Call me crazy, but I enjoy teaching in March!
March is always my favorite month to dive into fairy tales.
The routines are solid. Students are ready for something magical. And fairy tales are the perfect mix of structure and imagination.
We spend the month immersed in three big areas:
reading, writing, and performance.
By the end, my classroom feels like a little theater company full of confident storytellers.
Here’s how we do it.
📚 Reading: What Makes a Fairy Tale… a Fairy Tale?
Before we ever write, we become experts.
We read classic fairy tales, fractured versions, and compare them side by side. Instead of just enjoying the stories, we analyze them.
We build a class anchor chart and track:
- “Once upon a time” beginnings
- Royalty or common characters
- Good vs. evil
- Magical elements
- A clear problem and solution
- A satisfying ending
Once students start spotting these patterns on their own, everything changes. They begin reading like writers.
To support this, I use simple graphic organizers for:
- Setting
- Characters
- Story structure
- Good vs. evil comparisons
- Venn diagrams for comparing two tales
The structure helps students organize their thinking — especially during open response writing.
And having a ready-to-use fairy tale characteristics chart gives them a reference they can go back to all month long. I’ve included a FREE sample of the student version here!
✏️ Writing: Becoming Fairy Tale Authors
Once students truly understand the structure, it’s their turn.
This is where the magic really happens.
Instead of handing them a blank page and saying “write a fairy tale,” we break it down.
We plan:
- The hero
- The villain
- The setting
- The magical element
- The problem and solution
Some of my favorite activities include:
- Choice-based and dice-roll fairy tale builders
- Planning sheets that scaffold each part of the story
- “Mix It Up” cards where students draw a setting, character, villain, and magic twist
- A magic potion writing activity
- Even a fairy tale comic option
The result? Stories that actually feel like fairy tales — not just random narratives with a dragon thrown in.
Students feel confident because they understand the structure first.
🎭 Readers’ Theater: The Grand Finale
Readers’ Theater is my absolute favorite way to wrap up our fairy tale unit.
After weeks of reading and writing fairy tales, we bring them to life.
We use simple scripts, assign roles, practice fluency, and then invite other classes, support staff, and even admin to come watch our mini performances.
The transformation is incredible.
Students who are hesitant readers suddenly shine.
Students have SO much fun.
The whole unit ends in celebration instead of a test.
We even use printable character pieces as stick puppets to make it feel extra special (and manageable!). You could also get real crafty and make paper bag puppets.
It’s hands-on, literacy-rich, and joyful.
Why I Love Teaching Fairy Tales in March
Fairy tales hit so many standards naturally:
- Story structure
- Character analysis
- Comparing texts
- Narrative writing
- Fluency and expression
But beyond the standards, they bring something else into the classroom — magic.
And by the end of the month, my students don’t just recognize fairy tales…
They know how to create them.
Get all of these resources from one place and make some magic!
