Off Topic: Salute to Teachers

This one is off topic, but dear to me. With all of the Oprah Show ending hype, I've been reminded of one important thing I share with Oprah (besides being Nashvillians) and that was a favorite teacher. Years ago, I was in school, living at home and returned home to my mother watching Oprah on TV. I was rattling around in the kitchen for a snack when I heard Oprah talking about her favorite teacher, Mary Alice Duncan. I went back into the room and saw that Mrs. Duncan was also my Mrs. Duncan, a special teacher in my life, too.

My fourth grade year was a year of transition and change. My family had returned to Nashville after living in Chattanooga for several years. I went from attending an elementary school with one classroom per grade level to a fourth grade school comprised of only fourth grade classrooms that was the same size as my previous elementary school. I was given two team teachers of which Mrs. Duncan was one. Then my homeroom class was dissolved in the face of budget cuts. I was moved to another class away from Mrs. Duncan, more trauma since my new teacher had a subtle harsh streak to her, not horrible, but one I keyed into and never trusted although usually I was her "teacher's pet" grading papers and such.

The biggest problem was that I was a precocious reader and had already tested out of all reading levels. I was used to being held back and didn't mind since I didn't know any different. But Mrs. Duncan--and I was young so I don't know all the reasoning--volunteered to have me return to her classroom each day for a special reading class all my own although I was no longer assigned to her team of teachers. And that's what I did for a year. I had my own reading class until another boy moved in halfway through the year and needed it and then we shared our advanced reading class. It was my favorite part of the day and I finally felt like I was working at a real level of education. I also needed that intimacy of a one-on-one class after moving into such a big school, so it was a blessing on many levels. I still wonder where the time came from since that is definitely not "wise" classroom time management with overfilled classrooms. My feeling was always that it happened because Mrs. Duncan made it so.

Mrs. Duncan was a special teacher and I've never forgotten her. There were a few other important teachers and librarians that followed, but she was the first to make me feel like I mattered, that my skills mattered and should be nurtured. I was blessed with parents who did that all along, but to have a teacher reinforce the message was a boon.

So kudos and thanks to all the great teachers out there who make a difference. The end of another school year is nigh and I hope you enjoy your summers!

You can see that original clip on the Oprah site. Apparently Mrs. Duncan was on the show again this week, but I missed it. I will seek it out since the magic of the internet means it will probably show up somewhere soon.

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Fairy-tale characters take the stand to teach children about the law

I haven't seen one of these articles in a while but they are appearing more frequently now. Must mean summer is coming for the fairy tale mock trials seem to come with the higher temperatures and longer days. This particular entry was especially fun.

From Fairy-tale characters take the stand to teach children about the law by Melissa Dribben:

The mock trials took place Friday, the final day of an annual celebration of the American legal system, coordinated by the Philadelphia Bar Association's young lawyers division. Judges Sandra Mazer Moss, Annette M. Rizzo, Sheila Woods-Skipper, Gary Glazer, Teresa Sarmina, Marlene Lachman, and Fox presided over the fairy-tale cases - fairy tale, in these instances, in its literary sense rather than indicating any bias for or against the validity of the plaintiffs' claims.

During the week, the association also arranged for volunteer lawyers to give free legal advice and information to library patrons; give high school students tours of the city's courts; and talk with students about careers in law.

The three pigs were represented by Todd Zamostien of the personal injury firm Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky (which represents the plaintiffs in the duck-boat accident).

Wolf retained Beth Goodell, a defense lawyer from Community Legal Services.

On the witness stand, Wolf, a.k.a. Richard Vanderslice, who bought his hairy, sharp-clawed paws on Amazon.com, testified that he only was trying to make friends with the pigs and felt terrible that his sneezing blew down their homes.

Under questioning, he admitted that because he has no kitchen in his den, "I have to eat out a lot."

One of the tensest moments came when Wolf's physician, a Dr. Lupine, testified that her house was made of sticks and straw. This raised doubts among some astute jurors who wondered why a legitimate allergist would live in a building constructed of such noxious materials.

After deliberating for nearly 10 minutes in Common Pleas Courtroom 426, five of the six juries from the third-grade class from C.W. Henry School determined that Wolf neither intimidated the plaintiffs nor willfully destroyed their property. The sixth panel ended in a hung jury.

Juror Thomas McGill of Mount Airy tried to raise his hand and object during closing arguments, but was asked by the judge to wait.

After the trial, Thomas said he could relate to Wolf's predicament.

"I think B.B. Wolf is innocent because he has allergies," he said. "I have allergies, too!"

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Using Goldilocks in Education, Especially Recycling

This article described some unusual usage of Goldilocks in education. Thought I would share. From Read all about it: How to make a chair from newspaper:

PUPPETRY, porridge flicking and chair-making are keeping hundreds of crafty youngsters entertained throughout their half-term holidays.

Children's charity ST-ART, based in Barton-Upon-Humber, has been hosting a variety of exciting and innovative workshops across North Lincolnshire this week.

All activities were based on the popular traditional fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Children transformed recycled newspaper into hand-made stools with artist Michael Scrimshaw.

Callum Oldridge, 11, said: "The workshop was lots of fun.

"I cannot believe that you can make a stool that you can actually sit on simply out of newspaper.

"We used a machine to squash the paper into rolls so it was really hard and then we used cable ties to fix it all together.

"I am surprised how strong the stool is and I will take it home and use it in my bedroom."

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Story Finders by Sharon Barcan Elswit

 

I discovered these books at the publisher's (McFarland) vendor table at the American Folklore Society Annual Meeting in October. I received the books as review copies and wanted to share them as two great resources to start the new school semester, term, whatever term applies to those of you in the education system as student or professor.

The Jewish Story Finder: A Guide to 363 Tales Listing Subjects and Sources by Sharon Barcan Elswit

Book description from the publisher:

A subject guide to hundreds of Jewish stories, this book's purpose is to help teachers, rabbis, librarians, folklorists, parents, and storytellers find the right story to match their need. It also will lead educators to a wealth of Jewish stories on universal themes for use in multicultural programs for all ages. The stories are numbered for easy reference and grouped in broad categories--for example, God, faith, and prayer; rabbinic wit and wisdom; tricksters and fools; festivals and holidays. For each story, a list of tellings (author and book title) provides numerous options for the story seeker, and a list of keywords connects the story subject categories. Two cross-referenced indexes make locating stories easy, whether by subject keywords or by title. An appendix lists recommended stories for children of different ages, from lower elementary through middle school. The bibliography of almost 200 story collections and picture-book tales gives the information needed to locate a source for every story in the book.

Here's the table of contents:

Acknowledgments vii
Foreword (Peninnah Schram) 1
Preface 5

I. God, Faith, and Prayer 11
II. The Torah, the Talmud and Their Study 26
III. Biblical Characters and Events 35
IV. Quests for Sacred Objects and Holy Encounters in Later Times 58
V. Rabbis: Wit and Wisdom 76
VI. Wonder Weavers: Tales of Magic 88
VII. Angels, Demons, Spirits, Gilguls, Dybbuks, and Golems: The Supernatural 115
VIII. Talking Animal Tales and Fables 138
IX. Tricksters and Fools 148
X. Human Stories 175
XI. Tales for Festivals and Holidays 199

Appendix: Story Recommendations for All Ages 239
Bibliography 243
Story Title Index 249
Subject Index 259

East Asian Story Finder: A Guide to Tales from China, Japan and Korea, Listing Subjects and Sources by Sharon Barcan Elswit

Book description from the publisher:

A reference guide to 468 stories and folktales from China, Japan, and Korea, this book aims to lead storytellers, folklorists, teachers, and librarians to both popular and lesser-known East Asian stories. Selected for their multicultural appeal to listeners and readers, the stories are divided cross-culturally into broad subject categories, from tales of supernatural love and devotion to stories dealing with Tengu, Tokkaebi, and other mystical creatures.

Table of contents:

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1

I. Kindness Rewarded and Lessons Learned 11
II. Cherishing the Earth and All Living Things 28
III. Of Wonders, Magical Objects, and Enchantment 45
IV. Supernatural Loves 73
V. Devotion 91
VI. Strange Events and Ghostly Encounters 108
VII. The Power of Dreams 126
VIII. Supernatural Creatures: Tangling with Tengu, Tokkaebi, Yamaubas, Kappa, Ogres 133
IX. The Heroes: There Is No Danger Which These Women and Men Will Not Brave for the Good of All 150
X. Propitious Births and Extraordinary Children 162
XI. Animal Fables 172
XII. Tricksters and Fools 185
XIII. The Way Things Are 204
XIV. The Problem Solvers 225

Appendix A: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese Stories Listed by Country 237
Appendix B: Glossary 248
Bibliography 251
Story Title Index 261
Subject Index 271

Both of these books are great resources, especially for educators, storytellers and those interested in the areas in folklore. Both resources offered tales and sources I was unaware of but also many that I was familiar with despite both of these areas being some of my weaker personal knowledge bases in folklore. Many of the sources books are older and available on the internet with efficient text searching. I always appreciate books that summarize tales as these do. Elswit also provides a helpful subject index to help find similar topics and themes. The Jewish collection won some awards and the Asian collection is just as excellent. The emphasis is on tales and versions suitable for all ages, including children. Overall, highly recommended.

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It's Not About... Series by Veronika Martenova Charles

Author Veronika Martenova Charles has a new series of five easy reader books featuring multicultural fairy tales. Here is the series description from the publisher:

Here are five first books for fledgling readers that offer the enjoyment of a good story along with the thrill of accomplishment that comes from independent reading. Written in short, easy phrases with carefully selected vocabulary and plentiful illustrations, each book helps youngsters achieve success as they have fun. The series follows three friends who love to share stories. In each book, one is reminded of a well-known story: Little Red Riding Hood in It's Not About the Hunter!, Beauty and the Beast in It's Not About the Rose!, Snow White in It's Not About the Apple!, Cinderella in It's Not About the Pumpkin!, and Hansel and Gretel in It's Not About the Crumbs! As one friend starts, the others are reminded of versions they know so each volume has three stories within one framework. The stories come from around the world, and Veronika Martenova Charles provides a note at the end of each book to describe the origins.

I received review copies of the books so I will provide a little more information for each title than can be found elsewhere online so far, especially the tales featured within.  First, however, my overall review is that these are great books for beginning readers.  There are several easy reader fairy tale titles around, but few that range beyond the most familiar European texts we know in North America.  These titles provide those tales with some comparisons from other cultures. The frame story of the friends sharing the stories they know might seem silly or pointless to some adults, but kids will love the series feel of the titles even if those characters are not overly developed.  The elementary school classroom so far has been confined to picture books of multicultural fairy tales so this series helps to fill a gap that Charles noticed and hopes to fill at least a little. Kudos to her and her publisher.

I know the biggest concern for so many parents, librarians and teachers is reading level.  I am not an expert at this and few publishers claim to be either since it's a tricky issue.  My advice to parents when I worked at the library was to let the child look at the books and determine if they looked too hard to read. I know, not very helpful especially if you are ordering online, but I found marked levels to be just about worthless most of the time.  So I will dare to state that these books are at least a Level 2.  (You can view the inside of the books on Amazon and on the publisher website.) My sister was a first grade teacher before retiring to full-time motherhood earlier this year.  She would have found these books to be great for her end-of-the-year fairy tale unit when most of her kids would have attained at least this reading level. 

These would make great gifts for any young readers in your life or their teachers. 

And now on to the books:

It's Not about the Pumpkin!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales by Veronika Martenova Charles

Cinderella tales featuring:

Ash Girl is based on Joseph Jacobs' The Cinder Maid
Fish Bones is based on the Chinese Cinderella, most familiarly Yeh-hsien
The Black Cow is based on tales from India featuring a Cinderlad, such as The Boy and His Stepmother

It's Not about the Rose!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales

Beauty and the Beast tales featuring:

Bella and the Beast is based on Joseph Jacobs' version
The Lizard is based on The Lizard Husband from Indonesia
White Bear is based on East of the Sun and West of the Moon

It's Not about the Apple!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales

Snow White tales featuring:

Three Sisters is based on Myrsina (or Myrtle) from Greece
The Stone of Patience is based on Nourie Hadig from Armenia
Bianca and the Six Robbers is based on Bella Venezia from Italy

It's Not about the Crumbs!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales

Hansel and Gretel tales featuring:

The Children in the Woods based on The Two Lost Babes and similar European tales
Zahni and Binti draws from Fatma the Beautiful from Sudan, Africa
The Ogre is based on The Oni and the Three Children from Japan

It's Not about the Hunter!: Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales

Little Red Riding Hood tales featuring:

The Little Red Hood is based on The True Story of Little Golden Hood by Charles Marelle
False Grandmother is based on the early French and Italian versions
Grandmother Wolf is derived from the Chinese tale, Grandaunt Tiger

Finally, another reminder of Charles' other book, Fairy Tales in the Classroom: Teaching Students to Write Stories with Meaning Through Traditional Tales.

And to reiterate for full disclosure, as I mentioned above, these books were sent to me for review consideration.

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Third-graders write their own [fairy tale] pop-up books

Because I love fairy tales and pop-up books...

From Third-graders write their own pop-up books by Jennifer Fitch:

Students wove imaginative fairy tales with colorful pictures in pop-up books they can either keep for themselves or submit for circulation in the school library.

In Suzy Lemus’ story, the centuries-old characters of Hansel and Gretel trap a witch in an oven. Things get complicated in her tale, though, because the house was constructed from chocolate.

It “melted the house,” said Suzy, 9.

Savannah Neil, 8, used three different types of pop-ups in her book. She said she’d like to make more books at home.

Austin Shaffer, 8, drafted a “fractured fairy tale,” which is a silly version of a well-known story, called Rumplealien. The main character finds an alien princess at the end of his story.

“She beats him up,” Austin said.

Aidan Pooler, 8, said his book has more action than the original “The Ugly Duckling.”

“He goes down the Mississippi River and goes into a big pond. He’s raised by another duck family,” Aidan said.

Tayler Claar titled her book “The Frog Princess.”

“It’s different. I added two frogs, a (Nintendo) DS, a Dad and dinnertime,” said Tayler, 9.

Keontay Aviles, 9, wrote a tale about a wolf and pig who are racing. The pig wins, despite the wolf’s attempts to bully the pig.

I edited this down to focus on the fractured tales told by the kids, so click through to read the entire article which isn't much longer.  There are also images and a video of one student reading her book to get an idea of who the assignments were fulfilled. Fun class unit on books and fairy tales!  And a great teacher or teachers, too....

 

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Folklore Careers Anyone?

There's not much fairy tale news right now but to give you a break from all my talk of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, here's a great guide to Folklore Careers from the Center of Folklore Studies.

Of course there are many ways to incorporate a love for fairy tales into your career, but a degree in folklore is a great place to focus on it.

And a list of Where to Study Folklore from The American Folklore Society.

PhD Programs in Folklore
Indiana University
Memorial University of Newfoundland
The Ohio State University
Pennsylvania State University
Université Laval
University of Alberta
University of California at Berkeley
University of California at Los Angeles
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Missouri
University of Oregon
University of Texas at Austin
University of Wisconsin

MA Programs in FolkloreGeorge Mason University
Georgia State University
Indiana University
Memorial University of Newfoundland
The Ohio State University
Texas A&M University
Université Laval
University of Alberta
University of California at Berkeley
University of California at Los Angeles
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Missouri
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Oregon
University of Texas at Austin
Utah State University
Western Kentucky University

BA Majors, Minors, and Concentrations in Folklore
Arkansas State University
George Mason University
Georgia State University
Harvard University
Idaho State University
Indiana University
Memorial University of Newfoundland
The Ohio State University
University of Alberta
University of Hawai’i at Manoa
University of Kentucky
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Oregon
University of Wisconsin
Utah State University

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Fifth-graders dream up their own fairy tales

Of course many classrooms around the world teach fairy tale units to their students, but I was impressed with the description in this article detailing the work of one classroom, Fifth-graders dream up their own fairy tales by Katrina Folger:

"I love it when the kids get passionate about a topic," she said. Tobin found a way this spring to ignite the minds and excitement of her ten and eleven-year-olds. At the end of March, Tobin introduced a two-month Cinderella unit to her students. The students read many different version of the popular story, and then went a step further by researching analyzing different culture's renditions.

"I think this lesson is worthwhile because they learn that culture shapes art and literature. I hope they learned that across cultural lines, we may find differences, but there are also a lot of similarities between us, like the stories we tell," said Tobin. Cinderella is part of the folk tale genre because it is a story that is passed from generation to generation and it is common to a culture. Because of this, fairy tales give people a glimpse into the cultures where they originated.

Tobin's students knew from the first day of school that this unit would be one of the final ones of the year. "I have done this project for seven years now and it just keeps getting better each time," she said. One might think young boys might not enjoy this stereotypical "female" story, but Tobin reported that almost all of her students admitted that this was one of the highlights of their year.

After studying the tale, which dates back to the first century B.C. and the Greco-Roman tale of Rhodopis, the students got to debate whether or not Cinderella is a good story for children to read. "This was a fun part of this lesson," Tobin said. "The kids got so involved and enthusiastic about it." She mentioned that the students who were pro-Cinderella said it was a nice story of happily ever after and that it showed compassion and true love. The anti-Cinderella debaters questioned why Cinderella couldn't have gone to college and bettered her own life instead of thinking she had to be pretty and get married.

With the research and story-dissection finished, the students moved on to creating their own "Cinderella-esque" stories. Each student had to write their own novel incorporating over 30 points in their tale that were central to the Cinderella story -- including a magical helper, the number three, a mistreated hero, and social status. Then on the morning of May 10, the students were able to present their works in the presence of fellow students, teachers, families, and friends.

Now the real question is, did any of them use SurLaLune? :)

Congrats to all the teachers and students in completing another school year, fairy tale units included or not...

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Fair Is Fair by Sharon Creeden

In conjunction with my post about fairy tale justice activities for the classroom, I wanted to share this book, Fair Is Fair by Sharon Creeden.

It's a great book about discussing fairness, justice and ethics using fairy tales and folktales from around the world.

Book description from the publisher:

The first collection of its kind, this collection contains 30 world folktales of justice about wise judges, clever lawyers, and deceitful tricksters, from places as diverse as ancient Greece, Morocco, Germany, China, and Ireland. Some date back to pre-biblical days while others come from the American colonies.

A Malaysian tale in which each animal blames another for Crocodile’s broken eggs prompts a discussion of proximate cause and liability law; a Japanese tale about how Ooka the judge identifies the real mother of a baby is complemented by an overview of the 1985 "Baby M" child custody dispute; and an Italian tale about a mistreated horse gives rise to a discussion of the contemporary animal rights debate.

Each of these folktales sheds light on how our predecessors from various cultures dealt with criminal behavior, and Sharon Creeden follows most of them with commentary on how the same legal issues are handled by contemporary American law. Juxtaposing the wisdom of ancient cultures with the dilemmas of our modern legal system, this fascinating collection makes legal issues accessible and folktales relevant to our modern lives.

The book is available in limited view on Google Books where you can see the Table of Contents and read some of the foreward:

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Fairy Tales in the Classroom Week: Justice and Law

Books such as Fairy Tales on Trial have increased in popularity over the years as more mock trials of fairy tale characters have been used in classrooms from elementary school level to law schools.

I am sharing a list of some of the best titles to use for inspiration. I also occasionally highlight new articles about mock trials or similarly themed plays. I've found they are especially popular this time of year through the summer where several summer camps also use mock trials to teach students. It's a great and fun concept.

And here's some more books:

"Advanced" Fairy Tales on Trial:

Book description:

Students discover a unique way to determine the fine line between doing wrong and crime. They study character education by doing - using fairy tales and simulating investigation and trials. The activities challenge students as they use all language arts skills: critical reading, analytical thinking and writing, speaking and drama.

Use with the entire class, choosing an appropriate case by its complexity and appropriate level of challenge. The class creates all elements of a case and presents the case to another class, who becomes the jury. All roles are clearly described. Enrichment educators can use the cases with small groups of gifted and talented children.

Parents will enjoy helping their children practice their roles, gather props, and create costumes. The confidence their children gain in their reading, thinking and speaking skills will be well received.

Engage students in cooperative teamwork to create each case, to work as prosecution and defense teams, as well as to deliberate and make decisions. These same skills are goals of the U.S. Department of Education. They are also workplace objectives.

Jury Trials in the Classroom:

Book description:

Transform your classroom into a courtroom and get ready for students to take part in a great learning adventure. The six trial simulations in this book let students delve into criminal and civil law with motivating cases that mirror situations in fairy tales, nursery rhymes, literature, and history. In the roles of attorneys, members of the jury, defendants, witnesses, and courtroom personnel, students prepare and conduct cases. They will learn to use statements of fact and witness affidavits to determine guilt or innocence. The book is divided into three sections that:

define the types of courts in the U.S. court system;
explain how to carry out a mock trial;
and give six ready-to-use court cases, including all necessary documents.

The court cases allow students to understand both criminal and civil trials, with three types of each case. The cases allow you to stage trials involving Hansel and Gretel, John Wilkes Booth, Little Miss Muffet, Romeo and Juliet, Jack and Jill, and Little Red Riding Hood.

Don't miss this opportunity to teach critical thinking and teach students how to weigh opposing points of view. The exciting results will motivate students to exercise their reasoning skills, polish their communication skills, and apply knowledge of the legal system. This will become one of your favorite classroom adventures. Grades 5–8.

More Jury Trials in the Classroom

For reference, I have a slightly longer list including these titles and more at Fairy Tales in the Classroom: Justice and Law on Amazon.

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Fairy Tales in the Classroom Week: More Science

As promised, some links to discussions about fairy tales and science. I've always loved showy physics demonstrations in which movies physics are debunked, for example. These articles take a different tact, discussing how what we assume in fairy tales is impossible might be credible in the realms of science. Or at least how real world science may have inspired fairy tale magic.

The Science of Fairy Tales by Chris Gorski, American Institute of Physics

Kids of any age love to read fairy tales because the storyline never limits the possibility that anything could happen. Curses, spells, and handsome princes reign in worlds beyond the reader’s imagination.

But are the most magical moments from some of our favorite stories actually possible? Basic physical principles and recent scientific research suggest that what readers might mistake for fantasies and exaggeration could be rooted in reality.

So suspend your imagination for a moment, and look at the following fairy tales as a hard-core scientist might.

The article discusses Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, and 1,001 Arabian Nights.

Fairy Tale Physics: Myths and Legends Explained by Stephanie Peatling in for National Geographic News

Poor Rapunzel. Not only did she get locked up in a tall tower, but she literally risked her neck by allowing a prince to climb up her hair.

Such dilemmas had long bothered Sue Stocklmayer, director of the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) at the Australian National University in Canberra.

Stocklmayer resolved to do something about it, so she and fellow CPAS staff member Mike Gore, a retired professor, channeled their frustrations over fairy tale physics into a traveling science show.

Rapunzel's conundrum is one of the highlights of the show.

"We ask how it is that Rapunzel didn't lose her skull, given the weight of what she's [supporting]," Stocklmayer said.

"You might notice some of the enlightened [storybook] artists have cottoned on to this and show her wrapping her hair around something, like a bedpost, first.

"A small object"—such as a cooped-up princess—"can bear a lot of weight if the connecting device [her hair] is wrapped around something."

The prince is then technically hanging on to the bedpost rather than Rapunzel's scalp.

"So long as Rapunzel wraps her hair first, then the prince and she are Ok," Stocklmayer said. "So in her case, yes, it could happen."

This one discusses Jack and the Beanstalk, too.

Finally, Once Upon a Blog has an ongoing series of The Science of Fairy Tales, gleaning articles that apply to fairy tale phenomena. It's a great series and I can't wait for Gypsy to add more at a future date...

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Fairy Tales in the Classroom Week: Science

I talked about mathematics and fairy tales in the classroom last week, but realized there are a few books for usings fairy tales to teach science, too. The best I've discovered--although I haven't read this one in person--is The Scientific Method in Fairy Tale Forest by Laura Magner

Here's a description from the publisher:

The Scientific Method in Fairy Tale Forest draws on fairy tales as the context for practicing the scientific method and learning scientific knowledge.

It combines reading with science, and therefore curiosity, critical thinking, inquiry, data collection, and written expression. Other strategies, cooperative learning, summarizing, note taking, and generating and testing hypotheses are integrated.

The activities in The Scientific Method in Fairy Tale Forest support the National Science Education Standards, Teaching Standards B - an almost mirror image to the scientific method.

Science areas explored in The Scientific Method in Fairy Tale Forest are:

# Earth Science -the sun, weather, light energy
# Health Science -anatomy, criminology, human observation
# Life Science -ecology, animals, biology, plants and life cycles
# Physical Science -chemistry, chemical change, physical change, matter, physics, friction

The Scientific Method is a wonderful life skill to possess with uses beyond the area of science. Once children are practiced in conducting science experiments, they can move to solving real life problems with the method.

The phone doesn't work. Why? Use a hypothesis. The phone doesn't work because the batteries are dead. Test it out! Your baby sister is upset. Make a hypothesis. My baby sister is upset because she needs to eat something. Test it out! Was it food, or was it clean clothes or a nap?

The goal of these activities is to teach and allow students to become fluent in the scientific method and encourage them and model for them how to notice the possibility for testing scientific principles in other areas of their lives. Science doesn't happen only in science class. Show them the excitement in asking and finding the answers to their own questions!

I love the idea of using fairy tales to teach scientific methods.

In my research, I also discovered Simple Story of the 3 Pigs and the Scientific Wolf by Mary Fetzner.

Here's a description from the publisher:

Once upon a time there were 3 little girl pigs plagued by the tricky wolf, but this was not an ordinary wolf. Oh no, this wolf knows about Science and Simple Machines! The question is - does he know how to use them correctly?

Meet the son of the Big Bad Wolf and the daughters of the Three Little Pigs in this illustrated (ready-to-color) take-off of the original. In this Read-Along story, the son thinks he is wiser and more clever than his father and can use his scientific knowledge of machines in order to capture the three pigs for piggy jam, piggy cake, and piggy pizza.

Using his charm, Little pig, little pig, a new friend you ve made. Open the door and don t be afraid, the young wolf uses an inclined plane, a lever, a wheel and axle, wedges, gears, and a screw to catch the pigs. But the young wolf doesn t quite use his critical thinking skills along with his scientific knowledge!

The book includes a Science Attitude Survey, 8 Simple Machine Lesson Plans for hands-on learning, 8 Extended Challenge Activities, 8 Critical/Creative Thinking Questions, and an end-of-unit Assessment.

The activities are correlated to the National Science Standards and include Objectives for Students.

Mary Fetzner is also author of The Magic of Magnets.

Three Little Pigs is very popular for teaching science principles. It really is full of possibilities when one considers the science behind much of the story.

I also have a collection of links of discussions of science in relation to fairy tales which I will share later today once I am on the right computer again.

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Fairy Tales in the Classroom Week: Creative Drama

I sort of fell into a speech and theatre minor during my undergraduate studies since so many of the classes in the department interested me. Two of the best classes I took were taught by Dr. Jette Halladay. One was Storytelling. The other was Children's Drama and Speech. I learned much in both, but Children's Drama was the bigger revelation to me since I had rarely seen or experienced creative drama techniques.

What is creative drama? I don't dare define it myself, after all, I refuse to give a hard definition for fairy tales and I'm pretty familiar with those. I found a few excellent definitions online. This one came from Youth Stages:

Creative drama is an improvisational, non-exhibitional, process-oriented form of drama, where participants are guided by a leader to imagine, enact, and reflect on experiences real and imagined. Creative drama takes children’s natural world, creative play, and develops it further, using theatre techniques, to create learning experiences which are for the participants. Drama specialist, Brian Way states in Development Through Drama, “Theatre is largely concerned with communication between actors and an audience; Drama is largely concerned with experience by the participants.”

KMR Scripts has one of the most comprehensive guides for teachers available on the web as well as many activities, none of which are fairy tale related: Creative Drama Workshop Guidelines.

Another great resource about Creative Drama is available on the Susan C. Anthony website. The site includes reasons for using creative drama as well as ideas for specific activities. Also see the Creative Drama and Education Resource site. Fairy tales are used on the latter page especially.

Many of the creative drama techniques and programs use fairy tales for source materials. Perhaps the best book with information about using fairy tales in creative drama is Speaking Out: Storytelling and Creative Drama for Children by Jack Zipes. The cover image is at the top of this page.

Product description from the publisher:

In his successful Creative Storytelling, Jack Zipes showed how storytelling is a rich and powerful tool for self-expression and for building children's imaginations. In Speaking Out, this master storyteller goes further, speaking out against rote learning and testing and for the positive force within storytelling and creative drama during the K-12 years.

For the past four years, Jack Zipes has worked with the Neighborhood Bridges Program of the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, taking his storytelling techniques into inner-city schools. Speaking Out is in part a record of the transformations storytelling can work on the minds and lives of young people. But it is also a vivid and exhilarating demonstration of a different kind of education - one built from deep inside each child.

Speaking Out is a book for storytellers, educators, parents, and anyone who cares about helping kids find within themselves the keys to imagination.

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