Comparing fairy tales
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compare some well-known fairy tales.
Key learning points
- Comparing means exploring similarities and differences about something
- Characters, such as heroes and villains, tend to appear in most fairy tales
- Some fairy tales' main characters are people and some are animals
- Some fairy tales have magical aspects or creatures, such as the porridge pot or the troll
- Most fairy tales aim to teach a lesson to the reader
Keywords
Fairy tale - a children's story about magical elements
Compare - to identify how things are the same and different
Setting - where the story takes place
Theme - a main idea that the writer wants to focus on
Common misconception
Pupils may struggle to understand the main theme in a story.
Talk about the themes in well-known fairy tales and link these to the lesson learnt at the end of the story. For example, the theme in 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' is courage. The goats' courage helps them get to the other side of the river.
Teacher tip
If possible, make the task more interactive by printing images of different features from two fairy tales (magical objects, characters, settings) and put pupils into groups to sort these images into similarities and differences. Groupwork will encourage more discussion amongst pupils.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What do storybooks often have in them?
Q2.What do we call the name of a book?
Q3.What is the person who draws the pictures for a book called?
Q4.Which of these are characters from the story "The Magic Porridge Pot"?
Q5.Which of these is a setting in the story of "The Magic Porridge Pot"?
Q6.Match the main characters to the title of the well-known story.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Fairy tales are always...
Q2.Order the events that take place in the story ‘The Magic Porridge Pot'.
Q3.What do fairy tales often include?
Q4.Match the theme to the fairy tale.
Q5.What is the same about the stories 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'The Magic Porridge Pot'?
Q6.Which of these is the main theme in 'The Magic Porridge Pot'?
To help you plan your 1 English lesson on: Comparing fairy tales, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 1 English lesson on: Comparing fairy tales, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 English lessons from the 'The Magic Porridge Pot': reading and writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.