Lessons & Units :: Genre Studies: Fairy Tales 1st Grade Unit

Lesson 3: Character Values

Lesson Plan

The Three Little Pigs | 640L

The Three Little Pigs
Learning Goal
Explain that fairy tales show a character’s values.
Identify the values in a fairy tale.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Unit Example Chart, Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg, chart paper, markers

  • Teacher Modeling

    will explain to students another characteristic of fairy tales is that they are stories about values. I will add this characteristic to my Characteristics of Fairy Tales Chart that I started in Lesson 1 (Example Chart is provided in Unit Teacher and Student Materials). Values are ideas about what is good. When you value something, you believe it is good. Values often describe the good ways people believe we should behave and treat each other. For example, some people value hard work, while others value freedom to do what they want. Some people value money and others value honesty. I will use the familiar fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin (from Lesson 1) to identify values in the text. I can identify values by thinking about what a character believes is good. I can figure this out by using a character’s actions and feelings. For example, I will identify the King’s values—money and gold. He is willing to marry a girl just because she can spin straw into gold, not because he feels love for her. I will add Rumpelstiltskin to my Characteristics of Fairy Tales Chart because it is a fairy tale with values.

  • Think Check

    Ask" "How did I identify the values of a character in the story?" Students should reply that you can use a character’s actions and feelings to help you identify what a character believes is good.

  • Guided Practice

    will identify additional character’s values from Rumpelstiltskin—the queen’s values or Rumpelstiltskin's values. We will use the character’s actions and feelings to figure out what they value. For example, we know that the queen values her baby because she takes actions to save it from Rumpelstiltskin. Then, we will read the fairy tale, The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg.

  • Independent Practice

    will identify one character’s values from The Three Little Pigs. You will circle the character’s values on the worksheet and use their actions and feelings to support your reasoning. You will use this example to explain that in a fairy tale, the characters have values. (Independent Practice Worksheet is provided.)

Build Student Vocabulary business

Tier 2 Word: business
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story “When graduation day finally rolled around, Serafina turned the waffle business over to her family.”
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) A business is a company that sells goods (things you can buy) or services (things people do for you) in exchange for money. Serafina turned over her waffle business, a company that sold waffles in exchange for money, to her family when she was tired of working.
Students repeat the word Say the word business with me: business
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts My husband/wife owns a business selling shoes and hats. A business person needs to be smart and think of what other people want.
Students provide examples If you could start a business, what would you sell? Tell me about it. Start by saying, “If I could start a business, I would sell____________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? business.
Additional Vocabulary Words retire, rescue

Build Student Background Knowledge

After reading, explain to students that wolves are not the only animal that likes to eat pigs. Humans also eat pigs. Pigs are the meat in pork products, like bacon and ham. Pigs are raised on pig or hog farms. They are born in a “farrowing barn” where the piglets are kept warm with hot lamps and nurse with their mother pigs. When they are about 10 pounds, they are sent to a nursery where they are fed corn, grain, and soy. The pigs grow up to 250 pounds before they are sold to the market. Even though pigs have a reputation for being messy animals (e.g. “you’re a pig!”), they are truly a clean bunch. Pigs refuse to make a mess anywhere near their living space or eating area. The reason why pigs roll around in the mud is because they do not have sweat glands, so when it’s hot, they use the mud to cool off their skin.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

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Submitted by carolyn.kaleel on 12/1/15