Unit Introduction
Fairy tales are a germ of literature. They encapsulate not just foundational archetypes and tropes, but the essential narrative form itself. The lattermost is precisely what this unit acquaints students with, through basic literary analysis.
For many years, this has served as the first ELA unit I teach to new students, and I can think of few better introductions to both the language arts and the philosophy of First Literary Explorations.
- Foundational texts
- High expectations for in-text annotations
- Clear class examples
- Allowance for meaningful student choice
- Strong claims to organize instruction
The concepts covered begin with a student’s first instruction in analytical reading (following Adler and Van Doren’s How to Read a Book, together with Zimmermann and Hutchins’s 7 Keys to Comprehension). Then students are expected to use annotation to read for plot, character, and theme.
There is some writing, especially using the CER format, but it isn’t until the next unit, Ancient Wisdom Literature, that we outline and draft paragraphs.