Genre Lesson: Fantasy

Transcription

1 LESSONS & UNITS: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE 5TH GRADE UNIT Genre Lesson: Fantasy Learning Outcome Identify the fantastical elements in a work of fantasy fiction Duration Approximately 2 Days (50 minutes); Independent Practice-Ongoing Necessary Materials Provided: Elements of Fantasy Chart: Popular Fiction, Fantasy Finder, Fantasy Finder 2, Elements of Fantasy page (Student Packet, pp. 2-3) Not Provided: Chart paper, markers, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Lesson Plan ACTIVATION & MOTIVATION Select two student volunteers to play Two Truths and a Lie. Have each student share two statements about themself that are true and one statement that is a lie. It is the job of the student volunteers to think of a realistic or convincing lie so that the class will have a difficult time guessing if the statement is a truth or a lie. It is the job of the other students in the class to guess which statement is the lie by asking the student yes or no questions. The teacher will conclude the game by also stating two truths and a lie about his or herself. The teacher s lie will be a fantastical statement. For example: My car broke down this morning. I love getting gifts at Christmas. I was born with small goat horns. Ask students which statement is a lie and to explain how they know. Obviously, students will agree that # 3 is a lie, because it is impossible. There is no such thing as a goat/human hybrid, except in Fantasy Fiction. DIRECT TEACHING will define Fantasy as a genre of fictional stories not restricted to reality and record the definition on the board or chart paper. I will explain that some aspects of Fantasy are realistic, but what makes Fantasy a unique genre are the imaginative, fantastical elements. I will introduce the genre Fantasy Fiction to the class by comparing and contrasting it with Realistic Fiction. While the volunteers in the game Two Truths and a Lie chose realistic lies that were as believable as the truths, I chose a lie that was absolutely impossible. Similarly, Realistic Fiction includes fictional (not real) stories that seem realistic or possible, while Fantasy Fiction has imaginary and fantastical elements where anything is possible. Therefore, it is important to recognize fantastical elements, to distinguish Fantasy Fiction from other genres. What are the elements of Fantasy Fiction? I will list the elements on chart paper: magical objects, imaginary places, invented languages, nonhuman characters, myths, and a good vs. evil plot line. I will note that all of the elements will not be included in one story, but one or more are necessary to be considered a fantasy. As I list the elements on chart paper, I will provide popular examples for each fantastical element. Each example will clarify what it means to identify fantastical elements in literature. For example, in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy s ruby slippers are examples of magical objects. They protect Dorothy from harm with magical protective powers. These are not realistic shoes but instead important to the journey that Dorothy is about to take in the novel. See Elements of Fantasy Chart: Popular Fiction for an example. I will model identifying fantastical elements by reading the first excerpt from the Fantasy Finder. I will do this by identifying a fantastical detail in the story. I will classify that detail as one of the elements of Fantasy Fiction (magical objects, imaginary places, invented languages, nonhuman characters, myths, or a good vs. evil plot line), and I will probe further by describing this fantastical element. I will describe its appearance, its purpose, and its relation to characters by locating any explicit information about this magical detail I can find in the text. THINK CHECK Ask: "How can I identify whether a story is Fantasy?" Students should answer that there should be magical creatures, impossible objects, mythical places, invented language, or a good vs. evil plot line, to be considered Fantasy Fiction. GUIDED PRACTICE will read the excerpts on the Fantasy Finder 2. This handout has four excerpts from fantasy stories. Below each excerpt, we will record any

2 LESSONS & UNITS: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE 5TH GRADE UNIT Genre Lesson: Fantasy fantastical details we find in the text and we will classify them according to the Fantasy elements charted earlier. As we examine each excerpt, we will discuss what makes each detail fantastical. We will locate and discuss the explicit information in the text about these magical or unrealistic details. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE will receive a Student Packet. Throughout the Fantasy Unit, you will fill in your Student Packet as you read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. You will start by identifying the fantastical objects, words, nonhuman characters, and aspects of setting in Chapters -4 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. You will record your findings on the Elements of Fantasy page in your Student Packet. (See pp. 2-3 in the Student Packet.) You will also use this Student Packet throughout the unit to complete in-class lessons and homework about the novel. REFLECTIVE PRACTICE will discuss the fantastical elements that have been identified in Chapters -4 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. These could include: Tumnus, talking beavers, the magical wardrobe, time not passing in the wardrobe, magical Turkish Delight, etc. Continue to pause in later sections of the book to identify additional fantastical elements. For example, when Edmund gets to the Queen s castle, what is realistic and what is fantastical about this place?

3 Genre Lesson: Direct Teaching Chart Elements of Fantasy: Popular Fiction Chart Element of Fantasy Fantastical Detail in a Story Description of the Fantastical Detail Magical Objects Imaginary Places Invented Languages Nonhuman Characters Myths Good vs. Evil Plots Ruby slippers in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.* *In the book, the slippers are silver. In the movie, they are ruby. Willy Wonka s magical Chocolate Factory in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Parseltongue is a secret snake language found in the book Harry Potter. Hobbits in the Lord of the Rings. Peter Pan is based on Pan, a mythical god that never ages. Lord Voldemort s battle with Harry Potter. The ruby slippers are magical slippers that once belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy got these sparkling red shoes after her house fell on top of the witch in Oz. The slippers protect her from the Witch s sister and will grant her a wish to return home. Wonka s chocolate factory includes a river of chocolate with enough chocolate to fill every bathtub in the entire country. The grass and flowers are made of candy and minted sugar. Machines can shrink you into a tiny person, and special seltzer can make you float. It is the language of Salazar Slytherin (founder of the house of Slytherin at Hogwarts). Humans cannot hear the language. To humans, it sounds like hissing without taking a breath. Harry Potter received this power when he received his mark from Lord Voldemort. Hobbits are a nonhuman race of creatures living in Middle Earth. Hobbits are very short. Adult hobbits grow to only 2-4 feet, whereas adult humans can grow above 6 feet. Hobbits have elfish, curly hair. They can live to be 30 years old (much longer than the average human). Peter Pan is based on the myth of an ancient god named Pan. He is forever youthful, wild, and playful just like Peter. He is also called the spirit of nature. Lord Voldemort is an evil wizard who wants to live forever, rid the world of humans or muggles, and reign over the wizarding world. Harry is the good protagonist, who seeks to make the world safe for muggles and wizards alike. 200 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

4 Genre Lesson: Direct Teaching Chart Fantasy Finder Excerpt: Wakeem sat on the forest floor. His knee was bleeding from the fall, and he could barely move his ankle. From behind the trees, Wakeem spotted a shining white light moving closer to him. From what he could see, that light was an animal a white horse with a horn on top of its head. That s when Wakeem realized he spotted his first unicorn. The unicorn stood by a tree and made eye contact with him, as if it wanted to say something. Then, Wakeem opened his mouth and began to speak. When his words came out, they sounded like gibberish. He thought he was asking for help, but it sounded like hiccupping. The unicorn nodded, and it trotted right alongside Wakeem. Wakeem grasped the unicorn s mane. He lifted himself up onto its back. The unicorn galloped off further into the forest in search of help. Unicorn Description: The unicorn first appears as a white light. It is a white horse with a single horn on its head. I think the unicorn is a kind creature because it rescues Wakeem. Hiccup Language Description: A language that sounds like hiccupping. Wakeem uses it to ask for help from the unicorn. It may be exclusively a unicorn language. Nonhuman Creature Invented Language 200 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

5 Genre Lesson: Guided Practice Handout Fantasy Finder 2 When I laced up my new shoes, the wings on the back began to flap. My shoes lifted me up through white and grey clouds, puffy across a perfect blue sky. I felt like Icarus, the boy in Greek mythology who tried to fly but flew too close to the sun. As I flew, I was careful to stay away from the sun, which felt hot on my shoulders. I flew for most of the day, but my legs began to tire, and the wings on my shoes flapped more slowly. I spotted land beneath me, so I tucked my knees into my chest, and then extended my legs above my head. I made a nose dive for Earth and crashed onto the ground with the speed of lightning. My head spun in pain. I would have to learn how to safely land with these shoes, if I ever hoped make it back home in one piece. Vanessa drew her sword from its sheath. It glistened, despite the fact that there was no sun in the land of Cronos. It was strange to live in a place where the sky was always a dark shade of gray. There was no difference between day and night in Cronos and nothing grew. Plants need natural light, but here there was no hope of green matter surviving without the sun. The land was dry and the air was cold. This is why Vanessa and the other Sun Warriors had to battle the Warriors of Darkness. To restore life to the land, those who wanted death and decay needed to be dethroned. 200 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

6 Genre Lesson: Guided Practice Chart Fantasy Finder 2 When I laced up my new shoes, the wings on the back began to flap. My shoes lifted me up through white and grey clouds, puffy across a perfect blue sky. I felt like Icarus, the boy in Greek mythology who tried to fly but flew too close to the sun. As I flew, I was careful to stay away from the sun, which felt hot on my shoulders. I flew for most of the day, but my legs began to tire, and the wings on my shoes flapped more slowly. I spotted land beneath me, so I tucked my knees into my chest, and then extended my legs above my head. I made a nose dive for Earth and crashed onto the ground with the speed of lightning. My head spun in pain. I would have to learn how to safely land with these shoes, if I ever hoped make it back home in one piece. Flying Shoes Description: Shoes that have wings on them. When you lace them up, they launch you into the air, where you can fly. Icarus Description: A character in Greek mythology who tried to fly. He failed when he flew too close to the sun. Magical Object Myth Vanessa drew her sword from its sheath. It glistened, despite the fact that there was no sun in the land of Cronos. It was strange to live in a place where the sky was always a dark shade of gray. There was no difference between day and night in Cronos and nothing grew. Plants need natural light, but here there was no hope of green matter surviving without the sun. The land was dry and the air was cold. This is why Vanessa and the other Sun Warriors had to battle the Warriors of Darkness. To restore life to the land, those who wanted death and decay needed to be dethroned. Land of Cronos Description: Cronos is a land with no sun. It is dry and cold, and no plants can grow here. The sky is always gray. Sun Warriors vs. Warriors of Darkness Description: There is a battle over those who want life (Sun Warriors) and those who want death (Warriors of Darkness). Vanessa is fighting for the good of Cronos. Imaginary Place Good vs. Evil Plot 200 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved