For Educators

A Curriculum Students Actually Want to Show Up For.

A 24-week, Common Core aligned course for grades 6-8 that uses the Disney films students already love as the hook into literary analysis.

What You’re Getting

Curriculum Overview

Once Upon a Source’s curriculum takes the same idea behind the book — pairing a Disney film with its original source story — and turns it into a full year’s worth of middle school literary analysis. Students already know the movies. That familiarity becomes the on-ramp into close reading, critical thinking, and genuine reading motivation.

Each week builds a skill: comparing texts, identifying theme, analyzing character and plot, and making evidence-based arguments — all anchored in stories students want to talk about.

24

Weeks

60

Minutes / Class

6–8

Grade Levels

CCSS

Aligned

Choose Your Coverage

License Options

Two ways to bring the curriculum into your school — one for a single classroom, one for a full institution.

License scroll illustration
What’s Included Classroom
$44.99 / yr
Organization
$179.99 / yr
Teacher’s Curriculum Guide Included Included
All 6 Student Workbook volumes Included Included
Reproduction rights 1 teacher, 1 classroom Institution-wide
Number of classrooms 1 Unlimited
Best for Individual teachers Schools & districts

Try It First

Free Sample Download

Get one full chapter handout from the curriculum, free — see the format, the discussion questions, and the writing prompts before you commit to a license.

Meets the Requirements

Standards Alignment

The full standards alignment is documented in the Teacher’s Curriculum Guide. At a glance, the course is built around these Common Core ELA strands:

  • RL.6-8.1 — Cite textual evidence to support analysis of source texts and their film adaptations.
  • RL.6-8.2 — Determine theme and summarize both the source story and the film version.
  • RL.6-8.3 — Analyze how character, setting, and plot change from page to screen.
  • RL.7.7 — Compare a written story to its filmed or staged version, analyzing techniques unique to each medium.
  • W.6-8.1 / W.6-8.2 — Write arguments and informative pieces using evidence from both texts.
  • SL.6-8.1 — Engage in collaborative discussion and debate about each chapter’s comparison.

Complete grade-by-grade alignment is included in the Teacher’s Curriculum Guide with every license.

For Schools & Districts

Request a Quote / Purchase Order

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From the Classroom

What Teachers Are Saying

“My students who never finish a reading assignment finished this one — and asked for the next chapter.”

— Sample quote, replace with real teacher Fan Voice

“The comparison format made theme and character analysis click in a way worksheets never did.”

— Sample quote, replace with real teacher Fan Voice

“Easiest curriculum adoption I’ve done — the standards alignment made the paperwork simple.”

— Sample quote, replace with real teacher Fan Voice

Real teacher quotes will populate this section as they come in through Fan Voices.