Introduction

You are going to be whisked away to a land of fairy tales! You have heard five fairy tales that come from different countries. You are going to travel to the lands these tales come from and learn about their cultures. You are going to learn how you can see these cultures in the fairy tales.

It's fun to visit other places, but you are going to want to get back to your real life! In order to get back, you must answer some questions about each fairy tale and the culture of the country it comes from. You will work with a group, and your group will post your answers to the questions online. When you have answered all the questions you will be sent back home.

When you get home, you will reflect upon your adventure. Then you will think about your own customs and traditions, and you will write your very own fairy tale that shows some things about your life! You will post your fairy tale along with an illustration on the class wiki. Abracadabra! Begin!

Questions to keep in mind on your journey:

• What is the difference between a fantasy story and a reality story?
• What is a fairy tale?
• How can I see things in the fairy tale about the country it comes from?

The Task

With a group, you are going to research information about the countries that five fairy tales come from. Then you will answer questions on a wiki. You are also going to write your own fairy tale. Your fairy tale will mention at least 3 customs or traditions from your own life. You will type your fairy tale in Microsoft Word, then copy and past it to the class wiki.

And the Fairy Tales are...(click on the name of the country or continent to view a map of the region)

1. Little Red Riding Hood: The Classic Grimm?s Fairy Tale by Andrew Flaxman, Patricia DeLisa, and Christopher Bamford from Germany
2. Paul Bunyan by Stephen Kellogg from the United States.
3. Woodcutter and the Heavenly Maiden Korean by Duance Vorhees, Mark Mueller, and Pak Mi-Son from Korea
4. The Lion's Drum: A Retelling of an African Folk Tale by Gregory and Claudia Obata from Africa
5. Pedro and the Coyote- Based on Mexican Folk Tales by Sandy Sepehri and Brian Demeter from Mexico

The stories in the list above are all stories your teacher has read to you. In fact, you have probably heard each story more than once. You have also discussed these stories in your classroom. You have talked about the illustrations in each story, and you have talked about what country each story comes from. Finally, you have also learned that fairy tales can show things about the country they come from.

First, Your Groups...

You will be completing the first part of your webquest with a group of your classmates. You will be answering questions about the fairy tales listed above and the places they come from. If two heads are better than one, then four heads are great, right? Your group will have four people in it. Each person will do a little of the work, and together you will get a lot of work done! Here is how the groups will work:

1. Your group members will count off using the numbers one through four. Your number will tell you what your job in the group will be. Look at number two to see what the jobs are!
2. Decide what your job will be. (Click on the name of the job to find out what you will do) The jobs are:
   1. If you are a 1, you will be the Location Expert.
   2. If you are a 2, you will be the Clothing Expert.
   3. If you are a 3, you will be the Ideas Expert.
   4. If you are a 4, you will be the History Expert.
3. Now you are ready to start working!

Taking a Trip Around the World...

Now that you know which books you will be working with, and which countries they come from, it is time to start doing your research. Here is how you will do it:

1. Go to the webquest page for the country or continent and its fairy tale. (These are listed below)
2. Read the four questions about the country or continent and its fairy tale that are listed on the page.
3. Find the link for your job title (which Expert you are) and click on it.
4. You will see only the question with your number next to them listed with links to help you answer the question.
5. When you have thought about what you want to say, you are ready to type your answers!
6. Type your answers in Webnote, an online tool for taking notes. Click here for directions for using Webnote.
7. When you have answered all of your questions, go back and visit each page for each country or continent and its fairy tale. Explore the links on the pages for the other members of your group.
8. Also visit the Fun Links section on each page.
9. When your whole group is finished, review your webnote page together. Each Expert should take a turn talking about their answer for each of their questions. The other Experts may also ask any questions they have.

The Countries/Continents...
(click on the name to go to that place's webpage)

• Germany for Little Red Riding Hood
• The United States for Paul Bunyan
• South Korea for Woodcutter and the Heavenly Maiden Korean
• West Africa for The Lion's Drum
• Mexico for Pedro and the Coyote

Finally! It's Time to Write Your Own Fairy Tale...

Now you have explored five different fairy tales and the countries or continents they come from. You have seen how the culture of the land is present in each fairy tale. Did you know that you have a unique culture of your own? Your family has their own traditions, and you have your own ways of doing things. You are going to write your own fairy tale that has at least three special things from your life in it.

Your fairy tale is going to be a fantasy story. That means that you can really use your imagination. You can even write about characters or events that couldn't really happen! Look below to see exactly how to write your story.

1. Think of three special things about your life that you can include in your story. You may want to use where you live, a family tradition or celebration, the kinds of clothes you wear, or some of your ideas about life.
2. Think of a main character for your story. Do you want it to be a Prince or Princess? A talking animal? A dragon or other magical creature? When you have thought of a main character, give your character a name.
3. Think of something your character is going to do. Is your character going to go visit a relative? Fight a battle? Rescue someone? When you have decided what you want your character to do, you are ready to begin writing.
4. Now, open up Microsoft Word on your computer by clicking on the picture of the blue W on the desktop. It looks like this:
   

5. Click on it twice to open it.
6. Begin typing your story. Your story should have at least ten sentences. When you are finished, make sure to give it a title. To read some example fairy tales, click here.
7. When you are done typing save your story.
8. Copy your story.
9. Click here to go to the class Wiki. Log in using the following information:
   email address: lmsimony@mindspring.com
   password: student
10. Click the button that says Log In.
11. Click on your name.
12. Click on the tab that says Edit at the top.
13. Paste your story into the page.
14. Click the Save button.
15. Congratulations! You are done! Read and enjoy all of the fairy tales on the wiki.

You will be graded on your individual work on this project. Please look at the rubric below to see how you will be graded.

You have learned many things about fairy tales and the cultures they come from. You have also learned a lot about 5 different cultures. You can tell how a country or continent's culture is shown in a fairy tale from that region. And, best of all, you can write your own fairy tale that has something to do with your life. You did a fantastic job, and you will live happily ever after!

Please click on images to view references. All material, except for images and outside links © 2008 Larkyn Simony-Choplin. Webquest format based on a template from The WebQuest Page