An Exercise in Creativity through Story and Community

Robert T. Graham

This unit utilizes the tradition of fairy tales in children’s lives. The fairy tale was used as an educational tool, a method to deliver essential information to children. It dealt with their curiosity through magical and enchanted plots, characters and consequences. This unit is designed for the art classroom at any level and can be adapted to core subjects, utilizing the art making activities as introductions leading to more serious study on literature, dramatic structure or fairy tale. Common core standards are addressed at the third grade level, as well as national visual art standards. The three activities described include mask making, story boarding, and character sketching. The unit is designed to increase creativity and visualization through critical thinking about how characters in fairy tales look, dress, move, and act. By looking deeply into a character, students will begin to assume its identity, allowing themselves to think freely and as a third party. Through this endeavor the teacher will facilitate freedom of creativity, personality and project choice. At the end of this unit students will be able to deeply deconstruct fairy tales and their characters into their cultural, historical, chronological and emotional aspects. Included is information on the Brothers Grimm, fairy tale’s use in childhood, magical elements, creativity, dramatic structure, and the oral tradition.