Scott Foresman Reading Street

Folk Literature

	Examine features of a fairy tale.
	Practice a test-taking strategy.
	Compare and contrast across texts.

PREVIEW

Have students preview "Beauty and the Beast" by looking at the illustrations. Ask them to identify who the main characters are and where the story takes place. After they preview, ask:

Who or what do you think might be the magical character or event in the story? (Responses will vary; look for answers that focus on the Beast.)

Link to Reading

Help students use an online library catalog to find other fairy tales and other versions of "Beauty and the Beast." When students finish reading other versions, have them list similarities and differences on a separate sheet of paper to help guide their discussion.

Whole Group Discuss the Question of the Day.

“Beauty and the Beast.” See pp. 12f–12g for the small group lesson plan.

Reading

Group Time
Differentiated Instruction

Use pp. 35e–35h and
35k–35m.

Whole Group Use pp. 35a and 35j.

Language Arts

Grouping Options

FAIRY TALE

Use the sidebar on p. 30 to guide discussion.

A fairy tale is a type of fiction in which some of the characters and/or events are magical.
Although characters are fictional, and sometimes even magical, they still do and say things that human beings do and say. Characters in fairy tales are also stereotypes; that is, the good are always good, and the bad are always bad, and good always wins in the end.
Discuss good and bad characteristics with students and what kinds of conflict can arise between the two.

AudioText

Activate Prior Knowledge Most cultures have fairy tales, and many have tales similar to or the same as "Beauty and the Beast." Explain what a fairy tale is and look at the illustrations with students. Encourage them to share fairy tales they are familiar with and discuss common elements.

Possible response: It was snowing very hard, and he lost his way because he could not see the road.

Beauty and the Beast retold by Helen Strahinich

Once upon a time,
a traveling merchant became
hopelessly lost in the woods.
Snow began to fall, slowly
at first, then faster and faster.
Wolves howled all around him,
and the merchant realized he
was about to die. He worried
about his three daughters.

Suddenly, the merchant saw a
light in the distance. He walked
toward it and soon came upon
a castle. He knocked on the
door, but no one answered. He
entered the castle.

The merchant found himself
in a large, splendid room. A fire
burned in the fireplace and
a luscious feast rested on the
table. He waited patiently. No
one came, so he ate heartily and
fell asleep near the fire.

The next morning, the
merchant found fresh clothing
by the hearth and breakfast on
the table. He waited again, but
no one came. So he ate and
then went outside.

Link to Reading

Look for other fairy tales
in the library. Try to find
different versions of the
same tale. Read and
compare the versions.
Discuss them with your
classmates.

Many fairy tales end
with “they lived happily
ever after” to indicate
a happy ending.

Many fairy tales begin
with “Once upon a
time . . .” to show that
the story takes place
long ago and far away.

Genre

Fairy tales often have
magical characters
and events.

Fairy Tale

Why was the merchant lost?

Cause and Effect

merchant	a person who buys and sells goods; salesman
castle	a large building with thick walls and towers
hearth	the brick or stone floor around the fireplace

Consequences of Actions

You know that everything you do results in something.
These results, or consequences, may happen right away or
they may happen later. For example, if you have a snack before dinner, then a consequence that happens right away is that you are full. But another consequence is that you may not have room for dinner. It is important to think about different consequences before you do something. Think about what you expect will happen or what has happened if you've done this thing before. In order to make a responsible decision, it is important to think about all the consequences of an action and decide whether they are good or bad. If an action has good and bad consequences, you may decide not to do it because of the bad consequences.