Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students identify the similarities and differences between a traditional and contemporary version of The Three Little Pigs. Students demonstrate comprehension by acting out scenes from each of the stories. They are assessed based on how well they are able to portray the differences between the characters, setting, and plot in the two versions of the story. Note: While this lesson focuses on The Three Little Pigs, it can be easily adapted to any well-known story or fairy tale.

Length of Lesson:

Four 45-minute class periods

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• become familiar with two versions of a well-known story.
• identify the literary elements of a story (setting, character, plot, etc.).
• compare and contrast the literary elements of two versions of the same story.
• act out scenes from different versions of a story.

Supplies:

• A picture book of the traditional story The Three Little Pigs. A suggested version is:
  Parkes, Brenda and Judith Smith. The Three Little Pigs. Rigby Education, 1992.
• Trivizas, Eugene. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. New York; Aladdin Library, 1997.

Instructional Plan:

Session 1

Begin the class by asking students to identify the basic elements of a story (setting, character, and plot). If students are having trouble identifying the elements, review the Vocabulary worksheet. Ask students to think of their favorite story. Then, ask students questions such as:

• "What is the setting of the story?"
• "Can you tell what happens in one scene in your favorite story?"
• "What or who are the characters in the story?"

Read a short story aloud to the students. While reading each story, stop frequently and ask the students questions about the literary elements. For example, "Who are the characters in this scene?" "How would you describe the setting on this page?"

Introduce and review the vocabulary, if you have not already done so. Focus on the word "traditional." Ask students, "Do you and your family have something that they do regularly, either during a holiday or at a particular time of year?" Allow students a short time to share traditions in which their families participate. Clarify that a tradition is something that is repeated over and over again, and explain how the term can be applied to a story or a piece of literature.

Ask students to raise their hands if they have read or heard the story The Three Little Pigs. Explain that this is a traditional story that has been passed down for many generations. Tell students that it is a story that their grandmothers and grandfathers may have read to their mothers and fathers, and that even their great-grandparents may have read or told it to their grandparents. (ESL learners may be asked to provide different examples of traditions and stories passed down from many generations.)

Explain to the class that you are going to read a traditional version of The Three Little Pigs. Tell the students that they must pay close attention to notice things in the story like characters, plot, and setting.

Stop during the read aloud to discuss characters and setting, as well as specific scenes. When the first book is finished, ask students about the plot (beginning, middle and ending) of the book. For example, "When the wolf fell into the pot, was that at the beginning, middle, or end of the story?" "When the three little pigs started to build their own houses, was that the beginning, middle, or end or the story?" After plot is determined, make a list of the four main characters in the book The Three Little Pigs. Ask the students to provide words that describe each character. If necessary, prompt them with questions, such as: "Who are the four main characters in the story?" "How would you describe the wolf in the story? What is he like?" "What words would you use to describe the second little pig?"

Session 2

Explain that today you will read a book that is very similar to the book you read to the class yesterday, but that it will be different in some ways too. Remind the students that it is their job to pay close attention to those similarities and differences. Explain that this book offers a non-traditional, or contemporary, version of The Three Little Pigs. Begin reading, but stop repeatedly to ask questions about the characters, setting, and scenes; for example, "Who are the characters on this page?"

You should also ask inquiry questions that allow student to try to predict what will happen next in the story; for example, "The big, bad pig just smashed the first little wolf's house. What do you think the little wolves will do now?" This sort of inquiry is important because the second book has a very different ending than the first book. The students' predictions will likely be influenced by their experience of hearing the traditional version of the story.

After you have finished the story, make a list of the four main characters in the book The Three Wolves and the Big Bad Pig.

Session 3

In this session, students will discuss the similarities and differences between the two stories using a Venn Diagram worksheet as a visual aid. Ask students to recall parts of each story. First ask them about The Three Little Pigs, and then have them discuss The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. This activity will strengthen the students' ability to restate the plot of a story (beginning, middle, and end). Provide helpful hints and inquiry questions that will make students think carefully about each of the stories. Ask questions like, "What happened after…?" "Why did the second pig run to the third pig's house?" This will help students recall important details and points of comparison between the two stories. Some elements that may emerge on the Venn diagram might include:

The Three Little Pigs	Both Stories	The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
There are 3 pigs.	There is a grandmother.	There are 3 wolves.
The wolf is the bad guy.	There is a happy ending.	The big, bad, pig is the bad guy.
The houses are made of straw, and, bricks, and sticks.	The bad guys huff and puff and try to blow the houses in.	They become friends with the pig at the end.
		They build a fourth house.
		They build their houses of bricks, concrete, and the last one has barbed wire around it.

Session 4

Note: Students will be performing improvised scenes during this lesson. It may be helpful to have a teacher aide or parent volunteer on hand to help guide the student groups. For general information on using role-play in the classroom, consult the ARTSEDGE article Bringing the Classroom to Life with Role-Play.

Divide students into groups of three to four. Pass out the Scenario Cards, which list specific characters and scenes from the book. Ask the students to improvise the scene from the card given to them while working with their groups. Tell them that they will need to decide who will play each character in their scene.

Remind students that they can show the emotions of the character on their face and can also represent the character by striking a pose or standing in a certain position. It is the job of the observing students to tell what book the improvisation came from and whether it was in the beginning, middle, or end of the story. (e.g. One group of four would have three wolves and one big bad pig. The Scenario Card would say, "You are the big bad pig from the scene when the big bad pig breaks the brick house with a sledgehammer.") You and/or the aide or volunteer may wish to read the card aloud with the group. However, be sure to tell the students that only the students in their group should look at the card and know what scene they are doing. Emphasize that they should keep their scene a secret from the rest of the class so that the other students can guess their scene.

Closure

After students have performed their improvisations, gather the class together and discuss with them the improvisations that were performed. Throughout the discussion, review the definitions character, plot, and setting through student explanations.

Encourage students to point out ways that they were able to recognize another students' characters, the setting of each improvised scene, and which book the improvisation came from. Ask questions like "How were they able to figure out what book, scene, and so on?" "How did you know that ‘Johnny’ was the first pig from the traditional book?" "What facial expressions did 'Johnny' use to show that he was the big bad pig?"

Assessment:

Use the Assessment Rubric to evaluate students' work.

Assessment should be ongoing throughout the four sessions. During the first session, assess whether the students are correctly responding to the questions about characters, scene, plot and setting. This same form of assessment will take place on the following day for the second session. During session three, assess the students' comments and participation when contributing to the Venn diagram. Finally, in session four, assess the accuracy of each group's performance, and the appropriateness of each student's facial and body expressions when doing improvisations.

During the improvisations, assess the students’ ability to accurately improvise a scenario. The students watching the improvisations should be assessed on their ability to correctly identify plot, setting, and characters.

Authors:

• Paula Christine Johnson
  Chico State University
  Chico, California