Once Upon a Time ... I Wrote a Fairy Tale Educational Resources K12 Learning, Literary Studies, Writing, English / Language Arts Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Once upon a time...

That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Can you think of a story that starts this way? Does the story you are thinking of also have a prince or princess? Make-believe and magic? I bet the story that you are thinking of also ends with "they lived happily ever after."

That's because this type of story is a fairy tale! And with a little imagination, you can write your own fairy tale!

All genres, or types, of story have special characteristics that make them stand out. Fairy tales have different elements that make them stand out.

Fairy tales are unique because they:

begin with “Once Upon a Time …”
include fantasy or make believe, like talking animals or dragons
involve characters that are royalty, like kings, queens, princes, and princesses
have MAGIC that comes from giants, elves, fairies, and witches
have a problem that needs to be solved
teach the audience a lesson, like treating others with kindness
end with “They all lived happily ever after.”

Watch Cinderella - A Short Story from APPUSERIES and look for these elements! When one appears, the story will pause. When you are ready, click play to continue the story.

Fairy tales are fun to read because they make our imaginations work! They build settings in far away places, and the characters are memorable because of the magic and make-believe. They use creativity to solve the problems of the story like when the Prince used Cinderella's lost slipper to find her. When they live happily ever after, we learn a lesson that will help us learn more about ourselves.

Ready to move on to the Got It? section and practice putting these elements into a real story?