January Readers Workshop

The Fantasy Genre:  What is Fantasy?

Genre Characteristics:

·      talking animals

·      magical powers

·      often set in a medieval universe

·      possibly involving mythical beings

·      contains elements that are not realistic

·      Fantasy stories often involve journeys and quests

In this fantasy unit of study, we will teach the following skills:

·      Envisionment

·      Interpretation

            Both of these skills will rely heavily on Inferring, because we believe that all skills done well are inferential and move past the written word of the text. Students will create vivid “movies in their mind” full of details and then use Envisioning to connect more meaningfully with their texts. They will use theories and ideas created in their envisioning to explore the connection between the big ideas in the stories they read and their own lives.

Goal: Students will be able to…

•       Understand how the genre works and how to use common characteristics of fantasy to support comprehension and prediction.   

Common characteristics include: main character/companion, quest (internal vs. external), magical worlds, and good vs. evil, objects symbols, protectors/guides, and political/social criticism.

•       Demonstrate reading skills of envisioning, determining importance, monitoring for sense, and inferring.

•       Students will determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary

•       Students will interpret themes within & across fantasy books.

•       Students will identify symbolism present in fantasy books.

•       Write two literary essays discussing themes present in fantasy books.

•       Write two literary essays discussing themes present in fantasy books.