Name___________________________________ Per_____________

Welcome! You have and will study fairytales and other styles of short stories in your
ELA class. For Media class we are going to be continuing with this, however, you will be
focusing in on a specific traditional literature story. Each student will choose a story and you
will be conducting research and writing about your findings. I have broken down areas in which
to focus your research. We will be using several different graphic organizers to collect your
information, use the one that works the best for how you operate. All organizers and findings are
going to be kept in your folders on the counter so we dont have missing work.
Through our research and writing we will use several different sources to explain your
story and the elements of that genre. We will also discover information from print and digital
sources, determine the reliability of these sources, and use proper citation to credit the sources
used. We will also use information from texts to support your analysis of your traditional
literature. We will work on creating clear and coherent writing that is appropriate to the task.
WHST 6-8.4, 6-8.5, 6-8.7, 6-8.8, 6-8.9
Your research should begin with these main questions:
Genre:
What type of genre is your story?
o Myth? Fairy tale? Legend? Tall tale? Folk tale?
What characteristics of a story make up that genre?
What qualities does your story have to be in that genre?
Who wrote/ created this story?
Have there been retellings of this?
o Movies? Names
o Books? Names
o Television shows? Names
Theme/Plot:
How do you as the reader connect to the story?
What is the conflict?
How is the plot line?
o Do things happen over time?
o Are things fast-paced?
o Are they resolved quickly? How?
o About how long does it take for the story to take place?
Style:
What types of figurative language are used? Example needed.
Does it follow the patterns of numbers? 93s, 7s, 12s, 40)
Which traditional literature motifs are used?
o Magic powers, transformations, magical objects, wishes, trickery
We will be working step by step through this. It may look overwhelming now, but it will not be
as bad as it sounds. We will build upon your skills with each class and you will become more
and more familiar with what is expected of you and hopefully more confident in your ability to
conduct research and write about your findings.
Grading
Writing 30%: Writing is clear and coherent and the organization and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience
Research 30%: Sufficient research is conducted and collected in the form of graphic organizers
and notes
Citation 20%: Use of 4 different sources, cited in proper MLA form
Format 10%: Writing is in size 12 font, Times New Roman, black, and double spaced
Editing 10%: Incorporating revision, peer editing, and rewriting
Great places to start your research online:
http://thebookfairygoddess.blogspot.com/2013/04/folktales-fairytales-and-fables-oh-my.html
http://www.slideshare.net/boquistm/traditional-literature-powerpoint
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-figurative-language.html

Titles:
Rapunzel Rumplestiltskin
Cinderella Snow White
Sleeping Beauty Strega Nona
Hansel and Gretel Three Little Pigs
Paul Bunyan The Ugly Duckling
Red Riding Hood Three Billy Goats Gruff
Pecos Bill

If you have any questions outside of class or would like me to look at anything you have found
online that might be of help to you, please talk with me in class or email me at:
kara.foley@leominster.mec.edu.