The Envelope Please

(Writing Fairy Tale Award Speeches)

How Long It Will Take: 2 blocks of 30 to 45 minutes each

What You Will Need: "Fairy Tale Characters" list (see below), student journals, pencils or pens

Cinderella has been waiting for weeks for a letter to arrive by mail. Finally it is delivered, and she eagerly tears open the envelope and begins reading. With a whoop of joy, she reads that she has been voted the all-around most enchanting fairy tale character of the year and that she will receive the much coveted Golden Wand Award.

Each year this prestigious award is given to one lucky fairy tale hero, heroine, or villain who has proven their utmost nastiness or goodness in living up to their fairy tale reputation. Cinderella has been invited to the nationally televised FTCAPT (Fairy Tale Characters Are People Too) awards night to receive her award personally. The only problem is that she lacks a well-written speech; this is where your students become involved.

Here's How it Works!

Choose your favorite character from the Cinderella story that deserves the Golden Wand Award. The character should be one that is traditionally known as "good" or "bad."

List of Characters:

Cinderella
Prince Charming
Ezmerelda (stepsister)
Hortense (stepsister)
The Wicked Stepmother
Fairy Godmother

Once you have chosen a character, they will need to write a speech that addresses the following points:

Whom the character wants to thank (those who helped the character get to this point in his or her fairy tale "career").
Why the character is honored to receive this award.
Where the character will keep the award trophy.
Other interesting and creative tidbits the character might say in an awards speech.

Hold a class brainstorming session to create an outline for each sample speech so that students will have a working knowledge of what to include. Emphasize creativity, depth, and imagination, and then set your students free to explore their speech-writing talents.

After your speech is complete share it with your class.

Note For Teachers:

This activity is a wonderfully creative way for students to explore character development. They will get the chance to choose a fairy tale character they think is worthy of the Golden Wand Award and create an awards night speech for that character. Beg in by encouraging each student to choose a favorite fairy tale character, one that deserves this award. The character should be one that is traditionally known as either "good" or "bad."

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