The Paper Bag Princess

Free lesson plan, writing template and printable word-search puzzles for kids

Best suited to:

Year 1 – Year 3

KLAs covered:

English

Australian Curriculum outcomes:

English: ACELY1656, ACELY1660, ACELY1661, ACELY1667, ACELY1670, ACELY1671, ACELY1677, ACELY1680, ACELY1682, ACELY1688, ACELY1690, ACELY1694.

NSW Syllabus outcomes:

English: EN1-4A, EN1-8B, EN1-6B, EN1-2A, EN2-4A, EN2-8B, EN2-6B, EN2-2A.

Learning:

• traditional fairy tales can be told in a different way;
• courage and resilience: Elizabeth doesn’t give up even when everything she owns is destroyed;
• problem-solving skills: Elizabeth outsmarts the dragon using her wits instead of force;
• self-worth and independence: Elizabeth realises she deserves to be treated with respect. When Prince Ronald criticises her appearance instead of appreciating her bravery, she confidently decides she doesn’t need him and walks away;

Need to know:

• The Paper Bag Princess is about strength, intelligence and self-respect. The story challenges traditional fairy tale roles by showing that a princess can be brave, clever and independent rather than waiting to be rescued;
• the book was first published in 1980 and has sold over 7 million copies around the word;
• the original version of the book ends with Elizabeth telling Ronald that he is a bum. Alternate versions have her telling him he is a toad;

Discussion Questions (before reading):

• show the children the front cover and ask what they think the story will be about. Brainstorm and write the children’s answers on the class whiteboard. You can use a know-think-wonder structure to discuss and record what the children say; 
• read the title and show the children the names of the author and illustrator. For younger children, review and discuss the meaning of the words author and illustrator;

Discussion Questions (after reading):

Note that some of these questions appear on the comprehension worksheets in the resource pack. 

• ask children what they thought about of the book. Did they like it? Not like it? Why? Which was their favourite page?
• go back to the know-think-wonder brainstorm you did before reading the book: was the story the kind of story you thought/predicted it would be? Why or why not?
• why do you think Elizabeth isn’t afraid of the dragon?
• how does Elizabeth show that she is clever?
• why do you think the dragon listens to Elizabeth when she asks him to show off his skills?
• what do you think does Prince Ronald expect Elizabeth to look like when she rescues him?
• why do you think Elizabeth decides not to marry Prince Ronald in the end?
• do you think Elizabeth made the right decision at the end of the story? Why or why not?
• if you were Elizabeth, would you have done anything differently?
• how does this story change the usual idea of a princess in a fairy tale?
• what do you think is the main message of The Paper Bag Princess?
• if you could write a sequel to this book, what do you think would happen next?

Whole-Class Activities

• discuss the setting, characters, problem and resolution;
• discuss Elizabeth. What kind of person is she? How do we know? What does she say and do to show us who she is? Brainstorm words that describe her and write them on the board. If you wish, write the evidence next to each characteristic (she shows us that she is resourceful/resilient/good at problem-solving when all her clothes are burned and she puts on a paper bag because it’s the only thing she can find to wear).

Individual Activities

There are templates for these activities to help scaffold children’s work in the resource pack.

• children complete a written re-tell of the story, using a first-next-then-finally scaffold, and illustrate their work;
• children complete a wordsearch using vocabulary from the book;
• children write and/or draw a response to the book. They can draw or write about their favourite part or write about something they learnt from the book;
• children complete a story map, listing the characters, setting, problem and resolution;
• children use a copy of the book to complete a word hunt: they write down a list of nouns, verbs and/or adjectives from the book;
• children answer comprehension questions – literal, influential and evaluative (these three pages are in the resource pack. They’re suitable for Years 2 and 3);
• children complete a book review;

Art Activities

There are templates for some of these activities to help scaffold children’s work in the resource pack.

• children create a picture of Princess Elizabeth using brown paper bags for her dress;
• children make a cardboard crown just like the one worn by Princess Elizabeth;
• children create paddle-pop stick puppets and use them to retell the story: