Course: Fable & Fantasy (General) and Fantasy Literature (CP) This course examines major works of fantasy from around the world from the 1700s to present. Students will study fairy tales as well as more modern fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels to see how fantasy literature uses characters and plots that are impossible in real life to comment on our real life society. Emphasis will be placed on how works of fantasy literature teach morals, promote and/or perpetuate stereotypes about society, and satirize historical time periods or events.

Big Ideas and Enduring Understandings

Fantasy stories use imaginative characters and plots to teach a moral or lesson.

Fantasy stories, particularly fairy tales, contain archetypal characters that can perpetuate or debunk societal stereotypes.

Fantasy authors use made-up worlds and situations to make a statement about and/or satirize the real society that we live in.

Unit 1: Fables Approximate Time Frame: 2-3 weeks Standards Essential Questions Skills Content Vocabulary

RL.11-12.1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 W.11-12.1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10

What are the main components of a fable, and how do they work together to create a convincing moral?

How do fables use imaginary characters and situations to comment on our “real” society?

Students will read a variety of fables from different time periods to get a sense of what elements are commonly found in fantasy stories and how those elements help to teach a moral to the reader. Performance Tasks: Students will create a book of original fables for a twenty-first century audience based on the works of Aesop and James Thurber. Students will write a short essay or close-reading (2 pages) on the main text studied for this unit.

Fiction --“The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen --Selected stores from Aesop’s Fables --Selected stories from Fables for Our Time by James Thurber --Main text: Potential texts include The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, or The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Aphorism Fable Maxim Moral

Unit 2: Fairy Tales Approximate Time Frame: 4-5 Weeks

Standards Essential Questions Skills Content Vocabulary

RL.11-12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 RI.11-12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 W.11-12.1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

How do both classic fairy tales and their Disney film adaptations portray women, men, and people of color?

How do Disney movies perpetuate stereotypes and what kind of impact does this have on young viewers?

How do cultural variations of fairy tales differ and give us a greater understanding of the tale?

How does the film Shrek defy many of the stereotypes presented in conventional fairy tales?

Students will read a variety of fairy tales from different parts of the world, comparing and contrasting how each portrays its characters and promotes stereotyping, if at all. These fairy tales will also be compared to their modern Disney adaptations. At the end of the unit, students will watch Shrek and analyze how the film debunks many, if not all, of the stereotypes found in more conventional fairy tales. Performance Tasks: CP: Students will create an original fairy tale (3-5 pages) updated for a twenty-first century audience that defies stereotypes conventionally found in the genre. General: Students will choose and research one stereotype that is commonly found in fairy tales. Using a minimum of three reliable sources, they will create an annotated bibliography where they examine how multiple sources address their chosen issue. [SYNTHESIS]

Fiction (all fairy tales can be found in Classic Fairy Tales Norton edition [black book] in book room) --“Little Red Cap” by The Brothers Grimm --“The Beauty and the Beast” by The Brothers Grimm -- “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen -- “Cinderella” by the Brothers Grimm, “Donkeyskin” by Charles Perrault, “Cinderella” by Lin Lan, and “The Princess in the Suit of Leather” by anonymous. Nonfiction --“The Pervasiveness and Persistence of the Feminine Beauty Ideal in Children’s Fairy Tales” by Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz (CP ONLY) --“Seeing White: Children of Color and the Disney Fairy Tale Princesses” by Dorothy Hurley (CP ONLY) --“The Concept of Childhood and Children’s Folktales” by Zohar Shavit (CP ONLY) Film --Shrek --Clips of Disney movies/songs: The Little Mermaid’s “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Kiss the Girl,” Beauty and the Beast’s “Gaston,” and “Something There”

Archetype Stereotype

(Could also be modified to a research/synthesis paper for CP) CP and General: Students will write a response upon completion of the unit analyzing how Shrek functions as an “anti-fairy tale” that defies stereotypes about gender and race typically found in original fairy tales and their Disney adaptations.

--Selected YouTube clips on stereotypes in fairy tales

Unit 3: Early Fantasy Novels Approximate Time Frame: 4-5 Weeks

Standards Essential Questions Skills Content Vocabulary

RL.11-12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 RI.11-12.1, 2, 6, 7 W.11-12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10

How do fantasy novels satirize society in “real life”? Specifically, how does Lewis Carroll satirize Victorian England with his Alice stories?

How do events in the real world influence fantasy literature?

Students will read an early fantasy novel from the late 1800s or early 1900s that uses elements of fantasy and surrealism to satirize real-life society at that point in time. Performance Tasks: Students will research a particular aspect of Victorian England that is relevant to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to present to the class. Students will complete a written response after watching Tim Burton’s film adaptation of the book addressing the use of satire in each as well as how each version of the story fits into the fantasy genre.

Fiction --Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll Nonfiction --“Lewis Carroll: A Myth in the Making” by Karoline Leach --“Is Alice in Wonderland Really About Drugs?” (BBC Article) Film Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

Satire Victorian England Queen Victoria Surrealism

Unit 4: Modern Fantasy Novels Approximate Time Frame: 4-5 weeks Standards Essential Questions Skills Content Vocabulary

RL.11-12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 RI.11-12.1, 2, 5, 6, 7 W.11-12.1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10

How does Rowling use the Harry Potter series to address or comment on aspects of real-life society?

What is meant by the term morality? What are some of the moral choices presented to characters in the novel? What impacts the choices the characters make?

Students will read a fantasy novel from the mid-1900s to present and analyze in terms of how the novel teaches its readers about morality, as well as what characters/events mirror that of real-life society. Performance Tasks: Students will choose to either research the morality or popularity of the Harry Potter series, specifically Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Using a minimum of three sources, students will write a synthesis essay that examines the moral or educational merit of the Harry Potter series.

Fiction --Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling (Tolkien can also be used for this unit) Nonfiction --“Harry Potter and the order of the 60 scholars gets mixed initial reception” by Alison Flood --“Events in J. K. Rowling’s Life Shaped the Harry Potter Books” by Sean Smith --“The Life of J. K. Rowling” --“Harry Potter Isn’t Evil—And Can Be Used to Teach Gospel to Kids, Author Says” by Allison Kennedy --“Museum Compares Harry Potter Book Burnings to Nazi Bonfires” by Carl Hartman (AP) --“Where’s the Harm in Harry?” by Renee Graham (Boston Globe) --“Harry Potter and the Public School Library” by Todd A. DeMitchell and John J. Carney --“The Harry Effect: Popular Hero Shifts Literary Landscape” by Phil Kloer (Atlanta Journal) --“Book World is Under Harry Potter’s Spell” by Ruth Danckert (Hartford Courant) -- “Harry Hysteria” by Denise Neil (Wichita Eagle)

Wainscot Fantasy Morality Fate vs. Free Will

-- “Spellbound Over Potter’s’ Final Chapter” by Karla Adam (Washington Post) Film --Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Unit 5: Science Fiction Approximate Time Frame: 4-5 Weeks

Standards Essential Questions Skills Content Vocabulary

RL.11-12.1, 2, 4, 5, 6 RI.11-12.1, 2, 5, 6 W.11-12.4, 5, 6, 10 SL.11-12.1, 4, 6

What is science fiction and how do authors such as Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut use elements of science fiction to comment on and/or satirize society as a whole?

Students will read selections of science fiction, comparing and contrasting “fantasy” elements used in these stories to other literature we have read earlier in the semester, as well as how this genre uses the impossible to comment on real-life society. Performance Tasks: In addition to completing several short responses on the literature read, students will participate in a Socratic Seminar at the end of this unit discussing topics such as how Bradbury and Vonnegut’s work fits into the science fiction genre, how each author uses elements of science fiction to satirize real-life society, whether or not Slaughterhouse-Five should be a banned book, etc.

Fiction --“Tomorrow’s Child” by Ray Bradbury --Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Nonfiction --“The WWII Dresden Holocaust--‘A Single Column of Flame’” --“A Brief Biography of Kurt Vonnegut” by William Rodney Allen --“The Neverending Campaign to Ban Slaughterhouse Five” by Betsy Morris (The Atlantic) Film --The Ray Bradbury Theater – “Tomorrow’s Child” (on YouTube)

Dresden Pacifism Satire Science Fiction

Unit 6: Urban Legends Approximate Time Frame: 3 Weeks

Standards Essential Questions Skills Content Vocabulary

RL.11-12.1, 2, 4, 7 W.11-12.1, 4, 6, 7, 8 SL.11-12.2, 4, 5

How does fantasy play a role in our daily lives?

What are urban legends and how do they combine fantasy with our concept of reality?

Students will study urban legends from various time periods and cultures, analyzing how much of these legends can or cannot be proven. Performance Tasks: Students will research an urban legend of their choice and create a presentation via Power Point or Prezi to share with the rest of the class. Presentations will also include a works cited page with at least three sources.

Fiction --“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving Nonfiction --Excerpts from Legendary Connecticut: Traditional Tales from the Nutmeg State by David Phillips (Dodds recommends the Dudleytown and Black Dog of Meriden tales) Film --Monster Quest – “The Mothman” (on YouTube) --documentaries on Bigfoot

Legend Urban Legend