Recently with a shift in distance learning, teachers are working hard to give their students access to books without being in the actual classroom for the read aloud experience.
I have always loved my fairy tales unit in the elementary classroom, and I used many of these comprehension activities to help teach comprehension skills with fairy tales. To support teachers during distance learning I have added some of the activities digitally using Google Slides, but I realize now that the physical books are missing this can be a problem.
Here are some links to versions of favorite fairy tales. These links are not to my own videos or text, to please be sure that the links still work and are appropriate for your students before sharing them! I have commented on each one in regards to how compatible with my fairy tale comprehension resources it is.
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk by Best Children’s Stories
This version simply fits best with the basic comprehension and sequencing materials included. It does in go into a deeper discussion at the end of the story, which may be hard for the students to understand, but the actual version of the story is compatible.
Jack and the Beanstalk by KiddoStories
This version of the story actually has Jack go up the beanstalk three times, so it is a more extended story than the basic retell, but could still work with the comprehension materials.
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood video by Little Cozy Nook
This is a read aloud version of James Marshall’s story. It does have the wolf eating the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood as well as a hunter killing the wolf, so just check it out if you’d like to use this version. I have versions of vocabulary for both a hunter and wood cutter in my comprehension materials, so this version should work fine.
Little Red Riding Hood video by Gigglebox
This is an animated and narrated version of the basic story. In this version the wolf does swallow Little Red and the grandma, but the woodsman comes and shakes them out of his mouth and then the wolf runs away.
Little Red Riding Hood video by Kiddo Stories
This one is a basic version, great for beginning retelling. The wolf locks the grandmother in the closet and then a woodcutter comes and “beats” the wolf to rescue them. This is my favorite version to match the comprehension resources I have created.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
I’ll be honest, the plot of this story varies very little, so it is easiest to find versions for this story that closely match.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Kiddo Stories
This version is my favorite for teaching comprehension and using the materials I have created.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Read Aloud video by James Marshall’s Fairy Tale Collection
This is a video version of the James Marshall story.
Three Little Pigs
Once again this is another story which doesn’t vary widely. The basic differences, such as whether the wolf eats the pigs or not don’t really affect the retelling materials I have created. In my version of the sequencing, I did make the last slide a picture of the fireplace, so the ending is pertinent to those digital pages, however the print versions have flexibility with the ending.
The Three Little Pigs by Kiddo Stories
I love this version because it is basic and clear enough for comprehension skills for beginning readers. This version does not have the pigs being eaten, and does involve the wolf falling into the boiling water, but he jumps right up the chimney and runs away.
The Little Red Hen
The biggest variation in versions of this story are the different animals that are in different versions. I refer to the animals very generally in the comprehension resources so it supports many different versions.
The Little Red Hen Read aloud by Curious World
This is a great story for children who are reading because it shows and highlights the text as they read.
Three Billy Goats Gruff
Three Billy Goats Gruff video by Giggle Box
I love this version of the story. It’s basic, but also has some descriptive words in in. It also works well with the visuals (including the troll falling into the water with a big splash.)
To check out my fairy tale comprehension unit activities, click here!
