion. I will also
assess students
ability to determine
the problem based on
what they write in
their stories, and
their understanding of
solution by examining
the solutions they
created.

Day 5:
Objective #

Small group work

followed by
presentations.

- I will assess
students written
stories to ensure that
they included all of
the elements they
were given. I will also
evaluate their story
for detail, description,
and flow.
- Additionally, I will
assess students
ability to work in small
groups.

Day 6:
Objective # 1, 2, 3, 4

Small group work

followed by
presentations/discussion.

- I will assess my
students ability to
determine and
describe the elements
of a fairy tale with the

description of their picture.

- Students will participate in
a gallery walk to get ideas
from their classmates
drawings.
- Read the book The True
Story of The 3 Little Pigs! By
Jon Scieska, and then
model how to fill out a
character study chart.
- Read the book Beauty and
The Beast by H. Chuku Lee.
- Divide students up so that
some students are studying
Belle, the Beast, and Belles
father.
- Students will assemble a
character study chart on the
character they were given.
- Introduce/discussion
problem and solution.
- Brainstorm some problems
and solutions from wellknown fairy tales (ex. Snow
White, Sleeping Beauty etc.)
- Read The Frog Prince
Continued by Jon Scieszka,
but STOP reading before
revealing the solution
- Students will go back to
their seats and write the
problem, and then create
their own solution to the
problem.
- Have students share their
solutions, then finish reading
the book.
- Introduce the Once Upon
a Time game
- Students will pick a setting,
a good character, a bad
character, an element of
magic, and a problem/
solution at random out of a
bag. They will then write a
story in their small groups
using the elements they
picked.
- Then, they will present
their stories to the class by
acting them out.
- Students will be split into
small groups, and each
group will be given a fairy
tale book.
- Each group will analyze

Day 7:
Objective # 5

Mini lesson followed by

individual work and
conferencing.

Day 8:
Objective # 5

Read Aloud, Individual

work with conferencing

Day 9:
Objective # 5

Individual work with

conferencing

Day 10:
Objective # 5

Individual work with

conferencing, followed
by a whole group
sharing.

assistance of their
peers. This will help
me determine
whether my students
are ready to start
writing their own fairy
tales, or if they need
some clarification of
certain elements.
I will assess my
students graphic
organizers, and
determine whether
they are ready to start
writing their stories
based on the
completion of their
graphic organizers.
They must provide 23 details about their
setting, characters,
element of magic, and
problem/solution
- I will conference with
students to observe
how their stories are
coming along, how
they are doing as a
writer, and to
determine some goals
individual students
can work towards to
improve their writing.
- I will conference with
students to observe
how their stories are
coming along, how
they are doing as a
writer, and to
determine some goals
individual students
can work towards to
improve their writing.
I will evaluate my
students ability to
write their own fairy
tale by reading their
stories and evaluating
the all the elements of
fairy tales that they
included in their
stories.

their book and both

determine and describe the
setting, characters, element
of magic, and
problem/solution.
- Each group will present
their findings and describe a
synopsis of the book they
read.
- Mini lesson on using a
graphic organizerModel
this.
- Students will work
individually (and use their
table groups as support) to
come up with a setting, 1
good and 1 bad character,
element of magic, and
problem/solution they would
like to use in their story.
- Conference with students
before they can go ahead
and write their story.
- I will conduct a read aloud
of the fairy tale, Goldilocks
and The Three Dinosaurs by
Mo Willems, just to expose
students to more ideas in
developing their own stories.
- Students will work
individually on their fairy tale
stories.
- Students will work
individually on their fairy tale
stories.
- Students will check in with
me before beginning to write
the final drafts of their fairy
tales.

- Students will finish the final

drafts of their stories.
- Each student will read their
stories to their table group
members.
- If there is time, I will have
some students read their
stories to the entire class.
- I will compile and bind all
of their stories to create a
class Fairy Tale book.

2 Detailed Lesson Plans

Date: October 20, 2014

Objective(s) for todays lesson: When reading a text, students will pick out the elements of a fairy tale
based on explicit and implicit information from the text.
Rationale: This lesson will serve as an introduction to the following lessons, so it is important that
students gain a general understanding of the elements that make up a fairy tale in order to eventually
write their own fairy tales. It is also important for students to be able to determine the elements of a fairy
tale because this practice will eventually help students differentiate amongst texts of multiple genres. It
will also help prepare students for developing even more important skills, such as determining or picking
out the important information within a text.
Materials & supplies needed: The book, Mufaros Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe, easel with
paper for anchor chart, marker
Introduction to the lesson
o

I will bring my students to the carpet and ask them to sit in the
area of the rug. Then I will remind them of the rules of the rug;
o Give your undivided attention to the person who is
speaking
o Dont talk over the person who is speaking
o Stay on topic
o No sidebars (side conversations)
Then, I will generate a discussion by asking my students about
their prior experiences with fairy tales.
o Who here has read a fairy tale before?
o What stories have you heard or read about?
o Does anyone know what a fairy tale is?
!
A fairy tale is a story about magical and
imaginary beings and lands.
Tell students that they will be writing their own fairy tale stories.
o Well, Im so glad that some (or many) of you have
experience with fairy tales, because we are going to write
our own fairy tales! In order to do so though, we must
discover what a fairy tale is made up of, and how to write
one. This I can help you with, and soon you all will be
masters in writing fairy tales!
At anytime during the lesson, if I need to regain the students
attention, I will start counting down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Students should
then know to redirect their attention to me. I will remind them of
the rules of the rug and that they need to respect the person who
is speaking (whether its me or another student).

Academic, Social and/or

Linguistic Support during
each event
Social Support:
I will make sure that the students
who have a hard time paying
attention are right up front near me
so that I can monitor their focus and
participation.

(5 minutes)

OUTLINE of key events during the lesson

o
o
o

I am working on the core practice of genre study of fairy tales by

teaching my students the common elements that make up a fairy
tale, so that they can eventually write their own fairy tales.
For those of you who have heard many or multiple fairy tales
before, can you think of any similarities amongst the stories you
have read? What does a fairy tale consist of?
After listening to students responses and briefly discussing them,
I will use their answers to build an anchor chart of the common
elements of fairy tales.
o Usually begins with Once upon a time or ends with
They all lived happily ever after

Academic and Social Support:

Exploring setting within books in a
through a whole group discussion
will further allow students to learn
from their peers, and exposes them
to thoughts or ideas they did not
think of originally, as well as giving
all students a chance to share their
task solution whilst not pressuring
others to share if they are
uncomfortable.

Set in the past or happened long ago.

Does NOT need to include fairies
Involves magic, such as magical people, animals, or
objects. Magic may be positive or negative (good or
bad)
o Clearly defined good characters vs. evil characters.
o Royalty is usually present (ex. king, queen, princess,
prince)
o A problem that needs to be solved (problem/solution)
o Does every fairy tale story have ALL of these elements in them?
No, but they will have most of these elements in them. If a story
has all of these elements, but doesnt start with Once upon a
time, is it still a fairy tale? Yes.
o Now, I want to see how well you can pick out these elements
from a story. I am going to read Mufaros Beautiful Daughters by
John Steptoe, and you are going to help me figure out if this book
is a fairy tale or not. Can you help me? Good!
o [READ STORY] As I am reading, I will stop to ask some questions
and make some comments:
o I already notice a fairy tale element on this first page,
does anyone else see it?! (Starts with A Long Time
Ago Discuss how this is similar to the phrase One Upon
A Time)
o What seems to be the problem in this story?
o Do you see an element of magic within this story?
o How was the problem solved?
o Does this story remind you of another fairy tale youve
read or heard before?
(35 minutes)
o
o
o

Closing summary for the lesson

o

After reading the book, Lets go back to our list of common

elements within a fairy tale, and compare it to the story we just
read
o Go through each element and ask students if it was
present in the book. Have students explain their answer
or give an example.
o Write answers next to the elements on the list so the
students can refer back to where these elements were
seen within the text.
!
Note: did not end with happily ever after, but is
it still a fairy tale? (YES!)
I will wrap up by saying We are going to be studying these
different elements within fairy tales for the next few days. We will
continue to talk about some of these elements in further detail; I
just wanted to first introduce you to all the elements before we
talked about them in more depth. Understanding these elements
is really is important so that you can learn to write your own fairy
tale.

(15 minutes)

Transition to next learning activity

o I will dismiss students by table group to return to their
desks, and have them wait patiently for further directions.
Assessment
o I will assess my students learning through their
participation and demonstration of their understanding
during the whole group read aloud and discussion. I will
specifically look for students to relate the common

Academic Support:
By observing students through
their contributions and
participation through the whole
group discussion/lesson, I will be

elements of a fairy tale to the book, The Bootmaker and

The Elves. I expect them to identify that the story started
with Once upon a time, was set in the past, and point
out the problem and solution, the element of magic within
the story, and the overall theme of the tale.

assessing students through their

vocal responses. This way, I can
hear more of all students
thoughts and understanding of
the elements of a fairy tale than I
would if I had students write
responses.

Date: October 21, 2014
Objective(s) for todays lesson: Students will depict their understanding of setting by writing a
description of their own setting using 3 to 5 details.
Rationale It is important for students to understand the setting of a story, and be able to describe the
setting within a story, because the setting sets the foundation for a narrative. The setting indicates where
an event is taking place, when it is taking place, and helps a reader make a mental image of what the
scene might look like. It is also important for students to be able to describe a setting because when they
write their own fairy tales, they will need to set the scene for the reader. Students will not have an
illustrator to display a detailed image of the setting as most fairy tales so, so they must learn how to
describe a setting when images are not present.
(Explain why this content and/or skill is important and worthwhile, and how you will work to make it
relevant to your students lives):
Materials & supplies needed: Beauty and The Beast by H. Chuku Lee, The Girl In Red by Roberto
Innocenti, Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky, paper, markers/crayons/colored pencils.
Introduction to the lesson
o

I will bring my students to the carpet and ask them to sit in the
area of the rug. Then I will remind them of the rules of the rug;
o Give your undivided attention to the person who is
speaking
o Dont talk over the person who is speaking
o Stay on topic
o No sidebars (side conversations)
o Then, I will generate a discussion about setting.
o What is a setting? Listen to a few students answers.
Yes, a setting is the moment in time and location in
which a story takes place.
o Can a story have more than one setting?
o Why is it important to describe the setting in a story?
o Well, while I was reading some fairy tales, I noticed that the
authors were not very descriptive about the settings in their
stories. However, I discovered that the settings were shown
within the illustrations in the books. Since you wont have an
illustrator drawing pictures for your fairy tales, you will need to
be really descriptive about where you story takes place, and
provide examples to help the reader picture the setting in their
mind as they read.

(5 minutes)

OUTLINE of key events during the lesson

o

I am working on the core practice of genre study of fairy tales by

teaching my students the importance of setting. My students will
be writing their own fairy tales, and I want them to know how to
describe the setting in their stories so the reader can visualize the

Academic, Social and/or

Linguistic Support during
each event.
Academic Support:
I will go over what the setting of
a story is for those who do not
know what it is, or have forgotten
what it is.

image in their mind. Writing a descriptive setting in their fairy tales

will help enhance my students stories.
Open the book, Beauty and The Beast by H. Chuku Lee, to the
second page and demonstrate how to describe the setting through
the details within the pictures.
o Wow, I see a great big stone castle with at least 5
towers and a grand staircase leading up to the front door.
There are bushes growing near the castle that are almost
as tall as the towers, and I see a large, black fence with
sharp points wrapped around the castle. There is an
interesting mask on the ivy covered arched entrance of
the fence. It is black and gold with silver spikes sticking
out of the top of it, like hair. It reminds me of a mask that
a warrior would wear in a war. The sky looks a little dark,
too, which makes me think this could be a scary castle,
or someone scary lives inside.
o Answer 2-3 questions or comments that students have,
then move onto the next picture so the students can
begin to practice describing setting.
Open the book, The Girl In Red by Roberto Innocenti, to the
second page and begin to demonstrate how to describe the
setting. Start to involve the students more this time, and prompt
them with questions.
o Wow! This setting is totally different from the one we just
looked at! I see a cement building where about nine
different people or families live. I see that the cement is
sort of cracking, so the building might not be in great
shape. This reminds me of an apartment complex,
because I live in an apartment and I know lots of different
families live really close together in apartment
complexes.
o What else do you see? As students participate,
acknowledge, and add to their comments to keep them
thinking and describing.
o I also see some laundry hanging on some drying racks, I
see some air conditioners sticking out of windows
o After students comment on what they saw in the
setting/picture, move onto the next book and have the
students describe the setting, without my help.
Open the Book, Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky, to the night
scene. Ask the students, Now how would you describe the
setting here?
o Let students make comments and share their ideas.
o Make sure they point out the mountains or hills in the
distance, the beautiful castle, drawbridge, village homes,
woods etc. I will bring any of these aspects up if they go
unmentioned by the students.
Can we think of some settings we could write about in our fairy
tales?
o Brainstorm some possible settings.
Now, when we go back to our seats, each of you are going to
draw a picture of a fairy tale setting that you have in your mind.
After you draw the setting, you are going to describe the setting,
and you must use 3 to 5 descriptions to explain your setting.

o
o

Academic and Social Support:

By modeling how to describe a
setting, I am providing social
support for those who need to
talk and exert some energy
through conversation. By
allowing students to describe a
setting within a book out loud
and in a group setting, I am
providing them an opportunity to
talk and release their energy.
Whole group lessons also
provide opportunities for
students to learn from one
another, which can be more
powerful than listening to their
teacher explain something.
Through modeling how to
describe a setting, and gradually
releasing students to describe a
setting on their own, I am also
increasing the chances that
students will grasp the concept,
or look to their neighbor for help
when needed.

(45 minutes)

Closing summary for the lesson

o

I will close the lesson by telling the students that I will hang their
settings around the room, and they will have time before they
go to lunch to walk around and look at everyones different
ideas of setting.

Academic Support:
For those students who struggle
to express their thoughts through
writing, I will be sure to

 Introduction to the lesson

o

I will bring my students to the carpet and ask them to sit in the
area of the rug. Then I will remind them of the rules of the rug;
o Give your undivided attention to the person who is
speaking
o Dont talk over the person who is speaking
o Stay on topic
o No sidebars (side conversations)
o Then, I will generate a discussion about setting.
o What is a setting? Listen to a few students answers.
Yes, a setting is the moment in time and location in
which a story takes place.
o Can a story have more than one setting?
o Why is it important to describe the setting in a story?
o Well, while I was reading some fairy tales, I noticed that the
authors were not very descriptive about the settings in their
stories. However, I discovered that the settings were shown
within the illustrations in the books. Since you wont have an
illustrator drawing pictures for your fairy tales, you will need to
be really descriptive about where you story takes place, and
provide examples to help the reader picture the setting in their
mind as they read.

Academic, Social and/or

Linguistic Support during
each event.
Academic Support:
I will go over what the setting of
a story is for those who do not
know what it is, or have forgotten
what it is.

(5 minutes)

OUTLINE of key events during the lesson

o

I am working on the core practice of genre study of fairy tales by

teaching my students the importance of setting. My students will
be writing their own fairy tales, and I want them to know how to
describe the setting in their stories so the reader can visualize the
image in their mind. Writing a descriptive setting in their fairy tales
will help enhance my students stories.
Open the book, Beauty and The Beast by H. Chuku Lee, to the
second page and demonstrate how to describe the setting through
the details within the pictures.
o Wow, I see a great big stone castle with at least 5
towers and a grand staircase leading up to the front door.
There are bushes growing near the castle that are almost
as tall as the towers, and I see a large, black fence with
sharp points wrapped around the castle. There is an
interesting mask on the ivy covered arched entrance of
the fence. It is black and gold with silver spikes sticking
out of the top of it, like hair. It reminds me of a mask that
a warrior would wear in a war. The sky looks a little dark,
too, which makes me think this could be a scary castle,
or someone scary lives inside.
o Answer 2-3 questions or comments that students have,
then move onto the next picture so the students can
begin to practice describing setting.
Open the book, The Girl In Red by Roberto Innocenti, to the
second page and begin to demonstrate how to describe the
setting. Start to involve the students more this time, and prompt
them with questions.
o Wow! This setting is totally different from the one we just
looked at! I see a cement building where about nine
different people or families live. I see that the cement is
sort of cracking, so the building might not be in great
shape. This reminds me of an apartment complex,
because I live in an apartment and I know lots of different
families live really close together in apartment
complexes.
o What else do you see? As students participate,
acknowledge, and add to their comments to keep them
thinking and describing.
o I also see some laundry hanging on some drying racks, I
see some air conditioners sticking out of windows
o After students comment on what they saw in the
setting/picture, move onto the next book and have the

Academic and Social Support:

By modeling how to describe a
setting, I am providing social
support for those who need to
talk and exert some energy
through conversation. By
allowing students to describe a
setting within a book out loud
and in a group setting, I am
providing them an opportunity to
talk and release their energy.
Whole group lessons also
provide opportunities for
students to learn from one
another, which can be more
powerful than listening to their
teacher explain something.
Through modeling how to
describe a setting, and gradually
releasing students to describe a
setting on their own, I am also
increasing the chances that
students will grasp the concept,
or look to their neighbor for help
when needed.

Assessment Plan

I plan to informally assess my students throughout their writing experience by
conducting writing conferences. I will use these conferences to check-in with each
student, try to build their confidence in writing, and identify a personal goal each student
can work towards to enhance their writing skills. Regie Routman, author of Writing
Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching, mentioned
that in order for students to continue writing, and take risks within their writing, these
writing conferences must be a confidence-building process. I will work towards
improving each students writing skills according to the specific areas or elements they
need to develop. I believe these writing conferences will be very beneficial because
they will allow me to focus on different elements of writing based on the individuality of
the student, so I can personally assist students of all different writing levels.
I also plan to assess my students understanding of the elements of a fairy tale
through evaluating the final drafts of their fairy tale narratives. I will determine their
understanding of the structure of a fairy tale by verifying the elements they included
within their story. They must identify a setting and described it using 3 to 5 details,
identify a good character and bad character, include an element of magic, and create a
problem and solution scenario within their story line. I will also assess each students
clarity by determining whether they stayed on topic, and provided relevant and insightful
details. I will differentiate the assessment criteria for appropriate students. I will still
require that they provide all of the fairy tale elements within their story, but I will expect
only two details describing the setting, and will only expect them to stay on topic in
terms of clarity. I will also adjust the differentiated assessment criteria based on student
performance as the unit progresses. Additionally, I will use the students final fairy tale
drafts to assess each students improvement towards the individual writing goal they will
be given during writing conferences. I will simply identify if there is any improvement at
all, or no improvement visible. This will then help me determine what to do next in
terms of developing each students individual writing abilities.