Difference Between Folktales & Fairy Tales

ByMichael Brent, eHow Contributor

Folktales

  • The history of folktales dates back to ancient times, when storytellers would entertain listeners with stories in the oral tradition. For storytellers, it made sense to tell tales to which the audience could relate. As a result, folktales typically involved everyday life, and would often feature clever peasants outwitting someone of a higher station. Folktales are common to most cultures, and sometimes included stories about animals that have human characteristics. These stories almost always had some sort of wisdom to impart.

Fairy Tales

  • Fairy tales are an offshoot of folktales that usually involve some sort of magical or supernatural element. Common elements in fairy tales include princesses, witches, elves, goblins, trolls and, of course, fairies. In a fairy tale, good will always triumph over evil. Fairy tales are typically geared toward children and tend to have somewhat simplistic plots. Numerous fairy tales have been adapted into animatedmovies, primarily by Disney, furthering the evolution of these tales.

Examples

  • Folktales are common to just about every culture on Earth, and have ancient origins. The Biblical tale of Noah and the ark, for example, is likely derived from the ancient Sumerian tale of Gilgamesh. Native American culture is rife with folktales that typically imparted wisdom and advice to the listener. Examples of folktales include the American "tall tales" involving figures such as John Henry and Paul Bunyan. Aesop's fables are also considered folktales. Examples of fairy tales include "Snow White," "Cinderella," "SleepingBeauty" and numerous others.

Differences

  • Although both folktales and fairy tales share similarities in terms of intent and execution, there are substantial differences between them. Fairy tales contain imaginary creatures, typically feature magic and enchantment and are intended forchildren. Folktales are meant for adults, and often contain content that could be considered violent and bawdy. Parables, fables and legends all fall under the banner of folktales. Unlike fairy tales, the characters in folktales would typically face the consequences of their actions and rarely wound up living "happily ever after."

Name______

Fairy Tales: Central Message

Title of Book:______

What is the central message of this fairy tale?

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Give two examples from the story that support the central message,

  1. ______
  1. ______

Name: ______Date: ______

Compare and Contrast Chart

Differences

with regards to

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Compare and Contrast Chart

Differences

with regards to

Characters
Setting
How does the problem get solved?
Illustrations
Point of View

Name ______Date ______

Name ______Partner’s Name ______Date ______

What is the main topic of this section of the text?

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Story Mapping

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Title of Book:

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Characters:

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Setting:

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Problem in the Story:

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Events in the Story:

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Solution to the Problem:

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Directions: Answer the questions by finding an important sentence that includes evidence to answer the question. Make sure that you can back up your answer with related evidence from the text.

Question / Significant Sentence / Significant Phrase / Significant Word
What reasons does the book give that the city is a busy place?
What clues in the book tell you about the kind of people that live in a city?
Significant Sentence / Significant Phrase / Significant Word
Where in the text do you find information about city animals?
Point to evidence that people in a city have lots to do.

Name ______Date _____

Making Text-to-Self Connections

Book title ______

Textual evidence:

When I heard the part about…

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Connection:

It reminded me of…

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Inference:

I think the character felt…

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Making Text-to-Text Connections

When I read the book ______

it reminded me of the book ______

because

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Name ______Date ______

Making Text-to-Text Connections

When I read the part in ______about

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It reminded me of the part in ______

Here is how these two things are alike:

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Name ______

Close Read Assessment Non-Fiction

Read the article “Warm and Furry Polar Bears”. What was the author’s purpose for writing this article and how does the author’s word choice give you clues to support your claim?

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Name ______

Close Read Assessment Non-Fiction

Read the article “Warm and Furry Polar Bears” and “A Polar Bear Grows Up”. How does organization of both articles help you as a reader?

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