a+fairytale+with+a+twist

fantasy crossword & quiz 1. Choose a fairy tale you know really well, you don't have to like. Infact if you dislike it - all the better becuase you are going to re- write it.

2. Next, the student must decide which key element(s) in the story to change. Here are some possibilities:

**Time** : A story could be set in the present or the future instead of "once upon a time. **Location** : A story could be set in a different country or region. (Imagine a "Cinderella" story set in Africa, Texas, Manhattan)

**Gender** : The gender of the protagonist (main character) can be changed to provide a fresh slant.

**Ending** : Or, you can keep many elements of the story the same, but change the ending.

Tip: One way to go about brainstorming ways to change traditional fairy tales is for the student to think about what element of the original story he or she doesn't like. Give them the freedom to change it. Another way is to play "what if?" Name any familiar fairy tale and ask your students to come up with different scenarios--just to get their creative juices flowing. For example:

What if Cinderella refused to marry the prince?

What if Cinderella's sisters were beautiful and the prince decided to marry one of them instead of Cinderella.

What if the princess found the pea, ate it, and became sick?

What if Sleeping Beauty suffered from narcolepsy and the prince was a doctor who cured her?

3. With a traditional story or theme in hand and an idea about how to change it, now outline a plot. The plot outline should summarise what happens in the story. Make your stories as surprising as possible. (Nothing is less exciting than reading a story whose ending you can guess right away.)

The plot summary could look something like this:

The King and Queen decide that the Prince needs to get married.

They arrange a slumber party (sleep over) so all the local princesses can be given the "pea under the matress test."

The most ill-mannered, foul-mouthed, bad-tempered "princess" wins.

Meanwhile, in exasperation, the Prince decides to leave the castle and go horseback riding to clear his head.

The horse whinneys and wakes up a beautiful girl who'd been sleeping in the stable.

The girl mistakes the Prince for a stable boy. She tells him she found the pea and switched places with a rude serving girl so she wouldn't have to marry the Prince, whom she imagines to be an idiot.

He likes her attitude and falls in love with her. (This plot summary is taken from the story "The Prince and the Pea" .)

5. With a plot in hand, the student should attempt to build interest and suspense. One proven way to do that is "the rule of three." Have you ever stopped to think why three is used so often in fairy tales? (Consider "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." By the time Goldilocks sits in three chairs, eats three bowls of porridge, and lies down in three beds, the reader's pulse is racing with worry about the possible return of the three bears. Three plot elements help to build suspense and tension. Include three somethings--obstacles to overcome, princesses to save, magic beans to throw out the window, or villains to outwit--in their stories.) This should result in an a revised summary. For example, in the plot outline above, the third bullet point could be changed as follows: Three ugly, rude, obnoxious "princesses" find peas under their blankets. When the prince meets them, he is horrified.

6. Before actually writing a story, you might want your students to submit their revised story outline to you or to "tell" their story (in outline form) to you or to a small group.

I will be looking for: 1. Changes from the original story. 2. The element of suspense. 3. The element of surprise: 4. editing and rewriting.

7. when the stories are finished we will "publish" the stories and bind them into a "book." and upload to the web page.

If you like telling and playing fairytales with your children & grandchildren here are some links to fairytale games.

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