Rumpelstiltskin

Junior
Junior Journal 56 Journal
Level 2 56
retold by Kylie Parry This text is levelled at Gold 1

Overview
In this humorous retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, the author surprises This text requires students to “confidently use a range of processing and
and delights the reader with modern twists. This story provides comprehension strategies to make meaning from and think critically
opportunities for students to make connections to their knowledge about” text (from The Literacy Learning Progressions, page 14).
of other fairy tales and to enjoy and explore the author’s use of A PDF of this story and an audio version as an MP3 file are available at
language. This story is accompanied by a humorous poem “Naming www.juniorjournal.tki.org.nz
the Goblin Baby.”

Related texts
The traditional version of Rumpelstiltskin
Other traditional fairy tales, in particular those with “patterns of three”, resourceful heroes, and/or memorable villains (for example, The Three Little Pigs,
The Billy Goats Gruff, Jack and the Beanstalk)
Stories that play with the features of fairy tales, for example, The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole, and the
Ready to Read shared book The Three Princesses

Text characteristics
“Rumpelstiltskin” includes the following features that help develop the reading behaviours required at Gold.

A mix of explicit and implicit content that requires Descriptive vocabulary including literary phrases (for example,
students to make connections between ideas in the “gasped with surprise”, “spread far and wide”, “quicker than the
text and their prior knowledge to make predictions eye could see”) and alternatives to “said” (for example, “muttered”,
(for example, that the Goblin will spin the gold for “boasted”, “continued”, “ordered”, “asked”, “cried”, “repeated”,
Maddie) and make inferences (for example, why the “replied”, “chortled”, “called”) some of which may be unfamiliar,
characters behave as they do) the meaning of which is supported by the context, the sentence
structure, and/or the illustrations

Ideas and “This is all Dad’s fault”, she muttered. It had all started a So now, here she was – shut in a room with a spinning Several characters and
information few weeks before, when Maddie’s father had been talking wheel and a pile of straw. Maddie looked at the straw. events including shifts
with some other farmers. There was no way she could spin it into gold. “What can
organised in I do?” she cried. in time both backwards
Then she heard a voice.
paragraphs “Girl, what will you give me
and forwards, requiring
if I help you?” students to notice
Maddie jumped. A strange,
ugly little goblin was standing changes in illustrations,
in front of her. “How can you
punctuation, and key
help me?” she asked.
“My daughter is the most beautiful in the land,” boasted “I can spin straw into gold,” words and phrases to
one farmer. said the goblin. “What will
Contexts and keep track of
“My daughter can sing like a bird,” said another. you give me?” he repeated
ideas that may “Well, my daughter can … spin,” said Maddie’s father. with a sly smile.
The other farmers stared at him. Her dad couldn’t stop
be unfamiliar to himself – he had to exaggerate. “I haven’t finished,” he
some students continued. “My daughter can spin straw into gold!”
The other farmers gasped with surprise.
The story spread far and wide, and it wasn’t Frequent use of
long before the King heard about Maddie.
He sent for her to come to his castle. dialogue, some
“Spin my straw into gold,” he ordered.
of which is not
“And what if I don’t?” Maddie asked.
“I’ll throw you into my deepest dungeon,” replied the King. attributed
16 17

A variety of sentence structures, including compound and complex Humour created through the
sentences, requiring students to notice and use linking words and modern setting and language,
phrases (for example, “with”, “and”, “But”, “So”, “if”, “In fact”, the characterisation, and
“as”), indicators of time (“Once upon a time”, “a few weeks before”, Maddie’s attempts to guess
“when”, “now”, “Then”, “In a flash”, “The next morning/night”, Rumpelstiltskin’s name
“once again”), and punctuation to clarify the links between ideas

The Literacy Learning Progressions

Reading standard: after three years at school

The above spread: Teacher support material for “Rumpelstiltskin”, Junior Journal 56
Text and Illustrations copyright © Crown 2018 Copyright © Crown 2018
Accessed from www.juniorjournal.tki.org.nz 1
ISBN 978 1 77669 277 4 (ONLINE)
 Curriculum contexts Reading purposes and learning goals

English (Reading) Select from and adapt the suggestions below according to your students’ strengths, needs, and
experiences – their culture, language, and identity (Reading and Writing Standards for Years 1–8,
Levels 1 and 2: Selects and reads texts for Knowledge of the Learner, page 6).
enjoyment and personal fulfilment.
Possible reading purpose
Level 2 – Ideas: Show some (What can the students expect to find out or think about as a result of reading this text?)
understanding of ideas within, across,
and beyond texts. • To find out what happens to Maddie
• To think about how this story is the same as and different from the original story of
Level 2 – Language features: Show some
Rumpelstiltskin
understanding of how language features
are used for effect within and across Possible learning goals
texts.
(What opportunities does this text provide for students to learn more about how to “read, respond to,
Level 2 – Purposes and audiences: and think critically” about texts?)
Show some understanding of how texts
are shaped for different purposes and This text provides oppportunities, over several readings, for students to:
audiences. • make connections to their prior knowledge (including knowledge of “Rumpelstiltskin”) to make
predictions and inferences
• ask themselves questions about aspects they are not sure of and attempt to find answers
• identify and track the main ideas and events in the story (summarise)
• use information in the text to visualise and make inferences about the characters
• make connections to their knowledge of fairy tales to identify some common features
• analyse (identify and discuss) some examples of how the author has used language for effect
• monitor their reading, and when something is unclear, take action to solve the problem, for
example, by rereading a sentence or looking for clues close by.
The New Zealand Curriculum The Literacy Learning Progressions

Text and language features Possible supporting strategies

(Use these suggestions before, during, or after reading in response to students’ needs.)

Vocabulary Prompt the students to remember the strategies they can use, often in combination, for example:
• when decoding:
• Possibly unfamiliar vocabulary: –– recognising word chunks or syllables (for example, “over-joyed”, “cheer-ful–ly”, “Band-y-legs”,
“spun”, “fleeces”, “fault”, “boasted”, “Slug-master”)
“exaggerate”, “continued”, “straw”, –– using analogies to known words (“bun”, “run” – “spun”, “dungeon”; “tiny” – “shiny”)
“deepest dungeon”, “goblin”, “sly”, –– drawing on their knowledge of common digraphs (for example, “boasted”; “surprise”;
“shiny gold”, “bowed”, “disappeared”, “triumph”) and their knowledge that some letters or letter combinations can have more than
“overjoyed”, “cheerfully”, “in despair”, one sound (“exaggerate”, “dungeon”, “promise”)
“promise”, “first-born child”, “weird”,
“complete”, “cunning”, “panic”, –– using context, sentence structure and illustrations to confirm decoding attempts
“creature”, “searched”, “chortled”, • when working out word meanings:
“GPS tracker”, “claim”, “nowhere –– using the context of the sentence and the paragraph
near” –– making connections to their prior knowledge
• The names that Maddie suggests –– reading on to look for further information, including looking at the next word or words to
help clarify a noun phrase
–– noting terms they are not sure of and want to find out more about.
Have a dictionary available for students to confirm or clarify word meanings, but remind them that
they can make a best attempt at a word and come back to it later.

Readers are able to use strategies for working out unfamiliar words only when they know most
of the vocabulary in the text. For English language learners who need support with vocabulary,
introduce and practise selected items before reading. For more ideas, see ESOL Online:
Vocabulary.

Sounds and Words

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 Introducing the text

A short video on the importance of introducing the text is available the story involves attempts to guess Rumpelstiltskin’s name and
at: https://vimeo.com/142446572 that they will need to work out how to say the names. Review
some of the word-solving strategies they might try, such as
Use your knowledge of the students to ensure that your introduction
breaking the word into chunks, looking for the biggest familiar
to the text is effective in building or activating their prior knowledge
part of the word, and drawing on their knowledge of letter–sound
and providing appropriate support for a successful first reading.
relationships.
Select from and adapt the following suggestions:
• Have the students look at the illustrations on pages 14–15. They
• A few days before, tell or read the traditional version of are likely to notice the contrast between the modern-day New
Rumpelstiltskin to build (or confirm) students’ prior knowledge. Zealand sheep farm setting on page 14 and the traditional fairy
(This could be a whole-class activity.) This is particularly tale setting on page 15. Encourage them to speculate as to how
important for students who may not be familiar with traditional the illustrations might be connected (keeping in mind what they
English fairy tales. You could also show a video clip to build know about the traditional story of Rumpelstiltskin). Check that
students’ understanding of what a spinning wheel does. they recognise the spinning wheel in each illustration and prompt
• Support the students to identify some of the common features them to recall its role in the traditional version. You could record
of fairy tales (for example, a setting in a distant time and place, any questions or predictions they have about these pages.
a king and/or queen, tasks to complete, events happening in • Together, set the purpose for reading. Share the learning goal(s)
threes, magical events, heroes and villains, happy endings). for the first reading. You can address other goals on subsequent
• Support the students in reading the title, drawing attention to readings.
how it is “chunked” (by colour) into syllables. Remind them that • You could give the students sticky notes to mark aspects of
particular interest or parts they might want to return to later.

Reading and discussing the text

Suggestions for ways that you can support the students to achieve the learning goals are in the right-hand column of the table below. Select from and
adapt the suggestions according to your students’ needs.
Encourage the students to read the text by themselves, intervening only if it’s clear a student needs help. During the first reading, the focus is on
students experiencing and enjoying the story, following the events, and making and reviewing predictions (forming and testing hypotheses). Much of
the processing that they do is “inside their heads”, and may not be obvious until the discussion after the reading. There will be many opportunities to
provide support with word-solving and comprehension on subsequent readings.

Student behaviours Deliberate acts of teaching

Examples of behaviours that will help the students achieve their learning goal(s). Examples of how you can support individual students (if
needed).

The first reading

• The students use information in the text and illustrations and draw on what • Prompt the students to keep in mind their questions
they already know about the story of Rumpelstiltskin to make predictions and or predictions about the apparent mismatch between
inferences. They use punctuation and indicators of time and place to track the pages 14 and 15 and to make connections with what
sequence of events. For example: they know of the traditional version as they look for
–– at the end of page 14, they infer from the phrase “But one day” and the clues.
ellipsis that the story about Maddie getting into “big trouble” is about to
start
–– they recognise on page 15 that Maddie is in “big trouble” and predict that
the following pages will explain how this happened
–– they use the phrase “It had all started a few weeks before” on page 16 to
confirm their prediction
–– on page 21, they predict that the GPS tracker will play an important part in
the story and look for further clues about how it affects the action as they
read on.
• They begin to notice (and anticipate) the patterns in the story (the setbacks
and the solutions and the patterns of three – three tasks, three nights for
Maddie to guess the name).

• They use the illustrations and look for key words to clarify their understanding • Encourage the students to think about the characters
and help visualise events and characters. For example: and to look for clues about them in the text (including
–– on page 14, they use the illustration and the words associated with farming the dialogue) and the illustrations.
to confirm the setting and build a picture of Maddie and her everyday life
–– on page 17, they use the illustration, the descriptive language (“strange, ugly
little goblin”, “sly smile”), and the goblin’s repeated requests for Maddie to
give him something, to visualise him as a tricky character.

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 • The students demonstrate self-monitoring and problem solving. For example: • Remind the students of strategies they can use when
–– they use sentence structure and the overall context of the paragraph to infer the meaning is unclear.
the meaning of “spun their fleeces” on page 14
–– on page 17, they make connections to their knowledge of the original tale to
infer what “sly” means and look for further clues as they read
–– they draw on a range of decoding strategies to attempt the names Maddie • Provide support with decoding the names as required.
suggests on pages 21 and 23
–– on page 22, they look for clues to confirm their understanding of what a GPS
tracker is and why Maddie has used it
–– they mark aspects that may be unclear or of particular interest. • Encourage the students to note things they want to
come back to. Remind them that asking themselves
questions and making notes or marking sections will
help focus their thinking.

• As they finish reading, the students check any notes they have made and • Encourage the students to think about their reading
reflect on how the story is similar to and different from the traditional tale. purpose and to review any notes they’ve made.

Discussing the text

You can revisit this story several times, focusing on different aspects and providing opportunities for the students to build comprehension.
Select from and adapt the suggestions according to your students’ needs and responses to the reading. Many of the suggestions can be explored
further as “After-reading” activities.
DIGITAL
TOOLS For some suggestions, you may find it helpful to project the PDF of the article so that you can zoom in on relevant sections.

• The students share their initial responses to the story, identifying • Enjoy the students’ responses to the story – and to the names that
their favourite part. Maddie suggests for the goblin.
• The students explain what they have discovered about the link • Remind them of the reading purpose and their specific questions
between the illustrations on pages 14 and 15. or predictions about pages 14 and 15, and have them summarise
• They identify and discuss the sequence of events in the story. the story (what happened and why). Ask questions to prompt their
thinking, for example, Why did Maddie get locked up by the king?
What was her plan to find out the goblin’s name? Encourage them to
refer to the story to clarify points.
• The students identify text features that helped them (for example, • Ask the students to identify features of the story that helped them
specific indicators of time and place, the illustrations, and track the sequence of events.
punctuation such as the ellipsis at the end of page 14 indicating
that the main story is about to start and the three asterisks on page
19 indicating the end of the first part of the story).
• The students identify examples of descriptive language, • Have the students think, pair, and share words and phrases that
illustrations, and dialogue that helped them build a picture of the helped them understand what was happening or build a picture of
characters and events. a character.
• They use clues in the text and illustrations and make connections to • Use questions or prompts to support the students to understand
their own experiences to clarify the meanings of unfamiliar words unfamiliar vocabulary, for example: What is a dungeon? Show me
or phrases. how you might “gasp with surprise”. What are some other words we
could use instead of “sly”? Why was the goblin “grinning in triumph”?
Show me the clues that helped you work out the meaning of “rage.”
• The students discuss some aspects of how the author has made this • Ask the students to think critically about how the author has
story entertaining, and they identify some favourite examples. shaped the story to entertain the reader. Support them to notice
such aspects as:
–– the change to a modern setting
–– the use of dialogue to convey character
–– the characterisation (Maddie as the hero, her foolish Dad, the
greedy king, and the sly goblin)
–– the ridiculous-sounding names
–– the conversational style (for example, the use of ellipses and the
author’s comment “(and rich)” on page 19
–– the vivid descriptive language.
• The students identify similarities and differences between this • Have the students compare this version of the story with the
version of the tale and the traditional version. They think critically traditional tale (keeping in mind that traditional versions also vary).
about the two versions and share their opinions of the differences. You could create a comparison chart and begin filling it in together,
and then have the students work in pairs as an after-reading activity
to explore a particular aspect. (See After reading.)
• DIGITAL
TOOLS You could use Google Docs to create and share the
comparison chart.
• Encourage the students to think critically about aspects of the story
that could (and could not) happen in the real world.

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 How you can support your students to be metacognitive
Here are some ways you can build students’ awareness of the processes and strategies they are using as they make meaning and think critically.

With support, the students reflect on their learning. Remind the students of the reading purpose and learning goal(s).
• The students describe how they addressed challenges in the text. • Ask the students to identify a challenge they had when reading and
For example: how they solved or attempted to solve it. Note any aspects you
–– reading on, using the illustrations, and thinking about the might want to return to in subsequent lessons.
meaning of the sentence or paragraph to work out unfamiliar
words or phrases
–– using the context (who the characters are, what the previous
sentence or piece of dialogue has been about), speech
marks, and paragraph indents for new speakers to track the
unattributed dialogue on pages 17, 19, and 21.

After reading: Practice and reinforcement

After-reading tasks should arise from your monitoring of the students’ needs during the lesson and should provide purposeful practice and
reinforcement. Where possible, make links to other reading texts, including texts generated by the students, and to the wider literacy programme (oral
language, writing, handwriting, word games and activities) and other curriculum areas.
• Provide further opportunities for students to reread this text and other similar stories (see Related texts). They could reread the story as they listen
to the audio version. Audio versions also provide English language learners with good models of pronunciation, intonation, and expression.
• Read other fairy tales (including humorous adaptations) or trickster tales to the class. Enjoy exploring the common features or interesting
differences in the tales, for example, the pattern of “three”. (The TSM for The Three Princesses includes a useful summary.
http://instructionalseries.tki.org.nz/Instructional-Series/Ready-to-Read/The-Three-Princesses
• Invite the students to role-play a favourite part of the story. They might interview a character using cue cards, for example (to Maddie), “How did
you feel when the goblin showed up the first time?”, “What other things could you have given the goblin?”, or “Do you blame your father for all this?”
The students may be able to use some of the questions they thought of as they first read the story.
• The students could work with you or in pairs to create a comparison chart started earlier (as shown below).

Features in “Rumpelstiltskin”
Story features This version The traditional version
Main good character (the hero) Maddie, a farmer’s daughter

Main bad character (the villain) Rumpelstiltskin, a goblin

Other characters King, father, other farmers, ...
Important places farm, castle, Maddie’s house, beside the river
The time setting (when the story the present day
happens) when Maddie is a child and
when she is an adult
Patterns of three Three times Rumpelstiltskin spins straw into gold
Three things Maddie offers Rumpelstiltskin
Three nights to guess the goblin’s name
Goblin names guessed Creepy McCreepy Face, Bandylegs, Cragglehop ...

DIGITAL
TOOLS You could use Google Docs to create and share the comparison chart.
• Provide opportunities to practise making inferences, using explicit and implicit information in the story (in text and illustrations). Ask the students
to add descriptive phrases or sentences to pictures of Maddie and/or Rumpelstiltskin.
• Explore the use of the suffix “est” in the superlative adjective “deepest” (“deepest dungeon”). Discuss the meaning in this context, then experiment
with adding “er” and “est” endings to the root word (deep, deeper, deepest). Build comparative and superlative adjectives from other root words in
the story (for example “big”, “strange”, “ugly”, “sly”, “cool”, “shiny”, “angry.”)
• Start (or add to) a class collection of interesting words and phrases, including figures of speech (for example, “quicker than the eye could see”, “in a
flash”, “dark with anger”). Use opportunities to incorporate some of the phrases into shared writing and encourage the students to use them (where
appropriate) in their own writing.
• The students could work in pairs to make up their own goblin names. They could make up entirely new names, or innovate on Maddie’s suggestions
(or those in the “Naming the Goblin Baby” poem) by changing just a few letters (for example, Bandylegs – Bendylegs, Cragglehop – Crogglehopper,
Slobbydosher – Sluggydasher, Foodlewoodle – Feedleweedle).

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