ONCE UPON A TWISTED TIME...
A UNIT ON FRACTURED FAIRY TALES & PERSPECTIVE
ENGLISH PROGRAM
Rationale
This program allows students to explore traditional fairy
tales, alongside fractured fairy tales in order to see stories
from a different perspective. The focus will be on teaching
students the structure and sequence of narrative writing.
Students will identify common conventions of fairy tales,
create exciting characters, sequence events, create and
solve problems.
Learning intention: By the end of the program students will
be able to write their own narrative in the form of a
fractured fairy tale.
Guiding question: How does perspective affect the way we
view/understand stories?
The program aims to be inclusive of all cultures, as
refugee/EALD students are given opportunities to share and
work with tales they are familiar with.
Australian Curriculum: Content Descriptions
LITERATURE
• Make connections between the ways different authors may represent
similar storylines, ideas and relationships (ACELT1602)
• Create literary texts by developing storylines, characters and settings
(ACELT1794)
LANGUAGE
• Understand that the meaning of sentences can be enriched through the use
of noun groups/phrases and verb group/phrases and prepositional phrases
(ACELA1493)
LITERACY
• Re-read and edit for meaning by adding, deleting or moving words or word
groups to improve content and structure (ACELY1695)
• Use a range of software including word processing programs to construct,
edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and
audio elements (ACELY1697)
 ASSESSMENTS
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Narrative
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Comparisons
Students will create their own narrative text in the form of a
This will be assessed across a number of different activities, as
fractured fairy tale. Students select an original fairy tale and
students explore a number of different fairy tales alongside a
twists the story in their own way.
fractured version. They will identify key differences and
similarities in both stories.
CRITERIA
• Uses narrative structure
CRITERIA
• Alters original (either by changing characters/roles, plot,
• Able to identify characters and their key roles
or perspective)
• Able to identify narrative structure in stories – events,
• Selects and uses interesting adjectives and a range of
complication and resolution
different processes (verbs)
• Interprets, compares and contrasts characters and stories
 TEACHING-LEARNING CYCLE

PHASE ONE – BUILDING THE FIELD

During this phase of the program we discover students’ prior knowledge about fairy tales, narrative structure and narrative conventions.
EXAMPLE Introduction of Traditional Fairy Tales:
ACTIVITIES - What is a fairy tale?
- Scenes from fairy tale films (e.g. Disney’s Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty)
- Students brainstorm all of the fairy tales that they are familiar with on a large sheet of paper and discuss how
they have been acquainted with these tales (bedtime stories, Disney films, etc.), explanation poster will be used
to help with the students understanding
- Students from other cultural backgrounds are able to introduce stories that they are familiar with (these may be
used throughout the program to help with their understanding)/ students may also be invited to bring a fairy tale
book or share a story from home for show and tell during the 2-week program
- Prior knowledge: It is assumed that many students will be familiar with traditional fairy tales (from reading with
parents/family, popular films) as it is an urban school, they may also have studied them in previous years in school
when exploring narratives

Drama Activity
- Using the list of fairy tales students are familiar with the students will form small groups and create a 5-minute
play and perform it to the class
- Links in with oral tradition of fairy tales, this will also help EALD students/refugee students become familiar with
the fairy tales, and working in small groups will help them build friendships with their classmates

Introduction to Perspective
- Students will create a list of characters they are familiar with from fairy tales
- They will use this list to play a perspective game – students will all stand along a line, one side represents ‘Like
and the other ‘Dislike’
- The teacher will call out a character from the list and students choose whether they like or dislike the
character, students will be encouraged to share their points of view to demonstrate how different people perceive
the same things differently
- Teacher introduces technical terms: Perspective
Introduction to Narratives
- What is a narrative? What does a narrative need?
- Students look at fairy tale conventions (characters, narrative structure, language)
- Students are shown extracts from The Three Little Pigs narrative and will use the ‘narrative mountain’ to identify
the different sections of the story
- Prior knowledge: Students will already have prior knowledge of narratives as they are studied in previous years
in the English Australian Curriculum from Reception to Year 3

Introduction of Magic Word Wall

- Students brainstorm common words that may be associated with fairy tales
- This will be continuously developed over the course of the program to help students develop new vocabulary
 ‘I DO’ - (TEACHER MODELLING/DECONSTRUCTING)
During this phase of the program the teacher begins to build on students’ prior knowledge. During this section students will build an
understanding about narrative structures, the effect of different perspectives, and how they can disrupt typical fairy tale conventions. During
reading the teacher will read model texts (through both read alouds and modelled reading), and deconstruct extracts from texts to help
students develop an understanding of technical language used to describe narrative language features (namely perspective) and aspects of
functional grammar (particularly identifying participants, processes and circumstances).
EXAMPLE Modelled Reading: The Three Little Pigs
ACTIVITIES - Teacher reads original fairy tale to students demonstrating self-talk
- Teacher will pay particular attention on individual characters
- Create a list of opinions/thoughts/descriptions about fairy tale characters – images will be included to help with EALD
students understanding

Narrative Structure
- Teacher maps out the tale of The Three Little Pigs and explains typical narrative structure using both drawings and
dialogue: orientation, complication, resolution
- Explains purpose of narratives and other important features (setting, characters, dialogue, etc.)
- Still involve students through questioning: When/Where is the story set? Who are the characters? Why do you think
the first part of the story is called the orientation? Why is the middle the complication? What is a resolution?

Modelled Reading: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

- How is this version different to the original Three Little Pigs?
- Draw a story map and place it next to the original, created in earlier lesson
- Is it still set in a faraway land, once upon a time? Are the characters different? Does the fairy tale have a happy
ending? Which version do you prefer and why? Whose perspective is the story told from? How does this perspective
differ from the original?
- Explain how tales can be fractured – role reversal, new characters, different point of view, setting/context

Functional Grammar: Introduction

- Introduce technical terms of functional grammar (participants, processes, circumstances)
- Teacher provides example sentences to explain terms
 ‘WE DO’ – (JOINT CONSTRUCTION)
In this phase of the program the teacher will move on to allowing students to construct their own understanding of concepts such as
perspective, narrative structure and concepts of functional grammar. The class will be involved in shared readings of fairy tales and fractured
fairy tales. Students will also jointly construct a short-fractured fairy tale as a class with the teacher. While students are given more
responsibility during this phase, the teacher will still ask questions and offer students suggests for improving their work when necessary.
EXAMPLE Shared Reading: Supplementary Text (maybe Revolting Rhymes – Roald Dahl or Asian link)
ACTIVITIES - Teacher involves students in shared reading of another fractured fairy tale (the original will have been introduced during
read aloud time in literacy program)
- Students will identify stages of the story (orientation, complication, resolution), identify whose perspective it is told
from, and identify elements of functional grammar with prompts/help from the teacher
- Students explain how this version differs from the original

Narrative Structure
- As a class students are shown a narrative sequence jumbled up
- Students work together to sequence events in the correct order: orientation, complication, resolution (images are
included in each section to help EALD students with understanding of events)
- Discuss and have students identify storyline, characters, setting

Perspective: Hot Seat Game

- Using the list of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ characters, students take in turns being interviewed by the class
- Students choose or are given a typically good/bad character and have to reverse their role and explain the opposite side
of the story (E.g. The Evil Stepmother is good, or Cinderella is evil)
- Teacher facilitates discussion on this role reversal in character perspective

Functional Grammar: Create Magic Bean Word Wall

- As a class go through an extract of writing (possibly from mentor text?)
- Get students to identify participants (red), processes (green), circumstances (blue) in the extract
- Allow students to suggest better words for processes (these words will then be added to magic word wall)
- Supporting Game: Students could play charades, each student could perform an action from a fairy tale (e.g. climbing a
beanstalk, blowing a house down, etc.) to help incorporate movement/drama to help EALD students visualise processes
Create a Fractured Fairy Tale as a Class
- Students suggest characters, plot, setting, etc. and write a fractured fairy tale with the teacher
- Class will write their fractured fairy tale using a story board, including short describing sentences and images
- Teacher will question students on aspects of settings, characters and structure, and will offer support/suggestions when
necessary
 ‘YOU DO’ – (INDEPENDENT CONSTRUCTION)
During the final phase of the program, students will draw on all the knowledge they have learnt during the program and will create their own
fractured fairy tale independently. They will plan, draft, edit and present a final copy of their narrative to demonstrate their understanding of
all the concepts learned. This task will be used as the summative assessment.
EXAMPLE Perspective: Wanted Poster
ACTIVITIES - Students use the Good/Evil character list created in previous lesson
- Students take a typically good character and turn them into an evil character on a wanted poster. Descriptions will
include setting, character traits and complication.
- Posters will be created on the class set of computers
- This development can be used to begin planning for individual narrative construction

Create Narrative
- Students plan their own fractured fairy tale, create a story map detailing characters, setting, what’s happening in the
story, and how it will end
- Students will have the opportunity to research, using websites such as ‘ABOUT PIGS’ to enhance their storylines
- ‘The True Story of the Tortoise and the Hare’ is used as an example text
- Provide EALD students with a planning sheet, setting out structure of narrative and elements needed (characters,
setting, etc.)/students may also initially plan using drawings to organise their ideas
- Students develop their narrative over a series of lessons drafting, editing and creating a final copy
- Encourage students to use Magic Bean Word Stalk to edit their writing and use more interesting words
- Students will have the option to type their final copy, create a picture book, short story, poem, etc.
- Add illustrations and images

Gallery Walk & Read Alouds

- Once students have completed their narratives the class will be set up as a ‘Fractured Fairy Tale Gallery’
- Parents are invited into the classroom to view students work and talk to students about the program
- This setting provides opportunities for questions from parents, teachers and students
- Any students who would like to read aloud their final text will be invited to do so