{"id":4278,"date":"2022-12-11T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-11T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=4278"},"modified":"2025-02-10T13:35:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T18:35:23","slug":"rewrite-a-fairy-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/rewrite-a-fairy-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Rewrite a Fairy Tale with Your Creative Writing Class"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Having students rewrite a fairy tale or fable is a classic Creative Writing project–and for good reason!<\/strong> There is so much for students to learn and so many skills for students to practice during this process. In this post, I break down my method for having Creative Writing students rewrite a fairy tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Short on time? Skip the prep work and grab everything you need for this project here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally use and love, or think my readers will find useful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Why Have Students Rewrite a Fairy Tale?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are endless possibilities when it comes to fun and engaging Creative Writing projects. So why have students rewrite a classic story? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of benefits. (And if these don’t work for your class, try doing an Author Study Project<\/a> instead!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built-in Scaffolding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When students are asked to write a story from scratch, they often go blank. Just coming up with and committing to a story idea can take my students weeks<\/em>. We don’t have that kind of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when students have to rewrite a fairy tale or fable, a lot of the story creation process is already done. <\/strong>They know the major events in Snow White<\/em> or Cinderella<\/em>. All they have to do is give it their own spin. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Endless Creativity Options<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another benefit to having students rewrite a fairy tale rather than create a story from scratch is that they can really show off their creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, it might seem like creating a story from scratch would be the more creative option, but one’s creativity really shines when there are limits. What can you do when the characters and major plot points already exist? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll be delighted to see how many ways your students come up with to justify the evil witch’s behavior. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rewrite a Fairy Tale Step #1: Provide Examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing you’ll have to do when starting this project is to provide students with examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many rewritten fairy tales out there–in books and film. Choose at least one to share with your students that you can refer to again and again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try to pick a fairy tale retelling that is as close as possible to the kind of story you want your students to create.<\/strong> While Shrek could arguably be called a rewritten fairy tale, it’s not the kind of story you want your students to write, so avoid tempting examples like these. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, try to find one that is short and clearly flips one<\/em> classic fairy tale or fable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like to use The True Story of the Three Little Pigs<\/em> by Jon Sciezka<\/a>.<\/strong> In fact, I make a production out of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tell my students we’re having story or circle time, just like back in kindergarten. I even pass out little fruit snack packs to really hit them with the nostalgia. Then, I read them The True Story of the Three Little Pigs<\/a><\/em> showing off the illustrations as we go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After I read the story, we discuss it and its differences from the real Three Little Pigs<\/em> story.<\/strong> It’s at this point that I pass out the project assignment sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Rewrite a Fairy Tale Step #2: Provide Specific Scaffolding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Choose a fairy tale or fable and rewrite it” seems like it should be specific enough directions, but it’s really not. Most students will need a little more specificity to create a good product. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So before you assign the fairy tale, I recommend deciding for students how they will rewrite the fairy tale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my Fairy Tale Retelling Project<\/a>, I have students tell the story from the villain’s point of view.<\/strong> It should be sympathetic to the villain, just like in The True Story of the Three Little Pigs<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way you could have students flip their fairy tales is to have them change a character’s gender.<\/strong> What if the story had a prince and an evil warlock instead of a princess and a witch? What if a woman saved the day instead of a man?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, you could have the students write the story as if it was a modern-day fairy tale.<\/strong> What would Rapunzel be like if it happened today? Would she be on house arrest instead? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more specific the parameters, the less time students will spend spinning their wheels and “brainstorming,” and the more time they’ll spend actually writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rewrite a Fairy Tale Step #3: Brainstorm Choices with Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that students know their assignment, brainstorm with them some stories they can use. When I did this, I was surprised by how many classic fairy tales my students didn’t know. Remember that not every student is raised in the same culture; some stories might be new to them. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want, you can also have a quick discussion with students about fairy tales versus fables although I let students choose either for this project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairy Tales and Fables Great for this Project:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n