Theme: Mythical Creatures

This unit deals with fantastic beasts of all kinds - fairies, dragons, mermaids, trolls, a giant, Peter Pan, the ‘bogeyman’, monsters and various magical beings, and more.

It is vital for teachers to understand the Ziptales 10 stage Reading Scheme, which governs how reading groups can be formed in a way which matches children’s abilities to the appropriate texts. To check on this essential resource - click here.

The 10 Zip Stages cover all levels of reading ability, from Foundation/Prep/Kindergarten through to Year 6. This scheme underpins the whole Themes module.


Learning Components

Focus Stories Comprehension Conventions Writing Speaking & Listening Extension
Zip Stage 1
I Wish
(Short Vowels
Easy Readers)
Worksheet #1:
Find the Missing Words
Worksheet #2:
Adding ‘ing’
Write a sentence about the wish in the story you liked the best. Listen to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Which animal from I Wish is in this fairy tale? Paint the magic hen and a golden egg with treasure inside.
Zip Stage 1
Have You Ever?
(Consonant Blends
Easy Readers)
Classify the creatures in the story as ‘real’ or ‘not real’. Worksheet #1:
Sorting Words
Worksheet #2:
Finish the Sentences
Talk to a partner about some fun things you could do if you met a friendly monster. Use a paper plate to make a scary monster mask.
Zip Stage 2
The Lonely Dragon
(Long Vowels
Easy Readers)
Worksheet #1:
Answering Questions
Sort words from the story under the headings ‘a-e’, ‘i-e’ and ‘o-e’. Worksheet #2:
Write a Narrative
Read the story aloud as Reader’s Theatre. Create the dragon from the story using egg cartons.
Zip Stage 3
Wendy and the Fairy
(Storytime)
Multiple Choice Questions Worksheet & Worksheet #2. Study words with ‘y’ ending making long ‘e’ sound e.g. Wendy, fairy, party. Imagine you found a fairy in your garden. Write a story about it. Co-operative Cloze:
Work together to complete Worksheet #1.
Make fairy puppets using clothes pegs or icy pole sticks.
Zip Stage 3
Wendy and the Dragon
(Storytime)
Multiple Choice Questions Worksheet & Worksheet #2 Make a word family for –ight words. Write five facts about a real animal with ‘dragon’ in its name e.g. dragonfly. Co-operative Cloze:
Work together to complete Worksheet #1
Make the dragon egg using balloons and papier mache.
Zip Stage 3
Wendy and the Genie
(Storytime)
Multiple Choice Questions Worksheet & Worksheet #2. List soft ‘g’ (genie, magic) and hard ‘g’ words (big, great). Write about three wishes you would make stating reasons for each. Co-operative Cloze:
Work together to complete Worksheet #1.
Decorate a jar (glass paint, glitter, gems) to make a genie lamp.
Zip Stage 3
The Billy Goats Gruff
(Storytime)
Multiple Choice Questions Worksheet & Worksheet #2 Worksheet #1:
Word Building
Worksheet #3:
What happened to the troll?
Use the script to perform the story to an audience. Worksheet #4:
Let’s Create
Zip Stage 3
The Lonely Giant
(Imaginary Worlds
Junior Readers)
Worksheet #2:
What’s the Order?
Worksheet #1:
Missing Words
Write the rules for a fun game you could play with a giant. Listen to or view Jack and the Beanstalk. Talk about how that giant is different to Gumble. Use pictures and speech bubbles to explain the events in the story.
Zip Stage 4
Peter Pan
(Timeless Tales)
Multiple Choice Questions Worksheet & Worksheet #2 Worksheet #1:
Which Word?
Imagine you visited Neverland. Write a story about your adventures. Use the script (found here) to read the story as Reader’s Theatre. Design a poster about a mythical creature from a movie/book.
Zip Stage 4
The Bogeyman
(Scary)
General Worksheet #1:
Sequencing
General Worksheet #2:
Verbs
Write a story about a friendly bogeyman. Read or view Hansel and Gretel. In pairs, compare the witch to the bogeyman. Find stories that use scary creatures to teach children a lesson e.g. Little Red Riding Hood.
Zip Stage 4
Three Wishes
(Fantasy)
General Worksheet #1:
Wishing Rules
Study adding ‘es’ to words ending in sh, ch, z, x or s (e.g. wishes). General Worksheet #2:
Give Them Some Help!
Discuss stories where mythical creatures have special powers. Find examples of other mythical creatures that grant wishes.
Zip Stage 4
I’m Not Afraid
(Scary)
Write a detailed description of the monster in the story. General Worksheet #1:
Compound Words
General Worksheet #3:
Write Your Own Play
In pairs, make a top 10 list of the scariest mythical creatures. General Worksheet #2:
Pack Your Bags
Zip Stage 4
Mr Moogle is Missing
(Fantasy)
List the ways Kate’s Mum and Dad tried to help her. General Worksheet #2:
Wonderword
Write a story about a friendly monster living in your bedroom cupboard. General Worksheet #1:
Peculiar Pets
Orally share responses.
Design a ‘Missing’ poster for Mr Moogle.
Zip Stage 5
The Billy Goats Gruff
(Fairy Tales)
General Worksheet #2:
Actions and Reactions
General Worksheet #1:
Amazing Adjectives
Write about what you think happened to the troll. Classify books/movies that portray trolls as friendly OR horrible. General Worksheet #3:
Snapshot of a story scene
Zip Stage 5
The Mermaid
(Myths & Legends)
Explain why Joseph’s feelings about living under the sea change. General Worksheet #1:
Can You See a Silent ‘B’?
General Worksheet #3:
Life Under the Sea
Group Discussion General Worksheet #2:
Fact or Fiction?
Research facts about King Neptune.
Zip Stage 5
Dr Wow in Atlantis
(Adventure)
Write a detailed character description of Uncle Harry. General Worksheet #1:
Swapping Synonyms
General Worksheet #2:
Facts About Mammals
In pairs, design your own mythical sea creature. Use craft materials to create a mythical sea creature.
Zip Stage 6
The Bravest Knight
(Fantasy)
General Worksheet #4:
Artist’s Impression
Create a spelling list of words with a silent ‘k’ (e.g. knight). General Worksheet #1:
Fearful Encounters
General Worksheet #3:
Knight Jokes
General Worksheet #2:
Could you be a Knight?
Zip Stage 6
Welcome to Fairyland
(Fantasy)
General Worksheet #2:
Welcome to Fairyland
Locate compound words in the story (e.g. fairy + land = fairyland). General Worksheet #1:
Great Beginnings
In pairs, research facts about the folklore of elves. General Worksheet #3:
Pictures in Your Mind and on the Paper
Zip Stage 6
Medusa (Myths & Legends)
General Worksheet #3: The Road to Victory General Worksheet #1: Similar Synonyms Complete General Worksheet #4 then choose one of the gods or goddesses to research. In pairs, create a mythical creature worse than Medusa. General Worksheet #2: Who Am I?
Zip Stage 6
The Minotaur & the Maze
(Myths & Legends)
Write detailed character descriptions for Theseus, the King of Minos, Ariadne & the Minotaur. General Worksheet #1:
A‘maze’ing Spelling Rules
General Worksheet #3:
Write Your Own Myth
In a small group, decide on 10 reasons you would use to persuade the Minotaur not to eat you. Complete General Worksheet #2 then create a poster about 10 Greek-derived prefixes.
Zip Stage 6
The Pearl Dragon
(Myths & Legends)
General Worksheet #3:
What Would You Do?
General Worksheet #1: Choosing Conjunctions
Find 10 – 15 more conjunctions in the story.
Worksheet #4:
Tampering with Titles
Present an oral report on the historical significance of the Chinese dragon. General Worksheet #2:
Questions and Answers
Zip Stage 7
The Twelve Labours of Hercules
(Myths & Legends)
Briefly summarise each of the twelve labours of Hercules. General Worksheet #1:
Finding ‘phunny’ Words
General Worksheet #4:
Stepmothers: Nasty or Nice?
General Worksheet #3:
Crime and Punishment
Share stories within a small group.
General Worksheet #2:
Character Descriptions
Zip Stage 7
Eliza & the Troll
(Myths & Legends)
General Worksheet #1:
Feelings Profile
Study the prefix ‘un’ as in Eliza returned unharmed. Imagine Eliza does not return home. Write an alternative ending. General Worksheet #2:
Find the Word
Complete with a partner.
Compare the troll in the story to trolls from other myths & legends.
Zip Stage 7
The Little Mermaid
(Fairy Tales)
Summarise how the mermaid is feeling on each page of the story. General Worksheet #1:
Handy Homographs
General Worksheet #3:
Imagine If...
Partner Activity –
General Worksheet #2:
Just a Dash
Research the origin of mermaids.
Zip Stage 8
The Toy Dragon
(Scary)
General Worksheet #1:
True or False?
General Worksheet #2:
Adding ‘ed’
Write a narrative about the toy dragon’s next adventure. Design a toy dragon for good children and present it to an audience. Complete a research project on the history of dragons.
Zip Stage 8
The Luck Child
(Fairy Tales)
General Worksheet #2:
What Comes Next?
General Worksheet #1:
Amazing Adverbs
Create your own myth using the beast and old woman from the story. In pairs, research mythical creatures with golden feathers. General Worksheet #3:
Bad Luck, Good Luck
Zip Stage 9
Sinbad
(Adventure
Advanced Library)
Explain how Sinbad escaped the dangerous situations he encountered in the story. Worksheet #1:
Changing Verbs into Nouns
Worksheet #2:
Legendary Monsters
Worksheet #2:
Extension Activity 1 -
Conduct a survey
Worksheet #2
Extension Activity 2 –
Modern day takes on mythical creatures
Zip Stage 9
The Magic Shop
(Fantasy and Sci Fi
Advanced Library)
Worksheet #1
Extension Activity –
Design a dust jacket
Worksheet #1:
Powerful Prefixes
Worksheet #2:
The Magic Sword
Task 2 - Compose an imaginary text
Work with a partner to complete one of the Extension Activities from Worksheet #2. Worksheet #2:
The Magic Sword
Task 1 - Research magic swords


Assessment Ideas

Spelling/Grammar
  • Generate a spelling list related to the topic for students to learn using words such as: creature, monster, troll, dragon, fairy, wizard, witch, unicorn and elf.
  • Use the Word Work and Spelling and Vocabulary Worksheets for the Reading Library stories to improve students’ spelling skills.
  • Write each of the words from the spelling list in their plural form.
  • Select a passage from one of the on-line stories as dictation assessing the spelling of high frequency words.
Reading
  • Complete the Fill the Gaps and Multiple Choice questions at the end of the story (available for the Junior Readers, Reading Library and Advanced Library genre stories).
  • Use the Learning Support Worksheets for the Reading Library stories to practise a range of reading skills.
  • Complete a profile about one of the mythical creatures from the on-line stories using the headings: Name, Appearance, Characteristics, Likes and Dislikes.
  • Design sociograms about the relationships between the characters from one or more of the on-line stories
  • Create a mind map using the topic Mythical Creatures.
Writing
  • Write narratives using the following topics:
    Fairies in the Garden
    The Friendly Dragon
    The Curse of the Good-Looking Troll
    The Unicorn Who Couldn’t Fly
  • A mythical creature appears by mistake in the present. Write about its adventures.
  • Write a descriptive poem about an encounter with a mythical creature.
  • Write an information text about a selected mythical creature.
Oral Language
  • Hold a ‘dress up’ day where students come dressed as a chosen mythical creature. Each student presents an oral report about their costume and why they chose to dress as that creature.
  • Students write a detailed ‘Who Am I?’ using a chosen mythical creature and read it aloud to the class.
  • In small groups, role play one of the on-line stories to the class.
  • Present an oral report about how the concept of mythical creatures has changed over time.
Related Ziptales Activities:

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