Text Type: Fiction/Fairy Tale
Page Count: 16
Word Count: 863/855

Book Summary
The classic fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears is retold with rich description. The story invites readers to enjoy the adventures of a golden haired girl who happens upon a cottage in the forest and finds three steaming bowls of porridge, three chairs, and three beds. What surprises await the family that lives in the cottage? Illustrations support the text. This book is one of two multilevel readers. Both may be used in conjunction with Goldilocks and the Other Three Bears to offer a unique opportunity of showing students how a change in the portrayal of the characters can give the story a different view.

About the Lesson

Targeted Reading Strategy

• Retell

Objectives

• Use the reading strategy of retelling to understand and remember story events
• Understand and identify cause-and-effect relationships
• Compare and contrast characters in two versions of a story
• Recognize the long I vowel pattern
• Recognize and understand irregular past-tense verbs
• Identify and use homophones

Materials

• Book -- Goldilocks and the Three Bears (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or dry erase board
• Sticky notes
• Cause and effect, past-tense verbs, homophones worksheets
• Discussion cards -- Goldilocks and the Three Bears / Goldilocks and the Other Three Bears

     Indicates an opportunity for students to mark in the book. (All activities may be demonstrated by projecting book on interactive whiteboard or completed with paper and pencil if books are reused.)

Vocabulary

• Content words: answered, bleck, curious, gazpacho, glee, gobbled, granite, groaned, hmph, knocked, lava, mmmmm, porridge, returned, routine, resist, stroll, wearily, whined, yow, zzzz

Build Background

• Discuss traditional fairy tales that students have read or heard of, such as The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood. Ask students to name several common elements of fairy tales (good and evil characters; magic can happen; characteristics of the plot, setting, and /or characters occurs in threes; wise people or other animals help to solve a problem, and so on).

Preview the Book

Introduce the Book

• Give students their copy of the book. Guide them to the front and back covers and read the title. Have students discuss what they see on the covers. Encourage them to offer ideas as to what type of book it is and what it might be about.
• Show students the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name, illustrator's name).

Introduce the Reading Strategy: Retell

• Explain to students that one way to understand and remember what they are reading is to stop now and then during reading to retell in their mind what is happening in the story.
• Explain to students that when someone retells something, he or she explains the details of what happened in order. Point out that people retell stories as part of their daily lives, such as explaining what happened in school to a student who was absent. Ask students to share other examples of when people might give a retelling.
• Model retelling a familiar story in detail, such as The Three Little Pigs.
  Think-aloud: In The Three Little Pigs, three pigs each decide to build a house. The first pig decides to make his house out of straw. He gathers all of the materials and builds his house. The second pig decides to build his house out of sticks. He gathers all of the materials and builds his house. The third pig gathers the materials to build his house out of bricks. One day a big bad wolf comes to the house of the first little pig. He wants the little pig to let him inside and says, "I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down."
• Continue retelling in detail to the end of the story. Invite students to suggest information for the retelling of this story.
• Have students place sticky notes on pages 7, 10, 14, and 16. Explain that as they read, they should stop on these pages to think about what has happened in the story. Encourage students to retell in their mind what happens in the story as they read.
• As students read, encourage them to use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here.

Introduce the Comprehension Skill: Cause and effect

• Review or explain that a cause is an event that makes something happen, and the effect is what happens because of, or as a result of, the event. Create a two-column chart on the board with the headings Cause and Effect. Write the following sentence on the board under the Cause heading: I hit a baseball through a window.
• Model identifying a series of cause-and-effect relationships.
  Think-aloud: If I hit a baseball through a window, the window might break and I might have to pay for the window. If I had to pay for the window, I would have to take money out of my savings. If I had to take money out of my savings, I wouldn't have enough money to buy the item I was saving money for. Sometimes a cause and its effect cause other events to happen.
• Retell the series of cause-and-effect relationships about the baseball. Ask students to identify the causes and effects. Write each cause and its effect on the chart on the board. When finished, point out how each cause-and-effect relationship leads to other cause-and-effect relationships.

Introduce the Vocabulary

• Discuss the irregular vocabulary used in dialogue in the text, such as yow, mmmm, hmph, bleck, and zzzz. Ask students to identify when the author used these words in the book (when Goldilocks was speaking or responding to a stimulus). Explain that these words are examples of onomatopoeia--words or phrases that are formed by imitating sounds.
• Write the words yow and bleck on the board. Ask students to give examples of when these words might be used. (For instance, someone might yell, "Yow!" when they slam their finger in a door, or "Bleck!" when they think of swallowing a spider.) Have students say each word aloud using emotion.
• Continue the discussion with the remainder of the onomatopoeia examples: mmmm, hmph, and zzzz. Discuss how onomatopoeia is used in writing and is spelled to imitate a sound, but that these are not true words in the English language.
• For tips on teaching word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• Have students read to find out about Goldilocks and the three bears. Remind them to stop reading at the end of each page with a sticky note to quickly retell in their mind the details of the events so far in the story. Have them think about the events that happened first, next, and last.

Student Reading

• Guide the reading: Cut out pages 3 through 7 from an extra copy of the book. Place the pages in a pocket chart or display on interactive white board. Have students read to the end of page 7. If they finish before everyone else, have them go back and reread.
• Model retelling the events of the story using the illustrations as a guide.
  Think-aloud: I stopped after a few pages to retell in my mind what I had read so far. First, Goldilocks took a walk in the woods and found a cottage. Nobody was home and she was curious, so she went inside. Then she found three steaming bowls of porridge. Papa Bear's huge bowl was too hot, Mama Bear's medium-sized bowl was too cold, but Teeny Baby Bear's small bowl was just right. She gobbled up all of Teeny Baby Bear's porridge.
• Remind students that a retelling includes detail and description about the events of a story, while a sequence of events lists only the most important events that someone would need to know to tell the story correctly.
• Create a cause-and-effect chain on the board. Write no one was home under the Cause heading. Ask students to use the text and think-aloud discussion to identify the effect of this cause (Goldilocks went inside). Write this information on the chart under the Effect heading.
• Introduce and explain the cause-and-effect worksheet. Ask students to write the information from the board on their worksheet. Have them identify and write on their worksheet a cause-and-effect relationship that happened as a result of Goldilocks going inside. (Cause: She found and tasted three bowls of porridge; Effect: She liked Baby Bear's porridge and ate it all.) Point out how the chain connects the first cause-and-effect relationship with the second (the effect, Goldilocks went inside, is connected to the next cause, She found and tasted three bowls of porridge).
• Check for understanding: Have students read to the end of page 11. Place pages 9 and 11 in the pocket chart, next to the pages from the beginning of the story. Ask students to use the illustrations as a guide to retell the details of pages 9 and 11 to a partner. Listen to students' retellings for correct order and description of the story events. Discuss the retelling of these pages as a class.
• Have students identify and write on their worksheet a cause-and-effect relationship that happened as a result of Goldilocks eating all of Baby Bear's porridge. (Cause: Goldilocks was full and needed to sit; Effect: She found and sampled three chairs.) Point out how the chain connects the second cause-and-effect relationship with the third (the effect, She liked Baby Bear's porridge and ate it all, is connected to the next cause, Goldilocks was full and needed to sit).
• Have students read the remainder of the story. Remind them to continue stopping on pages with sticky notes to retell in their mind the details of the story.

      Have students make a question mark in their book beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. Encourage them to use the strategies they have learned to read each word and figure out its meaning.

• Ask students what words, if any, they marked in their book. Use this opportunity to model how they can read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.

Reflect on the Reading Strategy

• Retell in detail with students the events of the story from pages 11 through 14, using the illustrations from the book.
• Think-aloud: A sleepy Goldilocks wandered upstairs to find a bed to sleep in. Papa Bear's huge bed was too hard, and Mama Bear's medium-sized bed was too soft, but Baby Bear's small bed was just right. Later, the bear family returned home to find that someone had been eating their porridge and sitting in their chairs. Baby Bear found that his small chair was broken.
• Have volunteers retell the events to the end of the book, using the illustrations from pages 15 through 16.
• Independent practice: Have students retell the story to a partner, starting at the beginning. Listen for whether students include the following: main characters, setting, correct events in order, and events in detail.
• Ask students how retelling the events of the story in their mind as they read helped them understand the story.  

Reflect on the Comprehension Skill

• Discussion: Discuss with students the information on their cause-and-effect worksheet. Point out the last effect in the chain. (She found and sampled three chairs.) Have students reread page 10 to identify the cause-and-effect relationship that happened as a result of a sleepy Goldilocks searching for a bed. (Cause: Goldilocks was sleepy and wanted to lie down; Effect: She found and tried out three different beds.)
• Independent practice: Have students complete the cause-and-effect worksheet. If time allows, discuss their responses.
• Enduring understanding: In this book, you read about a curious girl who made herself at home in a cottage that was not hers. She ate someone else's food, broke their furniture, and was discovered sleeping in their bed. Now that you know this, why is it important to not take or use something that is not yours and to take responsibility for your actions?

Comprehension: Compare and Contrast

• After reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, introduce Goldilocks and the Other Three Bears to students.
• Ask students how these two books might differ from each other. Write their responses on the board under the headings similar and different.
• Have students read Goldilocks and the Other Three Bears. Remind them to pay close attention to the illustrations as they read.

      Check for understanding: Have student turn to page 6 and 7 of both books. Have them highlight areas of the book that are the same as Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They can highlight illustrations too. Discuss the differences between the two books on these two pages.

• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the compare and contrast worksheet. Remind students that the illustrations play an important role in deciding the similarities and differences between the two stories. Discuss answers aloud after students finish.

Phonics: Identify long i vowel pattern

• Write the word right on the board using one color for the letter r and a different color for -ight.
• Explain to students that -ight is a word pattern or word family. If we look at these letters as one chunk of information we can use it to help us make and read other words with the same chunk sound.
• Covering up the r, say -ight and have students repeat. Then uncover the r and say the word right, putting emphasis on each sound.
• Change the r to br and repeat the step. Point out to students that by changing only the initial sound we can make a new word
• Check for understanding: Write the following sentence on the board: On a full moon night you can walk under the moon's bright light. Have students copy the sentence on another sheet of paper and circle the initial sound and underline the word family chunk for each -ight word. Then have them read the sentence to a partner.
• Independent practice: Have students generate a list of -ight words. Have them use two different colors to distinguish the initial sound from the word family chunk.  

Grammar and Mechanics: Irregular past-tense verbs

• Have students turn to page 5. Write the following sentence on the board: After Papa Bear made a steaming pot of porridge, the family went blueberry picking. Ask them to identify the verbs in the sentence (made, went). Explain that these are past-tense verbs that describe something that happened in the past. Write the term past tense on the board.
• Write the term present tense on the board. Explain that present-tense verbs describe something that is happening in the present, or right now. Ask students to name the present-tense form of made and went (make, go). Write the two examples under the appropriate headings on the board.
• Have students turn to page 4. Read the following sentence aloud: Goldilocks was a curious girl who often looked for--and found--adventures in the forest. Ask them to identify the verbs in the sentence (was, looked, found). Point out that the verb looked is changed to a past-tense verb by adding the suffix -ed to the root word look. Discuss how this is an example of a regular past-tense verb. Point out that was and found are irregular past-tense verbs because their past tense forms are made without adding -d or -ed. Ask students to name the present-tense forms of was and found (is, find). Write these examples on the board under the present tense and past tense headings.
• Ask students to turn to page 8. Have volunteers name the irregular past-tense verbs (was, saw, sat). Have another volunteer name the present tense of these verbs (is, see, sit). Write the new examples on the board under the present tense and past tense headings.

      Check for understanding: Have students turn to page 12 and circle the irregular past-tense verbs (slept, were, found). Have them write the present tense of these verbs in the right-hand column of the book (sleep, are, find). Discuss their answers aloud and write the new examples on the board under the present tense and past tense headings.

• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the past-tense verbs worksheet. Discuss their answers aloud after students finish.

Word Work: Homophones

• Have students turn to page 8. Read the following sentence aloud: "This chair is still too big!" she whined. Have them circle the word too. Ask students to explain what the word means (more than enough, or very).
• Have students turn to page 16. Read the following sentence aloud: Goldilocks never again went to the home of the three bears. Have them circle the word to. Ask students to explain what the word to means (at a certain place).
• Ask students to identify which words in the sentences sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings (too, to). Write these words on the board. Explain to students that words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings are called homophones. Ask a volunteer to name another homophone that sounds like too and to, but has a different meaning and spelling (two--the number after one).
• Repeat the process for there (page 15: "And she's still there.") and their (page 14: Next, the hungry bears walked into the living room and saw their chairs). Ask students for an example of another homophone that sounds like these two words but has a different meaning and spelling (they're). Have students think of a sentence of their own that contains the word they're. Encourage volunteers to share their examples.

      Have students turn to page 4 and find and circle all of the words that have homophone pairs. Have them write the homophones in the right-hand margin of the book (time/thyme, there/their/they're, sun/son, for/four, in/inn, one/won, wood/would, peeked/piqued, see/sea, right/write, not/knot). Write these pairs on the board.

• Check for understanding: Write the homophones here and hear on the board. Have students use each word in a sentence on a separate piece of paper. Invite them to share their sentences aloud.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the homophones worksheet. Discuss their answers aloud after students finish.

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their book independently or with a partner. Encourage repeated timed readings of a specific section of the book.

Home Connection

• Give students their book to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. Have them discuss with someone at home how to retell the story in their mind as they read.

Fairy Tale Writing and Art Connection
Encourage students to write a story about a curious little boy who happens upon a deserted cave. Have writers decide which animal the cave belongs to, and tell them to choose three things that the boy discovers and uses as if they are his own. Instruct them to write in the same style as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, personalizing the animals with dialogue and feelings. If time allows, encourage students to illustrate their work. Have students read their final product aloud to their classmates. Bind their final copies together, titled Our Book of Fairy Tales, and add a copy of the book to the class library.

Social Studies Connection
Facilitate a class discussion about respecting other people's property. Ask students to think about why it is important to treat someone else's things better than they might even treat their own. Ask them if another person has ever broken or been disrespectful to something of theirs that they really liked, and how they felt about it. Have students write about their experience, being sure to include the emotions they felt as a part of the experience. Have students share their writing in small groups and ask others to offer positive ways to handle the situation should something similar happen in the future.

Skill Review
Discussion cards (Goldilocks and the Three Bears / Goldilocks and the Other Three Bears) covering comprehension skills and strategies not explicitly taught with the book are provided as an extension activity. The following is a list of some ways these cards can be used with students:

• Use as discussion starters for literature circles.
• Have students choose one or more cards and write a response, either as an essay or a journal entry.
• Distribute before reading the book and have students use one of the questions as a purpose for reading.
• Cut apart and use the cards as game cards with a board game.
• Conduct a class discussion as a review before the book quiz.