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Satire Fractured Fairy Tale


 

 Directions: Start at the top.  Be sure to review "Characteristics of Fairy Tales" and "Glossary of Satirical Terms." Complete the activities under "Review Questions" and "Writing Satire Directions."

 

Goal:   Create your own satire, a fractured fairy tale, complete with setting, characters, plot, theme, excellent word choice. Hopefully, this story can also be dramatized in class. 


 



 

Definition

 A literary work that ridicules its subject through the use of techniques such as exaggeration, reversal, incongruity, and/or parody in order to make a comment or criticism about it.

 

 


Review Questions

What makes a fairy tale a fairy tale?

 

What are the characteristics of the genre (fairy tales)?

 

Go to Fractured Fairy Tales to enjoy making three short fractured, satirical tales as a warm-up to your own satirical story.

Fractured Fairy Tales

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/fairytales/

 


Characteristics of Fairy Tales

 

 

1.  A fairy tale begins with "Once upon a time..."

2. A fairy tale happens in the long ago.

3. A fairy tale includes fantasy and "make believe."

4. A fairy tale includes a "Good" character versus an "Evil" character.

5. A fairy tale usually includes royalty, such as a beautiful princess and/or a handsome prince.

6. A fairy tale may include magic with giants, elves, talking animals, witches, or fairies.

7. A fairy tale has a problem that needs to be solved.

8. A fairy tale often requires three tries to solve the problem.

9. A fairy tale has a happy ending: "They all lived happily ever after."

10. A fairy tale usually teaches a lesson or has a theme.

 

 

Shrek: A Weird Fairy Tale


 

 

Glossary of Satirical Terms

 

 

Four Techniques

 

 

 

Exaggeration

    To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

 

Incongruity

    To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings.

 

Reversal

    To present the opposite of the normal order (e.g., the order of events, hierarchical order).

 

Parody

    To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing.

 


Writing Satire Directions

 

 

Goal:

Create your own satirized fairy tale using the elements of fairy tales and the techniques of satire.

1. Think of a fairy story to satirize (Go to Resources to find and print a story). 

Review the list of common fairy tale characteristics-- how might the elements might be used in satire. For instance, a satirized fairy tale might focus on the role of the hero to comment on how unrealistic the character is. Share with the class.

 

 

Remember that satire has the overarching goals of commenting on or criticizing society. Again, you might call this commentary an underlying lesson or an unwritten moral.  What will be your moral for your interpretation of the fairy tale?

 

Identify three to five specific things from your fairy tale that you have chosen, and then pair those things with ways they might be used in satire.

 

Technique                     ideas from the Story                                                            Possible satirical ideas

Exaggeration

 

 

Incongruity

 

 

 

Reversal

 

 

 

Parody

Revise your satirical idea list to include specific details and references to your stories.

 

 

Summarize the series of events that will take place in your revised version of the tale. These summaries will simply be notes that you can refer to as you work further. Parts of the summary may be used in the final version, but it’s mostly likely that the notes will serve more as a loose outline for the work.

 

 

2. Review, then list the literary elements of character, setting, conflict,  resolution, and theme (moral) to create your story:

 

Characters:

    Who                  Personality               Words                                       Actions

 

 

 

 

 

Setting

    Where:

    When:

 

    Social setting:

 

 

Conflict (problem):

 

 

 

Resolution (solution):

 

 

 

 

Moral (Theme):

 

 

 

3. Use  these online sights to fine-tune your ideas from (1)-- Remember to print your work:

 

Try the Plot Diagram Interactive, to outline the structure of your fairy tale. Print. 

Try the “Character Map” in the tool for multiple characters for your story (e.g., the heroine, the villain, the hero). Print.

 

Complete the Literary Elements Map. Print the graphic maps for each part (characters, setting, conflict, resolution).

 

4. Begin your draft satire of your fairy tale:

 

 

 

5.  Share with a peer who will write questions on your draft in areas s/he wonders about more detail or of possible confusions.  Ask for clarification from your partner.

 

6.  Decide how to use your peers ideas to revise your story to create a complete and interesting satire for a reader.

 

7. Share with the peer again for clarification.  Share with teacher or adult for final review and publishing.

 

8. Publish.  Present.

 

 


 

Resources:

 

Tales of Wonder

http://www.darsie.net/talesofwonder/

 

Surlalune Fairy Tales

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/

 

Grimms Fairy Tales

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimmtales.html

 

Google Links Fairy Tales

http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Folklore/Literature/Tales/Fairy_Tales/

Note that this site includes links to a variety of fairy tale resources, so carefully select ones that are fairy tales, not resources.

 

Fractured Fairy Tales

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/fairytales/

 

 Practice writing your own fractured tales.

 

Collaboration Wiki Pages

http://nsdwrite081.pbwiki.com/

 


 

Literary Elements Resources:

 

Literary Elements Map Interactive

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/lit-elements/

 

Plot Diagram Interactive

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/plot-diagram/

 

 

 Figurative Language

 http://8write.pbwiki.com/FigLanguage

 

 


 

NCTE/IRA Standards

1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of

themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to

respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment.

Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate

texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their

knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their

understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context,

graphics).

6 - Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and

punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss

print and nonprint texts.

8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases,

computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate

knowledge.

11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of

literacy communities.

12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for

learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

 


Washington State Standards in Writing -- Writing Essential Academic Learning Requirements

 

1. The student understands and uses a writing process.

 

    To meet this standard, the student:

 

      1.1. Prewrites to generate ideas and plan writing.

 

      1.2. Produces draft(s).

 

      1.3. Revises to improve text.

 

      1.4. Edits text.

 

      1.5. Publishes text to share with audience.

 

      1.6. Adjusts writing process as necessary.

 

2. The student writes in a variety of forms for different audiences and purposes.

 

    To meet this standard, the student:

 

      2.1. Adapts writing for a variety of audiences.

 

      2.2. Writes for different purposes.

 

      2.3. Writes in a variety of forms/genres.

 

      2.4. Writes for career applications.

 

3. The student writes clearly and effectively.

 

    To meet this standard, the student will:

 

      3.1. Develops ideas and organizes writing.

 

      3.2. Uses appropriate style.

 

      3.3. Knows and applies appropriate grade level writing conventions.

 

4. The student analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of written work.

 

    To meet this standard, the student will:

 

      4.1. Analyzes and evaluates others’ and own writing.

 

      4.2. Sets goals for improvement.

 

 

 


 

 

 

Optional: Mini-lessons for writers composing narratives:

 

Optional: Mini-lessons for writers composing narratives--ask for what you need--

 

Leads:  

Ask for: Great Leads Handout

 

Characterization:

Characterization Interactive-- choose character

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/lit-elements/

 

Character Handout--

Ask for: Elements of Characterization Handout

 

Connotation and details:

Connotation/Denotation on Mrs. Dowling's Web Sitehttp://www.dowlingcentral.com/MrsD/area/literature/Terms/Connotation.html

    This site provides definitions, exercises, and samples to help explain connotation in more detail or as a reminder for students.

 

What Is 'Spin'? Web Site

http://americanart.si.edu/collections/exhibits/cottingham/more-spin.html

    This short site discusses how colors, perspective, and other issues add to the presentation of an issue in a political discussion. The connotation of props such as flags and balloons are mentioned in this piece that explores the ways that political "spin doctors" build an image. This site might be a nice extension to the lesson if students are considering political issues, or it could serve as a simple resource that brings up issues such as the connotations related to colors.

 

Dictionary Lesson Plan and Game

http://www.languagewrangler.com/article.php?op=Print&sid=14&PHPSESSID=9b9e610f886d340197788c61e222eed1

This site, "Hang on to Your Virgule as Long as You Can," introduces a dictionary game that can build on connotation and denotation. Much like the NPR game Says You, students would choose an unusual word and create definitions—one true and several false. The lesson is a vocabulary builder, but can also be used as an extension of the connotation lesson if you pay attention to why students make the choices (right or wrong) that they make. What clues about the words lead them to choose a particular answer?

 

 

Setting:

Ask for: Setting Handout

 

Plot:

Plot Pyramid for Jack and the Beanstalk

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/course/course1/unit/shortstory.shtml#

 

Plot Diagram Interactive

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/plot-diagram/

 

Ask to see: the Plot PowerPoint

 

Punctuating dialogue:

Using Quotations Marks

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_quote.html

 

Paragraphing dialogue:

Dialogue Tags

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/dialogue-tags/

 

Ask for: Dialogue Tags Handout

Ask for: Excerpt Summer of the Monkeys Handout

 

Collaborating to Write Dialogue

http://www.writingproject.org/cs/nwpp/lpt/nwpr/404/

    Taken from the National Writing Project Report, this essay outlines a teacher's use of collaborative activities, such as dramatic enactment of scenes, to help students improve the dialogue in their papers. By writing out sections of the narrative as a dramatic scene, students can easily see the shift in speakers that will need to be represented by paragraphing in the final essay.

 

 


Rubric

 

 

 


 

 

Adapted from Read/Write/Think Web site:

 

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=810