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Fairy Tale Grab Bags

​Students often have a difficult time picking a topic to write a thesis about. They also get stuck researching the topic. It's anything BUT a fairy tale when teachers ask middle school students to write. 

​This activity solves that problem by giving students bags with the materials they need to form thesis statements. You'll be surprised with the interesting and fun ideas kids generate based on these tried and true fairy tales.
​ 
Teachers can extend the activity by asking students to write a thesis-driven essay based on their statement or to develop research skills, you can challenge students to develop their own grab bags to share with their classmates. Once you get the idea, make your own bags based on current class topics from historical happenings to current events.


Fairy Tale Grab Bags handout

​Goldilocks and the Three Bears
  • ​Copy of the story/picture book
  • Recipe for porridge
  • Legal definition of "trespass" (Cornell University Law School)
  • State legislative code for "trespass" -- Virginia Code § 18.2-119. Trespass after having been forbidden to do so; penalities
  • Small porridge bowl
  • ​Blanket

The Three Little Pigs
  • Copy of the story/picture book
    • You might also include The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (by Jon Scieszka)
  • How-to page on building a brick wall: "Owner Build Homes and Homesteads: Brick Wall and Masonry Wall Construction," Mother Earth News, Sept-Oct 1973.
  • A brick
  • A handful of straw
  • Twigs
  • Floor plan for a small house: "Small House Design: SHD-2012001"

Jack and the Beanstalk
  • Copy of the story/picture book
  • "Magic" beans (white beans colored gold)
  • Graph on bean growth
  • Golden egg (plastic egg colored gold)
  • iPad + QR code to harp music
  • Gigantism (UCLA Health)

​Frozen
  • Copy of the story/picture book
  • "Let it Go" song lyrics
  • The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson
  • Fact Sheet: Ice Sheets
  • Olaf "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" cutouts

Cinderella
  • Copy of the story/picture book
  • Glass slipper
  • Small pumpkin
  • Magic wand
  • Broom
  • Image: Clock striking midnight
  • Child Labor Laws information (US Department of Labor, FLSA expections)
  • Foot measuring guide

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
  • Copy of the story/picture book
  • Apple
  • Hand mirror
  • "Cleaning is...Shiny Floors and Tidy Toilets?" (Press Release, American Cleaning Institute)
  • Pig and Human Heart Illustrations
  • Merriam-Webster definition of dwarf
  • Article: "They Look Like Apples, Taste Delicious, and Will Kill You" (Modern Farmer, September 2014)

​Little Red Riding Hood
  • Copy of the story/picture book
    • You might also include The Wolf's Story: What Really Happened to Little Red Riding Hood (by Toby Forward)
  • Map through the woods
  • Encyclopedia article: Wolf (from the web or a subscription database)
  • Evidence from the "Little Red Riding Hood" mock trial (The Great Save)

The Boy Who Cried Wolf
  • Copy of the story/picture book
  • Sheep 101 - Predators
  • The First Amendment of the US Constitution
  • Megaphone
  • Sheep figurine
  • Fact sheet on Schenck v United States 1919 (Freedom of Speech), highlighting the Holmes quote, "the most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing panic."​
​
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  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Presentations >
      • Empower17
      • Thesis ALIVE!
  • READ
    • What's the Scoop? >
      • Landmark Supreme Court Cases
    • Reading an Artifact
    • Reading an Image
    • Emoji Notes
    • Sketchnotes
    • Sharing Books with Kids
  • WRITE
    • Thesis & Essay Writing >
      • Thesis Writing Workshop
      • Fairy Tale Grab Bags
      • Essay Roadmap
      • Essay Outline Generator
      • Other Thesis Ideas
    • What's the Scoop? >
      • Landmark Supreme Court Cases
    • Poetry Beyond English Class
  • CREATE
    • Think, Build, Tweet
    • Sketchnotes
    • Ordinary Objects
    • Think Outside the Box
    • Poetry Beyond English Class
  • WORK WITH US
    • Testimonials