Direct Instruction Today we’ll start listening to stories that were first told long ago. We’ll think about who is in each story and what those characters do. Let’s begin with a folktale from Norway. This folktale is called “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”
As you read aloud, invite students to join with you in repeating the trip-trap phrase (louder with each larger billy goat), and the troll’s recurring question, “Who’s that tramping over my bridge?” and statement, “I’m coming to gobble you up!”
Also, hold up the picture of each character as he is introduced. Then keep all the pictures on display.
DescriptionSupplemental Lexia Lessons can be used for whole class, small group or individualized instruction to extend learning and enhance student skill development. This lesson is designed to help students compare and contrast characteristics of two traditional folktales. They are led to identify similarities and differences in the experiences and qualities of story characters, as well as in plot and theme.
Teacher Tips
Read-aloud versions of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and “The Three Little Pigs” are provided in this lesson. An alternative is to use picture-book retellings of these classic tales. For suggestions, see the Adaptations section For Students Ready to Move On.
Preparation/Materials
• Illustrations of the characters from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and “The Three Little Pigs” (for display and to distribute)
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Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS
GRADE K | Comprehension Compare/Contrast Stories (Supplemental)
After reading, ask questions to draw attention to the characters, plot, and theme. Reread segments of the story as needed. Questions to ask:
When the story begins, what problem do the three billy goats have? (Theyhavetocrossabridgebeforetheycaneatthegrassonahillside.Abig,ugly,meantrolllivesunderthebridgeandwants to eat them.)
How do the billy goats solve that problem? (Thefirstandsecondbillygoatstellthetrolltowaitforabiggerbillygoat.Theyknowthatthetrollwillwanttogetthebiggestmeal.ThebiggestBillyGoatGruffissobigandstrongthathebuttsthetrollintothewater.)
How are the three billy goats different from each other? (Theyaredifferentsizes—little,bigger,andbiggest.Thethirdoneisthestrongest,andhe’stheonewhobuttsthetroll.)
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Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS
GRADE K | Comprehension Compare/Contrast Stories (Supplemental)
Do you think that the three Billy Goats Gruff knew about the troll beforehand and made a plan together? (Promptstudentstoexpresstheirunderstandingthatthebillygoatsoutwittedtheirenemybytrickinghimintowaitingfortheonlybillygoatbigenoughtofightthetroll.)
What might this story teach us about staying safe in real life? (Encouragestudentstothinkaboutthecommonfolktalethemesoftheweakoutwittingthestrong,orofactingwiselytoavoiddanger.Sampleresponses:Evenifyou’renotbigenoughtostopabully,youcangethelpfromsomeonewhoisbiggerandcanprotectyou.Useyourbrainstothinkofaplanifsomethingmightbedangerous.Yourfriendscanhelpyouthinkofwaystostaysafe.)
Distribute the pictures of the characters so that each student has at least one. Encourage students to color in the pictures, add details, and dictate a few words or a sentence to tell what that character does in the story.
Prepare to read aloud the second story, “The Three Little Pigs.”
We’ve talked about the folktale, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” Now we’ll listen to another folktale from long ago. “The Three Little Pigs” is a folktale from England.
As you read aloud, invite students to join with you in repeating the recurring rhymes used by the pigs and the wolf.
Also, hold up the picture of each character as he or she is introduced. Then keep all the pictures on display.
After reading, ask questions to draw attention to the characters, plot, and theme, and to get students thinking about similarities and differences with the previously read story. Reread segments of each story as needed. Questions to ask:
What problem do the three little pigs have? (Awolfwantstoeatthem,sotheyneedtostaysafein their houses.)
How are the first and second little pigs alike? (Theybothmakemistakeswhentheybuildtheirhouses.Thefirsthouseofstrawandthesecondhouseofsticksarenotstrongenoughtoprotectthemfromthewolf’shuffingandpuffing.Theybothhavetorunfortheirlives.)How is the third little pig different? (She’ssmarter,becauseshebuildsherhouseofstrongbricksandstayssafefromthewolf.)
Which animal in this story is most like the troll in “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”? (thewolf) How are those characters alike? (Thetrollwantstoeatthebillygoats,andthewolfwantstoeatthelittlepigs.They’rebothstronganddangerous.Attheend,theydon’tgetwhattheywant.) How is the wolf different from the troll? (Thewolftriestotrickthepigsintolettinghimintotheirhouses.Thetrolldoesn’ttrytotrickanyone;instead,he’stheonewhoistricked.Thetrollwaitsunderabridgeforthebillygoatstocross,butthewolfgoesfromonehousetoanother.Thetrolldoesn’tgettocauseharm,butthewolfdoes—heblowsdowntwohouses.)
What might “The Three Little Pigs” teach us about staying safe in real life? (Promptstudentstothinkaboutthesamethemesasin“TheThreeBillyGoatsGruff”:theweakoutwittingthestrong,oractingwiselytoavoiddanger.Sampleresponses:Youhavetoprotectyourselffromdanger.Useyourbrainstothinkofaplanifsomethingmightbedangerous.)
Distribute the pictures of the characters so that each student has at least one. Encourage students to color in the pictures, add details, and dictate a few words or a sentence to tell what that character does in the story.
Guided PracticeTalk with students about the words alike and different. Encourage students to give examples of two things that are alike and two things that are different and give their reasons.
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Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS
GRADE K | Comprehension Compare/Contrast Stories (Supplemental)
Hold your two index fingers side by side to represent “alike” and point with both fingers in opposite directions to represent “different.” Have students imitate your gestures and show which one to use when they think about two things that are alike or two things that are different.
Display the illustrations from both stories, in two groupings. Make each of the following statements, and prompt students to use their fingers to show whether the two stories are “alike” or “different” in the stated way. Discuss why they made their choice. During discussion, use the illustrations to review characters and events in the stories.
The story has one character who wants to harm the others. (alike—themeancharacterin“TheThreeBillyGoatsGruff”isthetroll.In“TheThreeLittlePigs,”it’sthewolf.)
The story has a first, second, and third animal character. (alike—therearethreebillygoatsinone story, and three little pigs in the other.)
The third animal character is the strongest and biggest. (different—thethirdbillygoatisthestrongest and biggest, but the third little pig is smartest.)
The first and second animal characters make mistakes. (different—onlythefirsttwopigsmakemistakesbecausetheybuildhousesthataren’tstrongenough.Thefirsttwobillygoatstrickthetroll.)
At the end of the story, the animal characters are safe. (alike—thethreebillygoatseatsafelyonthehillside,andthethreelittlepigslivesafelyinthebrickhouse.)
The story teaches that it’s good to make a smart plan. (alike—thebillygoatsmakeasmartplantotrickthetroll.Thethirdpigmakesasmartplanbybuildingabrickhouse.)
Independent Application Now that we’ve read two stories, we can share our ideas about how they are alike and different, and what we learned in each.
Hold up the pictures of Billy Goat Gruff 1 and Little Pig 1. Model thinking aloud about similarities and differences, as shown below. Emphasize the signal words shown in bold.
I can think about how these two characters are alike and different. They’re alike because they both are the first of three animal characters in a story. They’re different because they come from different stories. Another difference is that the first Billy Goat Gruff reaches the hillside safely to eat grass, but the first little pig is not safe in her house of straw. These two characters are alike because they both meet mean characters that want to eat them.
Have students look again at the pictures of the characters and choose any two, from the same story or different stories. Tell them to think about how their chosen characters are alike and different. They then take turns telling about those likenesses and differences. Offer prompts as needed, to help students use signal words in their statements.
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Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS
GRADE K | Comprehension Compare/Contrast Stories (Supplemental)
What does it mean to say that the characters in a story have a problem? (Atthebeginning,thecharacterscan’tdosomethingtheywanttodo.Thecharacterscouldbeanimalslikebillygoatsthatwanttoeatgrass,buttheycan’tbecauseatrollwilleatthem.Thecharacterscouldbepigsthatwanttostaysafeintheirhouses,becauseawolfwantstoeatthem.)
How might characters in a story solve their problem? (Theymightworktogethertotricktheirenemy.Theymightmakeagoodplantostaysafe.)
What does it mean to say that stories are “alike”? (Sampleresponses:Thestoriescouldhaveanimalsthattalk.Thestoriescouldhaveafirst,second,andthirdthingthatthecharactersdo.Thestoriescouldhaveabig,badcharacterlikeatrollorawolf.Thestoriesmightteachthesamelesson.)
Use students’ responses to guide your choice of activities in the Adaptations section below.
Adaptations
For Students Who Need More Support
Option 1: Focus on one story. Reread it, pausing to check students’ understanding and to clarify vocabulary and meaning if necessary. Then offer statements for students to complete, in which they compare and contrast characters. Examples of statements:
• The first and second billy goats are different because...
• The first and second billy goats are alike because...
• The third billy goat is different from the other two because...
• The billy goats are different from the troll because...
Option 2: Say a recurring speech from one of the stories, and have students hold up an illustration to identify the speaker. Encourage them to repeat the speech as the character might say it.
For Students Ready to Move On
Option 1: Give students opportunities to look through picture-book retellings of either or both of the tales in this lesson. For example, Paul Galdone’s versions of both tales are widely available in libraries. (Note that in retellings that are true to the original “Three Little Pigs,” the wolf eats the first and second pigs, and may be killed at the end.) The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka is a popular “fractured” version, with the tale told from the wolf’s perspective. The Three Bully Goats by Leslie Kimmelman offers an alternative lesson about bullying. After students have looked through the books, read the stories aloud. Talk about how these versions are similar to and different from the versions in the lesson.
Option 2: Distribute one illustration to each student. Have students with characters from the same tale form a group and work together to retell or perform the story. Help them pin the illustration to their clothing or make a necklace sign with it, to show which character they are playing.
Reproducible page 1
Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS
GRADE K | Comprehension Compare/Contrast Stories (Supplemental)
