Evaluations
Once Upon A Time
Fairy Tales Around the World and in our Culture
A WCATY Co-Op
for grades 7 & 8
Allison KM Bloom
Course Goals
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Students will be able to give a definition of a fairy tale and demonstrate understanding of the
transmission, history, and literary value of the fairy tale genre.
Students will be able to identify and list the common elements, characters, and symbols of fairy
tales.
Students will compare and contrast fairy tales from different cultures around the world.
Students will demonstrate critical thinking and analysis skills in reading fairy tales and scholarly
writing about the tales, and completing class activities.
Students will use their understanding of the fairy tale genre to write their own original fairy tale
or retelling.
How the Online Co-op Works
WCATY courses are for academically talented kids – that means you!! Because of this I’ll expect you
to be capable of higher-level critical thinking, writing, and expressive skills. I’m hoping to help you
understand all the fascinating history, symbolism, and relevance of the fairy tales we’ll be reading. I’m
also hoping to help you create a great fairy tale of your own at the end of our class.
Questions and discussion are a really important part of this “higher-level” thinking. No question is a
dumb question, and you can always ask them at any time!
How to Use Your Time:
Most schools that participate in WCATY Co-ops give you, the students, one class period per day (the
class period that you normally spend in a Language Arts class) to work on your WCATY stuff. I hope
that, during this class period, you will use your time wisely to do the readings, check the WCATY
website, and work on homework and projects!
WCATY co-ops also expect that, like a regular language arts class, you will have some homework. It
should be a reasonable amount of homework, but we do expect that you’ll be doing some work at home.
If you have reliable computer access at home, that’s great, you can log on and do any of the work at any
time…. If not, you should try to plan ahead so that you can do the parts of the work (reading printed-out
stories, writing, working on projects) that don’t require you to be online while you’re at home.
Learning how to manage your time and all your assignments in a class that’s probably much less
structured than you’re used to is a part of the WCATY experience. However, if you feel that you need
help managing the work, or you don’t understand the assignments, be sure to let me know!
The WCATY site:
I will post some readings and assignments as .pdf files on the WCATY website - you can download
them and either read them online, or print them out and read them. Some readings will be on other
websites, too – the addresses (or urls) of those websites are printed in the syllabus.
You should check the WCATY site each school day to see if I’ve posted any new important information
there! That’s where I’ll post information about assignments, the face to face meetings, answers to
questions, and the like. So be sure to check it regularly!
We will also use the WCATY site for online discussion. This is a really important part of the co-op
experience. You’ll get to know kids from other schools, but you’ll also get used to discussing and
thinking more deeply about the concepts we’re learning about. I am hoping that you will be excited
about sharing your ideas with your classmates and creating an atmosphere of intellectual exchange on
the site.
You will also use the WCATY site to post your regular short writing assignments, and I will give you
feedback as you post these assignments.
About Our Resources:
Sur La Lune Fairy Tales page
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/index.html
This is an amazing webpage that we will use every week; much of our work will be based on this page.
It has so much information that you could spend hours just looking around this one website! Take some
time to familiarize yourself with the structure of the site. It includes many annotated versions of fairytale texts - they have links to notes and explanations that will help us a lot in our discussions and
understanding of fairy tales. There are lots of other texts on here too - some about fairy tales, and some
more fairy tales that are not annotated. There are discussion boards and many links to books about fairy
tales.
One really cool page is the wikipedia – an encyclopedia to which many people add information and
which has entries about just about everything – it’s a great resource! It’s at www.wikipedia.org - and I
refer to it a lot.
The Assignments, Posts, and Projects:
Each week you will be asked to do some reading – please get it done as early in the week as possible –
or if you can, the weekend before would be even better! That way we can use the whole week for
digging into the fairy tales.
Each week I will post some “guiding questions” online that I will expect you to answer – these are the
questions that will lead to discussion and critical thinking! There is a lot to think about when you’re
considering fairy tales, and I hope to point out some of the fascinating stuff with these online questions.
I hope, too, to get you guys discussing the questions and exchanging ideas.
At the end of the week, on Friday, I will ask you to post a minimum of one well-developed paragraph on
the WCATY website about the week’s readings and your ideas about them. We will talk more about
what constitutes a “well-developed” paragraph and what to write about when the time comes. I will give
you feedback about these writings and I will occasionally ask that you give your classmates feedback as
well.
We will have three Big Projects for this class. The first is a Fairy Tale Analysis, the second is a Cultural
Comparison, and the third is Writing Your Own Fairy Tale. These will all involve a fairly large amount
of writing, and some other elements as well. I will give you more detailed project instructions and a
schedule for when to hand in drafts and final copies when the time comes!
Grades:
WCATY co-ops are based on the idea that you’ll be getting lots of feedback on your writing, projects,
and critical thinking, and therefore you won’t be getting a letter grade from me. I will, however, be
checking to make sure you’re handing in – or posting – everything that you’re supposed to! That way
I’ll be able to let your coordinator know if you’re falling behind in terms of the amount of work you’re
handing in.
I will give you feedback about your writing, your ideas, and your projects – I’ll give you as much as I
can! Please remember that I try to frame all my comments as positive, constructive criticism. If you
have questions or concerns about any feedback I give you, please discuss it with me.
Extra credit:
Well, it’s not really “extra credit” since we aren’t doing grades, but I can give you more resources,
information, and fun stuff to do if you want to learn more and dig deeper! I’ll tell you more about this
as the class goes on.
Getting in Touch with Me:
I am available by email to answer any questions that you may have. If you have a question that will
benefit the whole class, you can certainly ask it by posting it on the WCATY site.
My email is allison.bloom@gmail.com - don’t forget the period between allison and bloom – it won’t
get to me otherwise!
If your parents or coordinators/teachers have questions, comments or concerns, they can contact me by
email at any time as well.
Week 1: Defining the Fairy Tale
Guiding Questions
Welcome and introductions
What is a fairy tale? What do you think makes a fairy tale different than a myth,
legend, or folk tale?
Readings
The annotated fairy tales:
 Beauty & the Beast,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/beautybeast/index.html
 Cinderella, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/cinderella/index.html
 Snow White, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/sevendwarfs/index.html
 Rapunzel, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rapunzel/index.html
Sur La Lune “What is a Fairy Tale?”
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/ftdefinition.html
Chronology at
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/timeline.html
Week 1: The Elements of Fairy Tale: Face to face
Introductions & ice breakers
Ground Rules for working as a group
Creating an imaginary world group activity
materials needed – board and markers
View video clips. Discuss character, setting, plot – address critical questions about when the film
was made, who is its intended audience, what is its message.
materials needed – TV and DVD player
Additional group activities – TBA
Week 2: The Elements of Fairy Tale
Guiding Questions
What are some common elements in fairy tales? Common characters? What do
you think are the different categories of fairy tales? What elements do all fairy
tales share? Why do you think these elements are included in fairy tales? Why do
you think they appeal to people?
Readings
The annotated fairy tales:
 Bluebeard, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/bluebeard/index.html
 Diamonds & Toads,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/diamondstoads/index.html
 The Elves & The Shoemaker,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/shoemaker/index.html
 The Gingerbread Man,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/gingerbread/index.html
 Hansel & Gretel,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/hanselgretel/index.html
 Jack & The Beanstalk,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/jackbeanstalk/index.html
Muse magazine article by Alison Lurie, “Was Cinderella Blond?” *
Selection, beginning on p. 143, The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim*
Week 3: The World of the Fairy Tale
Guiding Questions
What do you think are the rules in the world of the fairy tale? How do you know
it’s not a “true” story? Why is magic important to us and to people throughout the
world? What magic things happen in fairy tales, and why do they happen?
Readings
The annotated fairy tales:
 The Little Mermaid,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/littlemermaid/index.html
 Little Red Riding Hood,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/ridinghood/index.html
 The Princess & The Pea,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/princesspea/index.html
 Puss in Boots, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/pussboots/index.html
 Rumplestiltskin,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rumpelstiltskin/index.html
“The Three Bears and Little Red Riding Hood in the Coffin House” by Alice
Adams, from Mirror, Mirror on the Wall *
Chapters 3 and 4 from Picturing the Rose re: beginnings & endings*
Week 4: Symbolism in Fairy Tales
Guiding Questions
What are symbols? What do you think are common symbols in fairy tales? Why
are these symbols particularly important and resonant to us? What significance do
they have in the stories? What do you think they stand for?
Readings
The annotated fairy tales:
 The Twelve Dancing Princesses,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/twelvedancing/index.html
 Six Swans, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/sixswans/index.html
 the Nightingale, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/nightingale/index.html
 the Goose Girl, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/goosegirl/index.html
 the Firebird, http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/firebird/index.html
“The Red Shoes” and “Brutal Loss” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, from Women Who
Run with the Wolves*
“Of Souls as Birds” by Margaret Atwood, from Mirror, Mirror on the Wall*
Week 5: Tales and their Tellers
Online discussion
and Guiding Questions
Who told fairy tales in the past? Who tells them now? How were they passed
down? What do you think makes a contemporary story recognizable as a fairy tale?
What are the differences between a “new” contemporary fairy tale and a “retelling”
of a fairy tale? Why do you think people over the centuries have wanted to tell
fairy tales?
Readings
“Granny Rumple” by Jane Yolen
“The Princess Who Stood on Her Own Two Feet”
A biography of Hans Christian Andersen:
http://www.endicott-studio.com/jMA03Summer/hans.html
About the Brothers Grimm:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Grimm
About Marie Catherine d’Aulnoy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Catherine_d%27Aulnoy
Week 5: Cultural Comparisons: Face to face
Welcome
Ground Rules
Groups will present their Cultural Comparisons Projects
(another group activity or two, possibly dealing with fairy tale illustrations?)
Week 6: Cultural Comparisons
Online discussion
and Guiding Questions
What are the themes and motifs that appear in fairy tales from many cultures?
Which fairy tale stories are commonly found around the world? Why, in your
opinion, do all cultures have fairy tales?
Readings
“Eat Me When I’m Fatter” tales,
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0122f.html
“The Blind Man’s Daughter,” A Korean Beauty & The Beast:
http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/forblind.html
Russian Fairy Tales:
http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/rrrussian.html
and
http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/rrBabaYaga.html
Muse Magazine article: Who Wrote Cinderella? *
Week 7: Creating A Fairy Tale
Online discussion
and Guiding Questions
What have we learned so far that you might use in writing your own fairy tale?
What characters, elements, symbols, settings, etc, might you employ? What ideas
or themes would you use? What language would you use? Would you be more
interested in writing a new story, or a retelling of an old fairy tale?
Readings
Fairy Tales in Poetry:
http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/forpotry.html
Anne Sexton poems, “Cinderella,” and “The Gold Key.”*
“The Moon is Drowning While I Sleep” by Charles de Lint *
Excerpts from Writing for Your Life by Deena Metzger *
Week 8: Transformations and Magical Happenings
Online discussion
and Guiding Questions
Which fairy tales feature characters or elements that undergo transformations?
Which fairy tales feature magic? How do we define magic? What emotions do
fairy tales bring up when we read them?
Readings
Common symbols of Transformation in Fairy Lore, Legend and Biblical Stories:
http://www.storyteller.net/articles/68
The annotated fairy tales:
 The Golden Mermaid,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/littlemermaid/stories/goldenmermaid.ht
ml
 Snow White and Rose Red,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rosered/index.html
 The Ugly Duckling,
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/uglyduckling/index.html
The Cinderella Complex:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2099412/
Week 9: Happily Ever After
Guiding Questions
Which fairy tales do you think seem to “teach us a lesson?” Which fairy tales don’t
seem to have a moral? What do we learn from reading or hearing fairy tales?
What do we get out of them? What did you, personally, get out of them?
Readings
“Uncle David’s Nonsensical Story about Giants and Fairies” by Catherine Sinclair
Morality in Fairy Tales, on the Snow White Issues page:
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/swissues.html
The Golden Key:
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm200.html
Week 9: Happily Ever After: Face to Face
Welcome
Ground Rules
Presentation and discussion of the Fairy Tales we wrote, and the Fairy Tale worlds we created.
(more group activities)
students will evaluate the class, teaching, face to face meetings, assignments, etc.