Once upon a time, there was a first grade teacher with a sweet little class. She loved reading fairy tales to them like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Red Hen, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and many more. But one day, the king told the teacher and the first graders that they couldn't go to school anymore. The poor teacher and students wept bitterly.
What were they to do? The teacher got out her computer and made a plan. Google Slides to the rescue! And the teacher and her students read happily ever after again!
Does this sound familiar? When the pandemic hit, we were just about to start our fairy tales unit, my favorite part of the school year. I was so disappointed. I had already created these Fairy Tale Units in print so I decided to make them digital for distance learning. My 1st graders loved them and I'm sure yours will too! This would be appropriate for 2nd grade as well. Here is all that is included in each Google Slides Fairy Tales unit.
These are some sample pages from the popular traditional fairy tale stories I have created including Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Little Red Hen. Students can listen to the story read to them or read the Google Slides independently. The fairy tale books can be downloaded and printed also. See a video of The Little Red Hen Here!
For each book, you can choose from several comprehension and story response activities. The slides have text boxes so the students can type their answers. They cannot move the other graphics and words as they are in the background. This is a digital Cause and Effect Worksheet.
Each story has the Story Elements Questions for character, setting, problem, and solution and also questions that relate to that particular fairy tale. Students click on the text boxes to fill in their answers.
Students can practice Retelling the fairy tale books with these pages with transition words.
Another way to practice writing and to respond to stories is to write a Letter to a Fairy Tale Character. Students can take on the point of view of one of the characters or write as themselves and tell the character what lesson they should have learned.
Story Maps are another way to see if students are understanding story elements.
This Fairy Tale Sequencing Activity has the student drag the story pictures to the numbers to put them in order.
Another drag and drop activity is this Fairy Tale Character Trait Comparison. Students can learn and review adjectives to describe fairy tale characters both heroes and villains.
Each Fairy Tale has a Nonfiction Book Companion!
Three Little Pigs > All About Pigs
Three Billy Goats Gruff > All About Goats
Goldilocks and the Three Bears > All About Bears
Jack and the Beanstalk > All About Beans
Little Red Riding Hood > All About Wolves
This Gingerbread Man > How to make a Gingerbread Man!
The Little Red Hen > All About Chickens
Each book has Vocabulary Cards from the nonfiction text. Students can listen to the sound explanations of the words. Try one out here!
These online Vocabulary Worksheets help students practice their newly learned vocabulary from the text. They type their answers in the text boxes.
Two pages of Comprehension Questions about the nonfiction text are included in each unit. Students type the answers in the text boxes.
Students can label the parts of the animals and the plant by typing in the text boxes on these Diagrams.
For the Bean Plant Life Cycle and the Pig Life Cycle, students drag and drop them in order.
To organize thoughts for pre-writing, I have provided two Graphic Organizers, the above can/have/are or eat/are/have depending on the subject and the Webs below.
There are 2 Choices of Writing Outlines. Less experienced writers can use the outline with the topic and conclusion sentences filled in. The can/have/are organizer makes good sentences for the three facts.
Writers who have a little more skill can use Level 2. Then after some editing, students can type their final draft on the paper below. Any of these can be printed since they are the 8 1/2 x 11 size.
This has been a very stressful time. We really struggled this past spring with 3 kids bing "homeschooled" and two of us "working from home." I am one of those parents who threw up her hands and said, "We're not doing any more school!" It was rough!
These are classic fairy tales. Parents are going to know them. First graders may need some assistance from parents, especially if they are unfamiliar with Google Slides, but they are very simple and self-explanatory. You can even add directions in the notes at the bottom of each slide if you feel the need. Second graders should be able to handle it no problem if they have used Google at school.
You can assign the story and the assignments together or separately in Google Classroom. I have given instructions in the file on how to separate the pages out into individual files if desired.
I am not a fan of online teaching. I miss my first graders so much! When schools closed, teachers did what teachers do, adapted to the situation with very little guidance or materials and did the very best we could for our students. Eventually, this too shall pass. But I think we all have learned a whole new bag of digital tricks! A computer can never replace a real teacher, but technology certainly has a place in our world.
These Google Slide Fairy Tale Units can easily be used in the classroom. They can be assigned to Google Classroom. They can be used whole-class or in small groups. I will continue to use them in my classroom when we get back to "normal."
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Watch the preview videos here:
You may also be interested in my printable
Keep on Teaching!
