The countdown to summer has begun, and let’s be honest — things are getting a little wild. Teachers are tired, students are buzzing with end-of-year energy, and routines are starting to blur. But before we close the books for the year, there’s still time for one more exciting unit in the library: fairy tales! It’s the perfect mix of fun, imagination, and just enough structure to keep us going strong to the finish line.
Each year in May I love doing a fairy tale unit with all of my K-6 library classes. We start off by going over the elements of a fairy tale. I use a Google Slides presentation that we look at together as a class. It covers things like magical elements, good vs. evil, unique characters, and the number 3. Then we jump into reading different fairy tales. I pick different ones for each grade so I can reuse the same plans next year without having to start from scratch.
As we read, I ask the students to find the fairy tale elements we talked about. Once I have read the fairy tale I then ask them to tell me what elements they saw in the story. Students raise their hands and I give them the chance to pick one. This is also a time you could have them turn to their table partner and discuss them together before sharing. It is always fun to see their excitement as they recall the story and elements.
After that, I introduce fractured fairy tales — the silly or twisted versions of the originals. We read lots of those too. The older kids, grades 4–6, get to write their own fractured fairy tales, and they always come up with such creative and funny ideas. I have created some graphic organizers that work well for helping them to gather their thoughts and get those creative juices flowing. While students may start with a groan about writing it usually turns out to be one of their favorite projects.
To wrap up the unit I like to read fairy tales from other countries. It’s a great way to show students that these stories exist all over the world and often teach similar lessons. They start to notice how different cultures tell similar kinds of stories.
This unit is always a highlight of the year. It’s fun, engaging, and a great way to end the school year on a high note.
Tech Fun In The Library 