Guardians of the Fairy Tale:
The Brothers Grimm

National Geographic has created a wonderful site for children to explore Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Be warned, though, when The Brothers Grimm first collected these fairy tales they were not the sweet, soothing tales you may have read. “The stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the early 1800s serve up life as generations of central Europeans knew it—gruesome and often cruel.”

National Geographic’s Grimms Fairy Tales presents 12 tales as the Brothers Grimm first collected them. You click on the “Tell Me A Story” link at the end of the page and then you choose what it is you’d like to read about. Depending on what you choose you’ll end up at a different fairy tale you can then read.

Don’t forget to open the treasure chest while you’re visiting the site. When you do you’ll read all about the Brothers Grimm and see a map of where they lived in Germany and other fascinating facts.

Click on the link below to read one of Grimm’s fairy tales. After reading, post a comment with the name of the story you read, the fairy tale elements it included, and any connections you made to other fairy tales.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/grimm/index2.html

Did you know:

-Grimm’s fairy tales were NOT intended for children? The brothers refused to include illustrations and they were too gruesome and violent for parents to read to their children.

-Almost as many copies of Grimm’s Fairy Tales have been sold as the Bible!

-Fairy tales did not become popular in the U.S. until Disney released Snow White in the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.

-Sleeping Beauty was originally titled Little Brier Rose.

-Snow White and Seven Dwarfs was originally titled Snow White and Rose Red.

Do all fairy tales have to do with princesses??? I hope not!

Please answer the following questions in a comment:

Do all fairy tales have to do with princesses?

What is a fairy tale?

What are your favorite fairy tales?

What are some common elements among fairy tales?

Now you are ready to dive deep into the magical world of fairy tales!

Click on the link to begin: http://www.storynory.com/archives/fairy-tales/

Your task:

1.) Write a short summary about the book.

2.) Write a section entitled “The Real Ivan”

      Research the “real” Ivan using the following webpages: http://www.zooatlanta.org/ivan , http://theoneandonlyivan.com/ivan/ 

      Post at least five facts about the “real” Ivan.

3.) Embed the video below about saving gorillas in Rwanda.

Click HERE for the link to the video.

What else would you add???

Your task:

Cut and paste the following discussion questions on to a blog post entitled “Out of My Mind”

Answer the questions using text in a different color.

1.) Describe Melody. How is she different from you?

2.) What is Melody’s classroom like? Describe some of her classmates.

3.) Why is Mrs. V one of Melody’s favorite people?

Embed the following YouTube video after answering the questions.

Your Task:

Answer at least 3 of the following discussion questions in a post entitled How to Steal a Dog. Please copy and paste the questions on to your blog post.

1.)   How does Georgina come up with the idea of stealing a dog? Why does she decide to go ahead with her plan, even though she knows it is wrong?

2.)   Compare Georgina’s life with her friend Luanne’s. What are some of the differences in how the two girls live?

3.)   List all the potential problems that could arise from stealing a dog. How does Georgina address each of these problems in her list of rules for stealing a dog? Does she forget anything?

4.)   Describe an instance where Georgina gets frustrated with Toby. Why do you think she is so impatient with him? Do you think she really thinks he is dumb?

5.)   Imagine that the book is written from another character’s perspective. How do you think the story would be different if Toby or Mama were the narrator?

6.)   If you were in Georgina’s situation, would you have stolen Willy? Why or why not? Have you ever done anything you knew was wrong because you thought you had a good reason for it?

7.)   On p. 49, Georgina says to Mama, “Maybe you could act like a mother.” Do you think Mama acts like a mother? Is she doing everything she can to take care of her kids?

When you are finished, add the book trailer to the bottom of the post.

To get the video on your blog, go to the following link and copy the HTML code:

Scholastic Video

Click on the picture to take you the Time for Kids article.

Your task:

Read the article “Which Monopoly Piece Will Go?”

Add a new blog post entitled “Fact and Opinion” with the link to the article and a picture of your choice.

In your post, list FIVE facts you learned from the article. Write TWO of your own opinions about the article.

Georgina’s conscience says:

“Don’t do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong.”

It also says:

“Georgina, you’re in a bad fix and you’ve got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.”

Which voice do you agree with? Answer in a comment and explain why you feel this way.

Exciting News! You are going to open a restaurant based on the book, A Land Remembered.

On your blog, create a menu of foods that will be served. They should all be foods that appear in the novel.

Separate your menu into appetizers, main dishes, and desserts.

Include how much the food costs and a brief description of the dish.

You should have at least two appetizers, at least three main dishes, and at least two desserts.

*If you finish early, describe what the restaurant will look like, what the waiters will wear, etc.

Click HERE to view an excellent example of a descriptive restaurant menu!

P.S. Check out the link to the actual A Land Remembered Restaurant in Orlando: http://www.landrememberedrestaurant.com/