SPIN-derella

This isn’t your average Cinderella story. With your students, decide on a fairytale or well-known story that your class knows by heart and then transform it!

Start by sourcing the storyline from your students, refreshing everyone’s memory of the classic tale. Afterwards, put your own “spin” on it by determining one aspect of the story to change. This could be the setting, a character or a major plot point. Discuss with your class how your adaptation might change the overall story and what would be different in this version, writing important moments on the board.

Now, it’s time to bring the story to life in a story whoosh! Stand in a circle and begin to walk through the outline of your adapted story. For each scene, have students jump in the middle and strike a tableau of what’s going on in the story. Students can embody characters or objects. Everyone on the outside of the circle can create a soundscape, form the setting or help to direct the scene in the middle. You can even ask each character what they’re thinking to hear their internal monologue! After you’ve created one scene, say “Whoosh!” and send everyone back to the circle. Now, move on to the next scene with new students jumping into the center to bring the action to life. Adapt and add on to your story every week to show how fairytales evolve over time.

To support this unit, use the Spellbinding with a Flutter of Fierce Fairies Activity.