CHILDREN’S STORIES

The Importance of Children’s Books  Helps children to:  Read  Think  Communicate  Helps children develop storytelling skills (rooted in oral tradition)  Modern children’s books help kids to:  Develop good manners and habits  Learn different skills and morals  Develop imagination

The Modern Children’s Book as a teacher  Modern children’s books are designed to help kids see:  what lies outside their own worlds  what’s happening within them  Larger societal issues Racism Sexism War Death Disease

The Purpose of Children’s Books  Entertainment  Literacy  Listening Skills  Creativity  A Healthy Escape  Memory

Types of Children’s Books  Picture Books  Baby books  Wordless picture books  Pop-up (or other sensory) books  Concept books  Early Readers  Easy text  Can be read to (and eventually by) a younger child

Wrack your brain…  List as many examples of each type of children’s book:  Picture Books  Early Reader  Chapter Books  YA Books

Story Analysis

Children’s Literature Analysis  Choose 3 Early Reader books  Complete an analysis sheet for each book  Do an extra book for Extra Credit!

Simplistic Language

Practice SIMPLICITY  The crux of a children’s story is simplicity  in plot  in language  in approach  ACTIVITY   In groups of two or three, create an EARLY READER for ONE of the following short stories  “All Summer in a Day”  “Charles”  “Geraldine Moore the Poet  Requirements   A simplified version of the text  Two illustrations (or more) that could accompany your text  Time Frame   Today, Monday, and Tuesday

The moral of the story is… Fables

 A fable is  a brief fictional story  written in prose or verse  features personified animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature  illustrates or leads to a moral lesson (a "moral“)  Moral is added explicitly at the end in a concise saying.

Story Time!!

Activity: “You’re an Animal!”  For each animal listed, create three stereotypical PERSONALITY traits.  Choose three animals from the list and create a character sketch for each  Where they live  What they do  Who they are friends with/related to  What their potential conflicts are

Fable Writing Assignment  Write an ORIGINAL FABLE.  Text should be no longer than a page, typed  Include 1 illustration that is appropriate for the text of your story  ROUGH DRAFT for CONFERNECE on  Monday, December 15, 2014 end of the period)

Activity: What’s the Problem  Using the THREE characters that you developed in “You’re an Animal,” create TWO potential story conflicts FOR EACH – total of SIX.  Choose TWO of your potential conflicts and create a basic plot diagram for each. Plot diagrams will be provided.

Once upon a time… Fairy Tales

Fairy Tale  Respond to the following TWO quotes:  "If you see the magic in a fairy tale, you can face the future." ~Danielle Steel~  "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.“ ~Albert Einstein~

FORMAT OF A FAIRY TALE  Introduction of characters  Setting and mood  Type of magic  Conflict, dilemma, or problem to solve  First attempt & failure to solve issue  Second attempt & failure to solve issue  Third attempt & failure to solve issue  Happy or unhappy ending/resolution

OFTEN USED ELEMENTS  “Once upon a time…”  Good vs. evil  “Long ago…”  Fantasy & make-believe  Princesses and princes (any royalty)  The innocent, villain, and hero trio  Magic (ex: giants, elves, witches, etc)  A problem that needs to be solved  Talking animals  Usually teaches a lesson or has a theme  “happily ever after” (modern versions)

FAMOUS FAIRY TALE AUTHORS  Hans Christian Andersen ( )  recognized as a dramatist, poet, novelist and travel writer  most widely known – and even described as – “the earth’s last teller of fairy tales.”  wrote 168 fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 100 languages  tales have inspired Broadway musicals, Academy Award winning films, ballets, sculptures and paintings

FAMOUS FAIRY TALE AUTHORS  The Brothers Grimm (Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm)  include stories of kings, magic, and talking animals  stories are sometimes scary  were known as “experts” in language, folklore, and anything German  wrote over 200 stories, many of which have been turned into movies and plays

Story Time!!

Activity: I Need a Hero!  Develop, in mini-story format, 2 of each type of character – innocent, hero, and villain.  The mini-stories may be intertwined (1 of each type of character developed together) OR each character can have their own mini-story.  You should have a minimum of 6 paragraphs for this activity

Activity: Once Upon A Time… Create THREE different settings that could be used for a Fairy Tale. Go beyond just the appearance of this place – try to appeal to all 5 senses in your description. Begin each of your descriptions as if it were the 1 st paragraph of a Fairy Tale – Once upon a time… Requirements: Each potential setting should be at least 2 paragraphs.

Fairy Tale Writing Assignment  Write an ORIGINAL FAIRY TALE.  Text should be at least ONE page, typed, 1 ½ spaced  Include 1 illustration that is appropriate for the text of your story  Bring in ROUGH DRAFT for CONFERNECE on  Tuesday, January 6, 2015 end of the period)

Fractured Fairy Tales

…And Then the Prince Knelt Down and Tried to Put the Glass Slipper on Cinderella’s Foot By Judith Viorst I really didn’t notice that he had a funny nose And her certainly looked better all dressed up in fancy clothes He’s not nearly as attractive as he seemed the other night So I think I’ll just pretend that this glass slipper feels too tight.

The Three Brothers JIZh0

Elements of a Fractured Fairy Tale  Humorous  Changes the original story in an unexpected way  Altering a character (physical, personality, etc)  Adding modern language or events (change the setting)  Is usually a parody, satire, or irony

Examples: Fractured Cinderella  Cinderella is ugly and has 3 beautiful stepsisters  The prince can’t dance  Cinderella likes to cook and clean  She wears Uggs instead of glass slippers  The fairy godmother’s wand is broken and changes her into a slug  Cinderella didn’t want a carriage, she wanted a BMW  The ball was a Saturday night at Club Abyss

Some other ways to Fracture a Tale  Tell the story-before-the-story  Tell what happens after the “happily ever after”  Intertwine multiple stories  Modernize the story and characters  Tell the story from another perspective

Story Time!!

Activity: Fracture This!  Choose 4 of the provided Nursery Rhymes and create a fractured version of each.  Try to use a different style of fracturing for each.

Fractured Tales… Choose ONE of the following Grimms’ Fairy Tales to fracture: 1. The Frog Price 2. Rapunzel 3. The Golden Goose 4. Red Riding Hood 5. Hansel and Gretel Rough Draft DUE Tuesday, January 13, 2015 end of the period)

Shrek 2: Persuasive Writing While you view:  Take notes on the various aspects of the film that make it fractured. After you view:  Write an essay in which you prove Shrek 2 is the ultimate fractured fairy tale. Requirements:  a minimum of 5 paragraphs  Introduction, thesis, concrete examples from the movie, conclusion  Typed and proofread

Full Length Children’s Story

 In a small group (2 or 3), create an original, full length (20-25 pages of story text), children’s story.  Story must have: A cover A title page An original idea Text and illustrations on each page Simplistic language A valuable theme/lesson

Unit Reflection Please write a reflection journal about your work in this unit. Think about:  What you enjoyed  What you did not like  What you learned  What else you think should have been included  What you did well  What you still need to work on  Your overall work ethic and how it affected your grade