OTT 264: Fairytales, Folktales, and Fables: Teaching Genre with Heart and Purpose

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Feeling the October teaching slump? When attention spans dwindle and classroom routines grow heavy, fairy tales, folk tales, and fables offer the perfect remedy. These timeless genres breathe fresh life into your curriculum while delivering powerful standards-based instruction wrapped in enchanting narratives.

Traditional tales work magic in the classroom because they naturally teach moral lessons through engaging stories. "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" demonstrates the value of honesty while "Stone Soup" celebrates community and sharing. The countless cultural variations of tales like Cinderella create natural opportunities for compare and contrast activities while introducing students to diverse perspectives. When children begin recognizing patterns across these stories independently, they're developing critical thinking skills that transfer to other texts and subject areas.

These short, accessible narratives offer remarkable versatility—from explicit comprehension instruction to writing extensions, social-emotional learning connections, and even STEM challenges. Imagine students designing a better bed for Goldilocks or building bridges to help the Billy Goats avoid the troll! Best of all, implementing this genre study in October provides an alternative celebration opportunity that works even in schools with Halloween restrictions. Conclude your unit with a reader's celebration where students dress as story characters, creating memorable experiences while honoring reading achievement.

Ready to bring these magical stories to your classroom? Download free anchor chart posters to help students distinguish between these three genres at trinadeberyteachingandlearning.com/fairy-tales, or find the complete standards-aligned unit on TPT. These classic stories still have so much to teach us and our students—step into a world of magic beans, clever foxes, and enchanted forests, and let these timeless tales do the heavy lifting for a while.

Free Fairytales, Folktales, and Fables Genre Posters

https://www.trinadeboreeteachingandlearning.com/fairytales

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to One Tired Teacher.
Episode 264, fairy Tales, folkTales and Fables Teaching Genre
with Heart and Purpose.
This week, we're talking aboutslowing down and talking about
something timeless fairy tales,folk tales and fables.
If you're wondering how to keepyour curriculum fresh in

(00:20):
October, when attention spansstart to dip and routines start
to feel heavy, this genre studycan bring the breath of fresh
air that you and your studentsneed.
October is the perfect time todig into traditional tales.
These short but powerfulstories build comprehension,

(00:41):
character conversations andcultural literacy in such a
natural way, and they are awonderful alternative to some of
the seasonal Halloween kinds ofthings that we so desperately
want to do and sometimes can'tdo for whatever reason.
This is a great alternative.
Plus, it is heavilystandards-based and it is fun.

(01:04):
Hope you stick around.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
Welcome to One Tired Teacher.
And even though she may need anap, this teacher is ready to
wake up and speak her truthabout the trials and treasures
of teaching here.
She is wide awake.
Wait, she's not asleep rightnow, is she?
She is awake, right?
Okay, From Trina Debery.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Teaching and Learning .
Your host, trina Debery.
Hey, so today I'm going toshare how genre-specific
routines not only anchor yourreading instruction, but they
also spark some of the richest,most joyful conversations you
will have all year.
Now, if you're like I've heardme talk about fairy tales,
folktales and fables before, Iactually think I have on a past

(01:57):
One Tire Teacher.
I might have also talked aboutit or written about it on my
blog, so I'm going to try tofind those blog posts and those
podcast episodes and link themin case you're wanting like even
more information about it.
But today we're focusing onthese timeless genres and

(02:18):
specific routines that have todo with that, so that we can
really anchor that readinginstruction and really spark
conversations and joyfulconversations as well as
meaningful, enrichingconversations.
Okay, let's talk about whythese stories still work.
One of the things that I lovemost about teaching fairy tales,

(02:40):
folk tales and fables is hownaturally they lend themselves
to teaching morals or the moralof the story.
That can be a tricky standardsometimes, and these stories are
perfect for that.
The life lessons that areembedded in like really just the
right way.
For example, when you look at,like a fable such as the Boy who

(03:03):
Cried Wolf Example.
When you look at like a fable,such as the Boy who Cried Wolf,
this shows kids the value oftheir word.
I think that's really importantand it also shows it in a way
that they're like whoa.
I mean that can really go wrong, that can really go south if we
are not honest and truthful.
Another thing is like StoneSoup, which is a folktale.
This reminds us of the power ofcommunity and sharing, and

(03:27):
don't even get me started oncompare and contrast.
This is like the genre that'smeant for compare and contrast.
There are so many versions offolktales like Stone Soup that
they're written through so manydifferent cultural lenses and
it's such a breath of fresh airto like introduce kids to things

(03:48):
that are so different than whatthey see every day, or the
countless global twists ofCinderella from glass slippers
to golden sandals to feathercloaks.
Each one is offering somethingnew to explore and I also love
when kids start to recognizethose patterns on their own and
they realize how the same themecan appear in so many different

(04:11):
forms.
These stories they're short andaccessible.
They're perfect for teachingcomprehension.
They're full of universalthemes.
They're great for discussionsand connections and deeper
comprehension work.
They're naturally rich withwriting, social and emotional
lessons and even STEM extensions.

(04:31):
Many years ago, I created agenre focused unit on fairy
tales, folktales and fables.
It was common core, aligned.
It can go beyond that as well.
I mean, we're still talkingabout traditional standards,
like you know, asking andanswering questions.
We're talking about retelling.
We're talking about howcharacters overcome obstacles in

(04:52):
vocabulary and we're talkingabout, you know, their
perspectives and point of view.
I love talking about point ofview with fairy tales,
especially when you're doinglike Cinderella and then you're
doing Seriously Cinderella orthose other versions where it's
like the Seriously book,seriously Cinderella I can't

(05:12):
remember what it's called, butit's told from the Wicked
Stepmother's point of view and Ithink that is so fun.
Anyway, I created this, thisunit, and you can find it on my
shop on TPT, trina Deberyteaching and learning.

(05:33):
But you can also start with myfree anchor chart posters that
help kids distinguish betweenthese three genres and you can
grab those at Trina Deberyteaching and learningcom.
Forward slash fairy tales.
All right, let's talk aboutways to use folktales, fairy
tales and fables this month.
Do you need some easy ideas forOctober?
Try one of these.
Read one story per week andbuild a living genre wall with

(05:56):
student notes or artwork.
Act out a fable or rewrite itwith a modern twist, or turn a
fairy tale problem into a STEMchallenge, build a better bed
for Goldilocks, or build abridge to help the billy goats
avoid the troll.
There's so many things that wecan do with fairy tales,

(06:17):
folktales and fables.
There's so much flexibility andso much natural learning
moments that occur in thesegenres, and that's one of the
things that I really love themost about it.
The other reason I like to teachthis particular unit in October
is because I like to concludemy reading units with a

(06:40):
celebration, like a reader'scelebration, and I love to be
able to allow kids to dress upin costume.
Even if your school is not noHalloween costumes, this doesn't
have to be Halloween costumes.
This can be fairy tales, folktales or fable costumes, and it
can be based on stories thatyou've read.

(07:01):
Now that doesn't just limit youto princesses and knights and
dragons, and I mean that can belike a wide variety of things.
I mean, think about the fox andthe grapes, or think about, you
know, the boy that cried wolfthe wolf.
I mean there's so manydifferent things that are

(07:21):
available with these stories andit just makes it really come to
life and it celebrates.
It celebrates reading in a waythat kids get excited about, and
I just love to have a party atthe conclusion of reading.
I just think it's fun.
And I did do fairy tales, folktales and fables at this time of
year on purpose, because Iwanted them to be able to dress

(07:44):
up and they weren't allowed todress up in my school.
Only pre-K and kindergarten wasallowed.
Nobody else was allowed.
And I'm like, well, I got tochange that and even I would
dress up.
I would dress up as a princess.
It was so fun.
Anyway, so that's just an ideafor October.
These classic stories stillhave so much to teach us and our

(08:06):
students.
They'll remember them for years.
So if you're feeling theOctober blaws, try stepping into
a world of magic beans, cleverfoxes or enchanted forests and
let the stories do the heavylifting for a little while.
Until next time, sweet dreamsand sleep tight.