Analyzing written and oral texts for plot, theme, and characterization
Gathering, classifying, and interpreting written and oral information
Making inferences and drawing conclusions
Observing and describing
Understanding fairy tales
Connecting across cultures
Many children are familiar with Snow White's evil stepmother and her poisonous
apple, Cinderella's fairy godmother, and the witch in the gingerbread house waiting
to eat Hansel and Gretel for dinner. But have they met Baba Yaga, the old crone
who is both wise and cruel, who lives in a house standing on chicken legs, and
whose servants bring with them the day, sunset and the night? Baba Yaga, the iconic
witch of Slavic fairy tales, is one of the characters students will meet in this journey
through Russian fairy tales.
This lesson, intended for 3rd grade children, focuses on several imaginative
and exciting Russian fairy tales: Vasillisa the Beautiful, Prince Ivan and
the Grey Wolf, The Frog Princess, Fenist the Bright Falcon, and The
Story of BabaYaga. Students will review some of the common fairy tale elements
that are present within these stories, which also may remind them of more familiar
European fairy tales. Students will also discuss these stories' distinctive
characters and plots. This lesson will work well as an extension to EDSITEment's
lesson plan Fairy
Tales Around the World. This lesson could also be used as an introduction
to fairy tales for students who already have some knowledge and experience reading
the more familiar European fairy tales, or who have an interest in learning
about Russia and its folk heritage.
In the lesson, students will listen to stories read aloud and then re-read
some of them individually in small groups. Students will demonstrate their comprehension
of the stories by working in small groups to create skits, illustrations, and
comic strips to re-tell the stories. Students will then participate in guided
group discussions to analyze themes and motifs of the fairy tales. They will
compare and contrast these stories with better-known western European fairy
tales such as Hansel and Gretel or Cinderella.
Guiding Questions
What are some special kinds of magic and wonder in Russian fairy tales?
How do Russian fairy tales compare to other kinds of fairy tales?
Learning Objectives:
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
Give a simple definition of a fairy tale.
Identify some typical elements of a fairy tale, such as magical journeys,
quests, evil and good characters, royal characters and peasants, talking animals,
riches and good fortune as a reward for the good characters, death for
the evil characters, and repetitive events.
Re-tell, in their own words, a Russian fairy tale.
Verbally describe and illustrate the iconic Russian witch, Baba Yaga
Describe some similarities and differences between Russian fairy tales and
other better known European fairy tales.
Preparing to Teach this Lesson
Review the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other
useful websites. Download and print out documents you will use and duplicate
copies as necessary for student viewing.
Download the charts,
available here as PDF files.
Print out and make an appropriate number of copies of any handouts you plan
to use in class.
This lesson is a suitable companion to the EDSITEment lesson plan Fairy
Tales Around the World. For students who have completed this lesson
or who have had some experience in previous grades learning about fairy tales,
the first set of activities will be mostly review. It may be helpful to review
that lesson.
A useful book for the teacher to read to learn more about literary characteristics
in folk tales is The European Folk Tale by Max Luthi (National Plan
Service: 1981). The article "Slavic and Baltic Countries" in the Oxford
Companion to Fairy Tales, edited by Jack Zipes (Oxford University Press:
200) is also a useful source of background information for the educator.
Review with the class the definition of a fairy tale. Students will listen
to a well-known fairy tale such as the Perrault version of the Cinderella
tale, available on Folklore
and Mythology, or read a
version of Cinderella with illustrations by Edmund Dulac, both of which
are available through the EDSITEment resource Internet
Public Library. Show a print version of Cinderella, pointing
out the word "retold" on the front cover. Discuss the concept of oral tradition
and the fact that no one knows exactly who the original author of this story
might have been. Ask students to identify examples of magic in the story. Help
students to brainstorm a definition of what a fairy tale is. A definition
that is useful for young students is "Fairy tales are very old stories of
magical events often passed down by word of mouth."
Review with the class typical elements of a fairy tale. A helpful book for
the teacher to read to prepare for this lesson and to learn more about the
folk and fairy tale elements is The European Folk Tale by Max Luthi
(National Plan Service: 1981).
Ask students to brainstorm a list of typical fairy tale elements (see sample
list below) by thinking about basic fairy tales they have read (Cinderella,
The Frog Prince, etc.). Ask them questions about types of characters (who?),
settings (where?), and plot (what?).
If some students have forgotten some important elements, the teacher may suggest
additional elements and ask students to think of examples from the stories.
Compile and distribute the resulting list of typical fairy tale elements or
write them on the blackboard for students to copy.
Students should use the compiled list of fairy tale elements and make notes
of examples of the elements as they read the stories. Students may work in
small groups to read these stories and then report to the rest of the group
on their findings.
Sample List of Fairy Tale Elements:
Characters: Typical fairy tale characters often include the following:
princess, peasant, youngest sister, cruel older sisters, simpleton, cruel stepmother,
giant, witch, talking animals, and magical helpers.
Settings: Typical fairy tale settings include: castles, cottages, mountains,
rivers, forests, and gardens.
Fairy tale plots include:
Hero (or heroine) heroine has bad luck
Hero (or heroine) must perform impossible tasks
Hero (or heroine) must fight a villain
Hero (or heroine) meets magical helpers
Hero (or heroine) is treated badly
Hero (or heroine) is in danger
Magic spells
Transformations—animals turn into humans or humans turn into animals
or objects such as trees or buildings.
Villain is punished.
Hero (or heroine) is rewarded with wealth
Hero (or heroine) is rewarded with a happy marriage
Things happen in threes (three battles, three tasks)
2. Introducing Russian Fairy Tales
Explain to the students that the stories they will be studying over the next
few days all come from Russia. Visit EDSITEment's partner website, National
Geographic Xpeditions, and call up the world
map, where you may click on Asia,
then Russia,
to show students where the country is (alternatively, you may show the students
the location of Russia on a classroom world map). Point out to students that
Russia is a country comprised of an enormous territory, and that it can be
found on maps of both Europe and Asia. Ask students if Russia is an Asian
or a European country. Discuss with students Russia's place as a geographical
and cultural crossroad between the two continents. Explain that there may
be elements in the stories they will be reading which will sound like European
fairy tales, others which will sound like Asian fairy tales, and still others
which are particular to Russia.
Read one of the five suggested stories aloud to the students and encourage
them to identify the presence of the fairy tale elements from the lists compiled
during the review section of this lesson.
This lesson focuses on five Russian fairy tales, all available via the EDSITEment-reviewed
Internet Public Library:
Ask students to begin by identifying the basic components of the story.
What is the setting?
Who are the characters?
What traits do these characters posses?
Ask students if there is anything about the story that reminds them of other
fairy tales they may have heard. For example, Vasilisa the Beautiful might
remind them of Cinderella, or The Frog Princess might remind them of The Frog
Prince.
Using the list of fairy tale elements above as a guide, ask students to
try to identify some words or details in the story that might suggest that
the story comes from Russia. Help students to identify the features of the
setting, characters and other elements that place this tale in Russia. This
might include descriptions of the setting (usually set in forests such as
those that once covered much of Russia), the characters' names and titles
(such as Tsar for king or Tsaravitch for Prince), Baba Yaga ('baba' meaning
old woman or wise woman, and 'yaga' meaning horrible or evil), Koschei the
Deathless, and the firebird. Explain the meanings of the words with
which students are not familiar.
Over several days, repeat this process with the remaining stories.
3. Re-Telling a Tale
Give students an opportunity to individually re-read their favorite of the
Russian fairy tales selected for this lesson. Have students retell at least
two of the stories using one of the following methods: illustrated comic,
skit, or oral presentation for retelling.
Students may use the PDF file Retelling
Fairy Tales to write plot points and draw pictures next to each event
that they include in their retellings. The PDF worksheet has a space for a
plot description and a large space for the student to draw a corresponding
picture.
Students might use "Retelling Fairy Tales" to plan and stage a skit based
on the story. Students may work collaboratively on a small skit for a particularly
story, or students might sketch a new fairy tale using the worksheet and then
present it dramatically to the class.
Alternatively, students might use the Elements of a Fairy Tale (from Activity
One) to draft a new fairy tale appropriate for their setting. Since oral storytellers
often adjusted fairy tales according to the setting of the audience, students—in
groups or as a class might attempt to write a fairy tale
set in school, town, or state. In doing so, students
should recognize the importance of setting for the fairy tale. They should
then return to the Russian fairy tales to examine how those tales effectively
use particular settings, in preparation for Activities below.
Depending on student needs, the teacher may provide different levels of scaffolding
for the retellings. Some students will need the teacher to provide an example
of a very simple retelling before they can create their own retelling of a
different story. Other students may need a partial retelling given to them
for their story with spaces for them to fill in a few missing episodes. Students
may use their list of fairy tale plot elements to help them recall the story.
4. Baba Yaga
The figure of the witch in Slavic fairy tales is often called Baba Yaga.
She is often described as having bony legs, a voracious appetite for humans,
and a long, curled nose. She is said to fly from place to place using a mortar
and pestle, and is said to live in a small cottage raised up on chicken legs.
In some stories Baba Yaga is an evil, threatening character, as in Vasillisa
the Beautiful, in others she plays a helpful role, as in Fenist the
Bright Falcon.
Students will recall examples of Baba Yaga's actions in Vasillisa the
Beautiful. Have students work together to create a list of descriptive
words for her personality, behavior, and probable appearance. Some possible
responses might include: hungry, cruel, bossy, ugly, loud, and scary.
They may find it hard to answer the question of whether or not she is a villain:
in many stories she is threatening, and in some she even does harm to certain
characters. However, she and her sisters very often come to the aid of the
needy, such as in Fenist the Bright Falcon. Help students identify
the circumstances in which Baba Yaga is threatening and when she is helpful.
Guide them to finding a pattern in her behavior, and to see that while she
is at times gruff, and certainly has the potential to do harm, she is usually
helpful to those who are deserving.
5. Comparing Fairy Tales
Ask students to identify similarities and differences between these Russian
folk tales and European fairy tales they have already heard. You may wish
to read parts of European fairy tales which bear resemblances, but which also
exhibit differences that can be used as a foundation for comparing and contrasting
the tales. Some pairs might include:
Vasilisa the Beautiful and Cinderella
The Frog Princess and The Frog Prince
The Story of Baba Yaga and Hansel and Gretel
Fenist the Bright Falcon and Beauty and the Beast
For examples, similarities between Vasillisa the Beautiful and the
Dulac version of Cinderella include:
Heroine's mother dies and a cruel stepmother comes into her life.
Cruel stepsisters taunt the heroine and treat her unkindly.
Heroine receives magical help.
Heroine must do all the work of the house and is dressed in rags.
Heroine marries a royal person at the end of the story.
Divide students into small groups, and ask each group to focus on one or
two comparative points, such as one character or one event. Ask each group
to make one list of all the things that are similar and a second list of all
the things that are different about the two characters or events.
For example, using the PDF Ven Diagram: Comparing "Baba Yaga" and "Snow WHite", students might compare Baba Yaga and the evil stepmother in Snow
White and the Seven Dwarves. Students might raise similarities such as their
use of enchanted objects (Baba Yaga's house, the Queen's mirror), as well
as their differences in appearance.
One example of a comparative point that students will enjoy is the similarities
and differences between the witch's gingerbread house in Hansel and Gretel
and Baba Yaga's house as described in Vasilisa the Beautiful. Using the PDF Venn Diagram: Comparing "Baba Yaga" and "Hansel & Gretel" (The second one down in the file), explore other similarities and differences in these two stories.
Some similarities:
Both are home to witches who like to capture and cook children for dinner.
Both houses are located deep in a forest that is unfamiliar to the children
in the story.
The kitchen is the most important room in both houses.
Some differences:
Baba Yaga's house is alive, standing on chicken legs and turning its back
to visitors, while the witch's house is inanimate.
The witch's house is made of gingerbread and other sweets in order to
entice lost children to come closer. That exterior hides the danger that
is inside the house.
Baba Yaga's house is decorated with human bones and skulls whose eyes
glow in the dark, which seems to be designed to keep visitors away. The
frightening exterior hides the potential help that is contained inside.
For comparing and contrasting other stories, students can use the generic Venn Diagram
.
Assessment
Students will complete all the activities correctly.
Students will be able to individually recall and state a definition of a
fairy tale.
Students will be able to identify at least 5 typical fairy tale elements
from at least two Russian stories.
Students will create retellings of fairy tales that will include at least
5 significant events from each story
Students will be able to describe Baba Yaga as a witch often found in Russian
fairy tales who lives in a house on chicken legs, and who is sometimes threatening,
but who often helps those who deserve assistance.
Students will be able to fill out a Venn diagram that shows some similarities
and differences between a Russian fairy tale and a European fairy tale such
as Cinderella.
Students will be able to cite at least 2 details that might tell a reader
that a fairy tale comes from Russia (Some possibilities would include: Russian
names such as Ivan, Vasillisa, or Maryushka, appearance of the witch Baba
Yaga, mention of a firebird).
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