FREE ACTIVITY: Tic-tac-toe About Fairy Tales and Fables

One of the quiet joys of teaching is leafing through a coursebook and spotting themes that resonate with you. When that happens, lesson planning is far more enjoyable.

Last year, I had the delightful surprise of working with Shine Bright 2de (Nathan), a coursebook that featured two units close to my academic heart: one on the Harlem Renaissance (a focus of my MA research) and another exploring fairy tales. 

To complement the latter, I created an interactive tic-tac-toe activity based on famous quotes from fairy tales and fables. 

Here’s how it worked: 

• Students, divided into two groups, took turns selecting a number from the grid.

• Each number revealed a quote, and they had to guess the title it came from.

• A correct answer earned them a cross or a circle on the board.

• With a touch of magic (and the press of a key), the correct cover appeared in a “magic mirror,” and a small potion bottle whisked us back to the main board.

Two buzzers added a bit of healthy competition, as the quickest team got to answer first! 

It was a joy to see students so absorbed in playful learning. 

The delightful template came courtesy of Slidesgo, a treasure trove for educators seeking beautifully designed resources. 

Click here to access the activity.

Feel free to use it, adapt it, and share it with colleagues, but please note: this material is intended for educational purposes only. If you use it, kindly ensure proper credit is given and the sources of the selected texts are accurately cited.

See you next time!