Twisted Fairy Tales (Grades 2+)

Shrek the Musical features lots of characters youll recognize from the fairy tales of Hans Christian
Anderson and the Brothers Grimm. What youll notice is that these characters act differently than they
do in those familiar stories: the prince does not get the girl, the princess is powerful, the ogre is the
hero, and the fairy godmother is not the magic helper she appears to be. You also learn more about the
bad guy Farquaad and what may have made him so angry.
Choose one of your favorite fairy tales and twist it. Write your fairy tale and illustrate it, then bind it
together to make your own book. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Change the setting

Tell the story from another characters point of view (for example, from the evil stepmother in
Snow White)

Change the characters (maybe Cinderella could be a boy)

What is the problem in our story? What is the solution?

Think about the common elements in fairy tales:

1.

Begins with Once upon a time and ends with happily ever after

2.

A setting in a faraway, mythical place.

3.

Characters whose actions represent good and those whose actions represent bad or evil

4.

Characters who are in positions of power, meaning royalty or wealth

5.

Characters who have no power and no wealth

6.

There is a problem that needs to be solved

7.

If the author personifies objects or anthropomorphizes animals.

8.

If patterns appear. For example, tasks or jobs may appear in "threes," sixes, and/or "sevens.

9.

A moral or universal truth. What lesson or discovery can we take from the story?

YOU! The Musical (Grades 3+)

Stephen Schwartz is a musical theatre lyricist and composer whose credits include Wicked and Pippin.
He says that most musicals have something called an I Want song. Its a song that the main character
sings about whats missing in their life and it gets the audience rooting for them.
Donkey sings Dont Let Me Go to Shrek so he can come along on the adventure.
Just hear me out, I might surprise you.
Ill be a friend when others despise you.
Dont roll your eyes! Stop with the mopin!
You need a pal. My calendars open!
Dont let me go.
Dont let me go.
Dont let me go-oh-oo-ohhhhh
What if your life was a musical and you were the main character? What would your I Want song be?
Would it be about wanting to fit in, to be noticed, to find love, to get famous? Write your song in the
space below.
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All Families are Unique (Grades 2+)

In Shrek the Musical, we see different creatures from different backgrounds becoming good friends or
falling in love and building families together.
Check out the book All Kinds of Families by Norma Simon. Draw a picture of your family and discuss
these questions together:
The simplest definition of family is a group of people who love each other. Who is in your family? Who is
in your friends families? How are they different? How are they the same?
Your family is bigger than you think! Research your family history and create a family tree.

Identity Collage (Grades 3+)

As a family or as a class, create representations of yourselves in the form of a collage. Cut pictures or
word phrases out of magazines that represent your personal interests and abilities, and arrange and
glue them onto a blank sheet of paper. When these collages are completed, number each collage and
display them. Without discussion, study the collages and then write down who you think each collage
belongs to. Afterwards, each collage will be identified by its owner and s/he will be allowed to explain
what the symbols in their collage stand for.

Academic Standards: Reading Benchmarks: Key Ideas & Details 3.2.3.3; Writing Benchmarks: Text Types & Purposes 3.6.7.7; Speaking,
Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks: Media Literacy 3.8.8.; Visual Arts, Artistic Process: Create or Make: 0.2.1.5.1

A Letter from Shrek (Grades 3+)

Look at the lyrics to Big, Bright, Beautiful World. Pretend youre little Shrek. Write a letter to your
parents, explaining how it made you feel that they kicked you out of the house. Now write a reply from
the point of view of one of the parents. What do you think was their motivation?

Dear mom and dad,

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Love,
Shrek

Academic Standards: Reading Benchmarks: Key Ideas & Details 3-5.1.1.1, 3-5.1.3.3, 3-5.1.4.4, 3-5.1.7.7; Craft & Structure 3-5.2.4.4, 3-5.2.6.6;
Writing Benchmarks: Text Types & Purposes 2.6.3.3, 3.6.3.3; Writing Process: Research to Build & Present Knowledge 2.6.8.8, 3.6.8.8;
Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy Benchmarks: Comprehension & Collaboration 3-5.8.1.1, 3.8.1.1; Presentation of Knowledge &
Ideas 3-5.8.4.4, 3-5.8.4.4, 3-5.8.6.6