Lessons & Units :: Lon Po Po 3rd Grade Unit

Read-Aloud Lesson: Lon Po Po

Lesson Plan

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China | 670L

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
Learning Goal
Compare the actions and motivations of the wolf with the actions and motivation of the girl named Shang in order to analyze the theme of Lon Po Po.
Duration
Part 1: Approximately 40-45 minutes
 
Part 2: Approximately 15-20 minutes
 
Part 3: Approximately 15-20 minutes
Necessary Materials

Provided:
1. Detailed lesson plan
2. Graphic organizer for guided practice
3. Independent student worksheet

Not Provided:
Lon Po Po

 
  1. This lesson is a close reading of the entire text. So it’s important to engage students often, to enhance their learning. Here are two tips:

    •   When you ask the more complex questions from the lesson, ask students to “turn-and-talk” or “buddy-talk” before answering.

    •   Once you are deep into the lesson, instead of asking students every question provided, ask them to share with you what questions they should be asking themselves at that point in the text. This is also a great opportunity to use "turn-and-talk."
       
  2. Suggested teacher language is included in the lesson.

  3. We recommend you read the book once to your students, either the day or morning before teaching the lesson.

  4. This research-based, read-aloud lesson may seem long. Why do students need the lesson to be this way?
 

Part 1: Teacher Modeling & Questioning

 

Write the following student-friendly learning goal on the board, then read the learning goal out loud with the class: 

We will explain why the wolf did what he did and why Shang did what she did in order to understand a message of the story.

 
Transition Students into the Text
 
  • Show the cover of the book to the class, ensuring that every child can see it well.
  • Ask the class what is on the cover. Answers can vary. There is no need to correct student responses or to conclude that it is a wolf. They will find out soon enough when you read them the story.
  • Ask the class whether the animal on the cover looks friendly or mean. All answers are fine; there is no need to correct anyone.
 
Teacher says: Let’s read the story to find out what it is and whether it is friendly or mean.
 
Read page 2 out loud, then stop. Page 2 ends with, “...sunset and latch it well.” Be sure to show the illustrations as you read through the book out loud.
1.
Teacher says: There was a woman who lived alone out in the country with her three daughters.
2.
Teacher asks: Where is the mother going?
 
Students answer: The mother is going to visit the grandmother.
3.
Teacher asks: Are the three daughters going with the mother, or are they going to stay home by themselves?
 
Students answer: The three daughters are going to stay home by themselves.
4.
Teacher asks: How long will the mother be gone?
 
Students answer: The mother will be gone overnight. She says that she "will not return tonight."
Read more
 
Read page 3 out loud, then stop. Page 3 ends with, “...has gone to visit you!”
5.

Teacher says (models thinking):

  • I just read that there was a wolf that lived near the girls’ house.
  • If the wolf lives nearby, he probably knows that there are three girls living in the house.
  • The book also says that the wolf saw the mother leave the house.
  • So I am going to conclude that the wolf knows that the mother left the girls alone when she left the house.
6.
Teacher asks: What does the wolf do first after he sees the mother leave?
 
Students answer: He disguises himself like an old woman.
7.
Teacher asks: What is the second thing the wolf does after he sees the mother leave?
 
Students answer: He knocks on the door of the girls’ house.
8.
Teacher asks: What is the third thing the wolf does after he sees the mother leave?
 
Students answer: He tells the girls he is their grandmother, Po Po.
9.
Teacher says: The author has not told us whether the wolf is friendly or up to no good.
10.
Teacher asks: Based on the wolf’s actions so far, can you draw any conclusions about whether the wolf has good or bad intentions? Please use evidence in the text to support your answer.
 

Students answer (can vary but should generally communicate that the wolf is likely up to no good):

  • He puts on a disguise.
  • He lies to the girls.
  • If the wolf had good intentions and just wanted to visit and say hello or look after the girls, he would not have gone into disguise and would have told the girls that he was the wolf.
 
Read pages 6 through 8 out loud, then stop. Page 8 ends with, “The wolf did not answer.”
11.
Teacher asks: What does Shang ask the wolf?
 

Students answer:

  • How is it that he/you come so late?
  • Why is his/your voice so low?
  • Why did he/you blow out the candle?
12.
Teacher says: Shang continues to ask more questions.
13.
Teacher asks: Based on what we have read about Shang’s actions so far, why did Shang ask the wolf these questions?
 

Students answer: Shang asked the wolf questions because…

  • Shang wanted to be sure it really was her grandmother.
  • Maybe something didn’t seem right to Shang.
  • There were clues that it might not really be her grandmother:
    • The voice sounded too low.
    • It seemed unusual that the grandmother would arrive so late.
    • It seemed unusual that the grandmother would blow out the candle as soon as she entered the house.
14.
Teacher asks: Did Shang let the wolf into the house?
 
Students answer: No, Shang did not let the wolf into the house.
15.
Teacher asks: Who let the wolf into the house?
 
Students answer: Tao and Paotze let the wolf into the house.
16.
Teacher asks: Based on Shang’s actions, explain whether she was totally convinced that it really was her grandmother.
 
Students answer: Answers can vary but should indicate that Shang didn’t seem fully convinced or that she had doubts.
17.
Teacher asks: Based on Shang’s actions so far, can you make any conclusions about what kind of person she is?
 

Students answer (can vary but should be similar to the following):

  • Shang is mature and acts like an adult.
  • She doesn’t trust strangers.
  • She is smart.
  • She is cautious.
  • She is careful.
  • She is protective of her sisters.
 
Read pages 9 through 12 out loud, then stop. Page 12 ends with, “...had seen the wolf’s hairy face.”
18.
Teacher asks: When the wolf held Tao, what did he say about her?
 
Students answer: The wolf said that Tao is plump.
19.
Teacher asks: And when the wolf embraced, or hugged, Paotze, what did he say about her?
 
Students answer: The wolf said that she had grown to be sweet.
20.
Teacher asks: Why would the wolf choose the words “plump” and “sweet” to describe the two younger sisters?
 
Students answer (may vary but should include): Because he is thinking about eating them.
 
Read page 14 out loud, then stop. Page 14 ends with, “The wolf was delighted.”
21.
Teacher asks: How did Shang react when she saw that it was indeed the wolf and not her grandmother?
 

Students answer (may vary but should indicate that she remained calm and did not panic):

  • She was calm.
  • She didn’t panic.
  • She started thinking of a plan.
  • She thought about how she could save herself and her sisters.
22.

Teacher asks: Help me to summarize some of the important information from the story so far.

  1. Are the girls alone with the wolf? Yes
  2. Are there any adults around? No
  3. Is the house out in the country, or is it in a city or a neighborhood with lots of people around? In the Country
  4. Does it say in the book that the girls have any way to protect themselves from the wolf? No
23.
Teacher asks: Then, based on the circumstances of the story, why didn’t Shang scream or panic or let the wolf know that she knew who he was?
 

Students answer:

  • Shang may have realized that the wolf would probably attack her and her sisters right away if he learned they knew who he was.
  • Shang didn’t want her sisters to be afraid.
  • Shang remained calm so that she could think of a plan.
  • Shang realized that she could trick the wolf as long as the wolf still believed he was tricking the kids into thinking he was their grandmother.
24.
Teacher asks: What does Shang tell the wolf about gingko nuts?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Shang asks if he has eaten gingko nuts.
  • Shang states that ginkgo nuts are soft and if you eat them you can live forever.
  • Shang tells the wolf they will pick some ginkgo nuts for him since he says Po Po is too old to climb trees.
 
Summarize students’ answers to communicate the exchange between Shang and the wolf.
25.
Teacher asks: After this discussion about ginkgo nuts, how does the wolf feel about the idea of getting to eat a ginkgo nut?
 
Students answer: The wolf states that he is delighted (very happy) the children will pick ginkgo nuts for him.
 
Read pages 16-20 out loud, then stop. Page 20 ends with, "'...do it again.'"
26.
Teacher asks: Let's examine the illustrations on pages 19 and 20 closely. They seem quite similar but they have one important difference. What is the main difference between these two illustrations?
 
Students answer: The main difference is that the illustration on page 19 shows the wolf being lifted in a basket by the three sisters. But in page 20, the illustration shows the wolf falling to the ground after the sister release the rope of the basket.
 
Read pages 21 through 24 out loud, then stop. Page 24 ends with, “...broke his heart to pieces.”
27.
Teacher says: The author wrote that the wolf “broke his heart to pieces” when the wolf fell.
28.
Teacher asks: What is the author telling us when he writes that the wolf ‘broke his heart to pieces’?
 
Students answer: That phrase means that he is dead.
 
Some students may reasonably say that he was broken-hearted and sad because he couldn’t get a ginkgo nut or that the girls were tricking him. These answers are valid, as there is no evidence in the text yet to prove that the wolf is dead.
 
Read the rest of the story out loud.
29.
Teacher asks: How are the girls described as sleeping in the book?
 
Students answer: They are described as sleeping ‘peacefully.’
30.
Teacher asks: Based on the evidence in the story, did Shang want to kill the wolf with her plan? Use evidence in the text to support your answer.
 
Students answer: Can vary but should point to the fact that the sisters kept dropping the wolf until the wolf was dead and that after they killed the wolf, Shang and the girls slept peacefully.
 

Guided Practice & Discussion

 
Transition Students into the Guided Practice
1.
Teacher says: Let’s look at the actions of the wolf and Shang, and think about why they took those actions. Remember, all of our answers have to be based on evidence we read in the book.
2.
Teacher says: Let’s first look at the wolf. He disguised himself as Po Po, who was Shang’s, Tao’s, and Paotze’s grandmother.
3.
Teacher asks: Why did the wolf disguise himself as their grandmother? What may have been his motive?
 
Students answer: He wanted to trick the children so that he could get inside the house and eat them.
 
Fill in answers that are reasonable and text-based. We have provided some possible examples/answers in the graphic organizer.
4.
Teacher asks: What conclusions or judgments can you make about what the wolf was like based on this action?
 

Students answer:

  • The wolf was clever or smart.
  • The wolf was evil.
  • The wolf could not control his desire to eat the children.
  • The wolf was a liar.
  • The wolf was hungry.
  • The wolf liked to eat kids.
  • The wolf only cared about himself.
Read more
 
If students need prompting, ask a basic starter question: Is he nice? Is he mean? Is he just hungry?
5.
Teacher says: Next, the wolf said that the sisters were "plump" and "sweet."
6.
Teacher asks: Why did he say that?
 
Students answer: The wolf wanted to eat the children.
7.
Teacher asks: So based on those statements about the sisters being plump and sweet, what judgments can you make about the wolf?
 

Students answer:

  • The wolf had a strong desire that he wanted to satisfy.
  • The wolf was hungry.
  • The wolf was bad or evil.
8.
Teacher says: Finally, the wolf became focused on eating ginkgo nuts.
9.
Teacher asks: Why did the wolf want to eat the ginkgo nuts so much?
 
Students answer: The wolf wanted to live forever.
10.
Teacher asks: So based on his desire to eat the gingko nuts, what judgments can you make about him? What does this tell you about his character?
 

Students answer:

  • The wolf was greedy.
  • The wolf could not control his desire to live forever.
  • The wolf’s actions were controlled by his desires and not by his reason or mind.
11.
Teacher says: Now let’s look at Shang.
12.
Teacher asks: Why do you think she asked the wolf a lot of questions when he first knocked on the door and came into the house disguised as Po Po?
 
Students answer: She was not convinced that the guest is really her Po Po.
13.
Teacher asks: What might these actions and motivations of Shang tell us about her?
 

Students answer:

  • Shang analyzed the situation carefully.
  • Shang used reason.
  • Shang was less trusting than her sisters.
  • Shang couldn’t be fooled very easily.
  • Shang was mature.
14.
Teacher asks: Why did Shang remain calm when she realized the wolf was disguised as her Po Po?
 

Students answer:

  • Shang stayed calm to keep herself and her sisters safe.
  • She used the time to think of a plan to save herself and her sisters.
  • She didn’t want the wolf to realize she knew his secret.
15.
Teacher asks: What does this tell us about Shang’s character, that she stayed calm in this situation?
 

Students answer:

  • Shang was clever.
  • Shang was calm under pressure.
  • Instead of panicking, she thought her way out of the problem.
16.
Teacher says: Finally, Shang came up with a plan to kill the wolf.
17.
Teacher asks: What was Shang’s motivation for trying to trick and kill the wolf?
 
Students answer: Shang’s motivation was to save herself and her sisters from the wolf.
18.
Teacher asks: What do these final actions and motivations of Shang tell us about her and her character?
 

Students answer:

  • Shang was clever or smart.
  • Shang could think quickly under pressure.
  • Shang would do whatever it took to keep herself and her sisters alive.
  • Shang was brave.
  • Shang was tough.
 

After the answers for the graphic organizer have been completed and discussed with the class, ask the following discussion question.

 
Teacher asks: Based on the actions and motivations of both Shang and the actions and motivations of the wolf, what theme or big idea might the author want the readers to take away from this story?
 

Students answer (will vary but could include the following):

  • You can get out of danger if you stay calm and think of a clever plan.
  • Be careful about trusting strangers.
  • Never let a stranger into your house.
  • People are not always who they say they are.
 

Student Independent Practice

 
Both the student question set and teacher answer sheet are provided in the 'Text & Materials' section.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

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

User Comments

Excellent lesson for third grade. Really helpful in understanding motive and character traits for all students. Thank you!!

Submitted by rgrimes2_1419011 on 5/24/16

Excellent lesson, ties directly to standards. Trying out is a must

Submitted by lamblucy2_1342331 on 3/2/16

I am thrilled this was in one of my emails. Desperate for the last week activities, I found 2 I will use. Thanks!

Submitted by popeyemar_1167116 on 5/30/15

Read Alouds are so powerful. Thank you for providing this resource.

Submitted by denise.dollard on 4/29/15

Thank for this great activity. It is so awesome.

Submitted by lhobbz54_1230221 on 3/29/15

Thank you so much! This site is just what I needed to focus on reading strategies. I love that the passages are leveled.

Submitted by Marie on 1/11/15

This site is fantastic!!!!!!! I just love it.

Submitted by emmawomackusa on 12/10/14

i stumbled on your site and I love it. This lesson was fabulous. I used it with grades 3 and 4 in a multiage classroom. All students were successful. I then used it as an example for characters in the reading series we use at our school for character traits and motivation. This is a great site!

Submitted by tara moran on 10/9/13