"Do I Have to Have a Princess in My Story?": Supporting Childrens Writing of Fairytales

There are many reasons why children do not enjoy writing. For one group of 54 third graders, an opportunity to write fairy tales using process writing techniques assisted them in overcoming their anxiety and dislike for writing and improved its quality. Comparison of two fairy tales and a rough draft the children produced throughout an intensive 12-week fairy tale writing project indicated improvements in the third graders' writing. Analysis of the intertextuality of their fairy tales and recursive analysis of writing samples, strategies, and field notes provided evidence that the children embedded their own life experiences and vocabulary, as well as incidents of brutality and gore, in their second fairytales. The results indicated that writing strategies introduced through focused mini-lessons and feedback that valued children's writing choices were critical for the positive influences on these children's writing.