fairy tales - benchmark education...

The tale often features fantastic

or magical creatures; some animals and objects can talk.

The tale is a type of fantasy, often

about royalty.

One character is helped by another.

A helper and/or a “bad guy” may have

magical powers.

The tale has a happy ending.

Often, people appear or

events happen three times.

Featuresof a

Fairy Tale

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© 2010 Benchmark education company, LLc • GWP026

Focus on the Genre

Fairy TalesWhat is a fairy tale?

What is the purpose of fairy tales?

How do you read a fairy tale?

Who writes fairy tales?

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G4FairyTalesPTS.indd 1 5/10/10 4:34:36 PM

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Long ago in Japan, there lived

an emperor and his three sons.

The eldest prince died while

hunting rabbits. He did not

know that the rabbit he chased

into a mill would turn into a

ferocious dragon and eat him.

You would think the middle

brother would know better after

what happened to his older

brother. But the middle brother

chased the same rabbit into

the same mill, and he died the

same way.

One day, the third and youngest

prince met an old woman in front

of the mill. He asked her about

the dragon that ate his brothers.

The prince wanted the dragon’s

power. The old woman told him

that the dragon kept his power

in a pearl. He kept the pearl

at the bottom of the lake. The

prince set off to find the lake.

On his way, the prince

followed a duck to the lake

where the dragon slept.

“Thanks for helping me find

my way to the lake, Mister

Duck,” the prince said. “I’ve

come for the dragon’s power at

the bottom of the lake.”

“No problem,” the duck said

and dove into the lake. The

dragon was sleeping. The duck

stole the pearl that held the

dragon’s power. He gave it to

the prince. The prince put the

pearl in his pocket and lived

happily ever after.

The Dragon and the Prince

The story is a fantasy about royalty.

Events happen three times: Three sons go to the mill three times.

The duck can talk and the dragon has magical powers.

The author includes a “helper” character: a talking duck who assists the hero character, the youngest prince.

The fairy tale has a happy ending.


Illustration: Lyn Boyer

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The Raccoon-DogIn a magical time long ago lived the

most rare of all magical creatures, the

raccoon-dog. As you can tell by its name,

a raccoon-dog is half raccoon and half

dog. What the name doesn’t tell you is

that this wondrous creature can change

into any shape it wants to be.

Once a poor old hunter found one in his

trap. The kind hunter gave the raccoon-dog

some rice cakes from his pocket. Then he

set the strange beast free.

The raccoon-dog had never seen such

kindness. Most people tried to eat him or

use him to make money. The poor, kind

hunter was different than most people.

The raccoon-dog wanted to reward the

old hunter. He transformed himself into a

teapot for the hunter to sell at the bazaar.

A monk bought the teapot. He took it

home and filled it with water to boil. The

teapot jumped from the burning stove and

ran back to the old hunter and they lived

happily ever after.


Make Connections Across Texts

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The Dragon and the Prince

The Raccoon-Dog

What is the problem in the fairy tale?

What do the characters’ actions tell about them?

What do the characters say about themselves and others?

How does the fairy tale end?

What is the most important idea in the fairy tale to remember?

How does the story end?

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fairy tales - benchmark education...

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