Storytelling for a Change: Stereotypes are Silly! (no-prep lesson plan)

On the 8th of March we celebrate the Women’s Day – and it usually sparks a discussion about sex, gender, roles in society and stereotypes. I, naturally, am a feminist, and that’s one of the reasons I find social stereotypes interesting to talk about. I know some of you avoid this topic and I absolutely understand it. However, I have never shied away from the potentially controversial issues and somehow my students – children, teen and adults alike – have never disappointed me. I only need to remember not to push my opinion and be a fair moderator.

If you feel confident enough to teach a nice and funny class about social roles – feel free to use my lesson plan!

Lesson: Storytelling for a Change
Time: 45 mins
Age: 10+
Level: A2+
Areas covered: past tenses, conditionals

Introduction (5 min)

Ask your students about fairy tales – the iconic ones like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel etc. Encourage them to discuss gender stereotypes, where little girls are usually witty and resolute (Hansel and Gretel, the Snow Queen) and somehow they grow to become damsels in distress waiting for their knights in shining armors. What happens on the way? What happens to the boys, as the fairy tales only tell us that they are brave and willing to risk their lives to save the aforementioned damsel which is plain stupid, isn’t it? Try to make a little brainstorm and write a list of the most unrealistic traits of characters in fairy tales.

Watching the video (5 mins)

Explain that you are going to watch a video where the protagonist of a popular fairy tale is not a girl, but a boy – ask your students to share their reactions after watching the video:

Discussion (10 mins)

Once the students shared their reactions, try to discuss gender stereotypes – obviously, your students will notice the female empowerment, but encourage your students to focus on Bropunzel himself. Isn’t he far more interesting than a knight in her shining armor? He looks like a really friendly and adorable character, doesn’t he – and definitely shows more of his personality than the stereotypical male in a fairy tale.

Ask your students to make a list of personality traits that are almost unused in the fairy tales – emotional men, independent women etc. Think of the Lord of the Rings and one of the most heartwarming analysis:

Creating a story (10 mins)

Divide your students into groups or pairs and ask them to choose a fairy tale and retell it to make it more, well, sensible. They don’t have to change the gender of the characters (although it may be really funny), but let men ask for help and let women support them, or maybe make everyone androgynous because why not. Let them include as many variables as they want, but there is one rule: the story must be instantly recognisable.

Storytelling contest (10 mins)

Once your students created their stories, it’s time to share them with others! Spend some time on short storytelling sessions and ask all of your students to share feedback on the sensibility and plausibility of characters. Make sure to appreciate your students’ endeavours!

Summary (5 mins)

As a homework, ask your students to think about fairy tales and the characters a child gets familiar with. Do they think it’s time to readjust some tales to make them more contemporary, or quite contrary – they should be left untouched, as a memory of the times long lost, yet kept alive in stories?