Lessons & Units :: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs 3rd Grade Unit

Read-Aloud Lesson: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Lesson Plan

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs | 570L

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Learning Goal
Compare a character’s words with his actions to make a judgment about that character.
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:
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

 
  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 make a judgment about a character by comparing the character's words and actions.

 
Transition Students into the Text
 
Read the first two sentences of the book to capture students' attention: "Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do." Put special emphasis on the second sentence. After stirring their interest, restart the book as instructed below.
 
Read pages 1 and 2 out loud, then stop. Page 2 ends with, “...it’s all wrong.”
1.
Teacher asks: Who is telling this story?
 
Students answer: Al (or Alexander T. Wolf) is telling this story.
2.
Teacher asks: What does Al say about the “Big Bad Wolf” thing?
 
Students answer: He says it’s all wrong.
 
Read page 3 out loud. Page 3 ends with, "...Big and Bad, too."
3.
Teacher asks: What does Al say wolves eat?
 

Students answer:

  • He says they eat bunnies and sheep and pigs.
  • He says they eat cute little animals. (make sure this response is given before moving on)
Read more
4.
Teacher asks: Do wolves eat cheeseburgers?
 
Students answer: No, they don’t.
5.
Teacher asks: Who eats cheeseburgers?
 
Students answer: People (or human beings) eat cheeseburgers.
6.
Teacher asks: What does Al say would happen if cheeseburgers were cute?
 
Students answer: He says that folks would think someone who ate cheeseburgers was big and bad, too.
7.
Teacher asks: Based on what Al just said, what’s one reason people might think he’s big and bad?
 
Students answer: People might think he’s big and bad because he eats cute animals.
 
Read pages 4 and 5. Page 5 ends with, “...THE REAL STORY.”
8.
Teacher asks: What does Al say the real story is about?
 
Students answer: He says the real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar.
 
Read pages 6-8. Page 8 ends with, "...house of straw?"
9.
Teacher asks: Why is Al going to his neighbor’s house?
 
Students answer: He is going to ask for a cup of sugar.
 
Read pages 10-15. Page 15 ends with, "...just lying there."
 
Teacher asks: What does Al do with the dead pig?
 
Students answer: Al eats the dead pig.
10.
Teacher asks: Why does Al eat the dead pig?
 
Students answer: He eats the pig because he thinks it’s a shame to leave a good dinner just lying there.
 
Read pages 16 and 17. Page 17 ends with, “...chinny chin chin.”
11.
Teacher asks: What does the Second Little Pig say after Al rings his bell and calls out?
 

Student responses (make sure at least one of the first two responses is given before moving on):

  • He tells the wolf to go away.
  • He tells the wolf he can’t come in.
  • He says he’s shaving the hairs on his chinny chin chin.
 
Read the first sentence on page 18. It ends with, “...sneeze coming on.”
12.
Teacher asks: Even though the Second Little Pig tells Al that he cannot come in, what does Al do next?
 
Students answer: Al grabs the doorknob.
13.
Teacher asks: Why does Al grab the doorknob after the Second Little Pig says he can’t come in?
 
Students answer: Al wants to come in anyway. (Some students may infer that Al wants to eat the little pig.)
 
Read the rest of page 18 and continue through page 19. Page 19 ends with, “...Wolf’s honor.”
14.
Teacher asks: What happened to the First Little Pig after his house fell down?
 
Students answer: The First Little Pig was eaten by Al.
15.
Based on what happened to the First Little Pig, what do you predict will happen to the Second Little Pig?
 
Students answer: The Second Little Pig will also be eaten by Al.
16.
Teacher says: Let’s find out what happens.
 
Read pages 20-24. Page 24 ends with, “...making a real scene.”
17.
Teacher asks: What is Al doing when the cops drive up?
 

Students answer:

  • He’s trying to break down the Third Little Pig’s door.
  • He’s huffing and puffing and sneezing.
18.
Teacher asks: Why does Al say he went a little crazy?
 
Students answer: He says he went a little crazy because of what the Third Little Pig said about his granny.
19.
Teacher asks: Let's look at the illustration on pages 24 and 25 more closely. What kind of animals are the reporters?
 
Students answer: The reporters are pigs.
20.
Teacher asks: Based on this evidence, who do you think the reporters will side with - Al or the Three Little Pigs?
 
Students answer: The reporters will side with the Three Little Pigs.
 
Read the remainder of the book, pages 26-28.
21.
Teacher asks: According to Al, who made him into the Big Bad Wolf?
 
Students answer: Al says that news reporters made him into the Big Bad Wolf.
22.
Teacher asks: Why did reporters make him into the Big Bad Wolf?
 

Students answer:

  • They didn’t think a story about someone borrowing a cup of sugar sounded exciting, so they jazzed it up.
  • They found out about the two pigs Al ate.
  • The reporters are pigs and would most likely take the side of the Three Little Pigs. 
 
Teacher says: Think about the things Al says in the story and the things he does.
23.
Teacher asks: Now think back to what Al said the real story of the three little pigs was about. He said it was about two things. What were they?
 
Students answer: Al said the real story was about a sneeze and a cup of sugar.
 
Reread page 4 to reinforce Al’s claim.
 
Teacher says (models thinking): I wonder whether Al was leaving out anything important when he said the real story was about a sneeze and a cup of sugar. I can think of one thing. He didn’t say anything about how he got arrested in front of the Third Little Pig’s house.
24.
Teacher asks: Is there anything else Al left out?
 
Students answers (may vary): Yes. He didn’t say anything about eating the first two little pigs.
25.
Teacher says: Now think about something else Al said: “the whole Big Bad Wolf thing is all wrong.”
26.
Teacher asks: What are some reasons that it might be unfair to call Al a big bad wolf, according to Al?
 

Students answer:

  • It’s unfair to call Al a big bad wolf because of what he eats. It’s not his fault he likes to eat cute animals.
  • It’s unfair to call Al a big bad wolf, because the reporters made things up about him.
  • It’s unfair to call Al a big bad wolf, because he didn’t mean to kill the two little pigs.
27.
Teacher asks: Now let’s think about the other side. Are there any ways that Al really is a big bad wolf?
 

Students answer:

  • Al tries to break down the door of the Third Little Pig’s house.
  • Al kills two innocent little pigs and destroys their houses.
  • Al grabs the doorknob of the Second Little Pig’s house after the pig tells him to go away.
28.
Teacher asks: Think again about what Al says as well as what he does. Explain whether Al is or is not telling the truth in this story. Use evidence from the book to prove your answer.
 
Students answer: Students may argue either that Al is or is not telling the truth, as long as they use evidence from the story to support their answers.
 

Guided Practice & Discussion

 
For this oral lesson, it is suggested to have the completed graphic organizer on the board with the answers concealed before this part of the lesson. After students provide a correct answer, reveal the corresponding answer on the graphic organizer.
 
Transition Students into the Guided Practice
1.
Teacher says: In the first part of the lesson, we asked whether Al is a big bad wolf or not. Now we’re going to examine all the proof that he is NOT a big bad wolf.
2.
Teacher asks: What are some reasons that Al is not a big bad wolf, according to him?
 

Students answer:

  • Al is not a big bad wolf because of what he eats. It’s not his fault he likes to eat cute animals.
  • News reporters just gave Al that name to make their reports more exciting. They took what actually happened, jazzed it up, and made Al into the Big Bad Wolf.
  • Al did not mean to kill either of the two pigs he ate.
Read more
 
Continue asking for reasons until students run out of them.
3.
Teacher says: Now we’re going to examine all the proof that Al IS a big bad wolf.
4.
Teacher asks: What are some reasons that Al is a big bad wolf?
 

Students answer:

  • Al tries to break down the door of the Third Little Pig’s house.
  • Al kills two innocent little pigs and destroys their houses.
  • Al grabs the doorknob of the Second Little Pig’s house after the pig tells him to go away.
 

After the answers for the graphic organizer have been completed and discussed with the class, ask the following two extension questions.

 
Teacher asks: Take a look at all the evidence on both sides of the chart. Based on what you see, explain whether Al is or is not a big bad wolf.
 
Students answer: Students may argue either that Al is or is not a big bad wolf, as long as they use evidence from the chart for support.
 
Teacher asks: Based on what Al says and does in the story, what words would you use to describe him? Give a reason for each word you choose.
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Nice: Al is making a birthday cake for his granny.
  • Sick: Al has a bad cold and keeps sneezing.
  • Greedy: Al has two dinners.
 

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

Thank you for sharing. I will use these stories with my third grade students.

Submitted by mcdugas_1287973 on 11/29/16

Great lesson. Thank you.

Submitted by dianelyn.smith760 on 3/21/16

Great Lesson, I've shared with my teachers to use for tutorial :)

Submitted by tekreshia.johnson_1440342 on 12/1/15

This is a fantastic lesson! I can't wait to use it with my students.
I like the fact that it aligns with common core. Thanks for sharing.

Submitted by emily.drummond_1749077 on 11/30/15

Im so excited to use this with my Intervention Students!! Thanks Bunches!!

Submitted by lakishawatkins_1603208 on 10/31/15

Thanks for a well designed lesson.

Submitted by Ysmith_1093105 on 7/13/15

Just found this site by chance where have you been hiding, great contents

Submitted by Wanda.Cowell_1363107 on 4/8/15

Great find! I am going to do this Monday morning!

Submitted by toliva_1 on 3/28/15

Ready to use this next week.

Submitted by mreed on 12/4/14

Very useful unit. It was perfect for the third grader I tutor. He enjoyed reading a "real" book and was engaged throughout the lesson.

Submitted by ericakaye on 11/30/14

I cannot wait to try this on Monday. This is a fantastic Unit planning. This lesson will teach my students different perspectives in addition to making judgments, and have fun in the process.

Submitted by d.j.meenakshi on 11/1/14

I'm so excited! I cannot wait to use this with my ESE students! I know they are going to love it and won't feel pressured to LEARN! Thanks ReadWorks! I'll write back after the lesson and tell how it went. Btw, I'm going to try to show it from my laptop to the whiteboard; keeping it real with technology!

Submitted by jamie.ruccolo_1029480 on 10/26/14

I teach in public schools in Orlando and have done so at many different levels over the last 20 years. Read works provides an invaluable resource that can be shared with parents and educators alike. The aligment with common core and rigor is evident every lesson- Thanks a Million

Submitted by Ms Lee of orlando on 10/25/14

I love this. I just started an afterschool intervention program with a small group of my students. This is something that I've been using to assist them. They love it too and enjoy so much being read to. I think this would be good for new teachers as well since they have access to the lesson plans with the standards, text and materials all in one place. Thanks so much.

Submitted by jusanders on 10/24/14