An Invitation to play: Using Fairy Tales to Build Early Literacy Skills
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Read a loud The Story of the Three Little Pigs
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Build belief through movement: Invite students to the carpet to explore how various animals might move using guided imagery: Can you show me how a pig or wolf might move? How might your animal sleep, eat or play?
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Role Play: Ask students to consider what questions they might have for the wolf. What do they still want to know about this story? In role as the wolf, teacher can answer the questions generated by the class.
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Action and Exploration: Retell the story with students, having them play the part of the wolf. In small groups, ask the students to create a dramatic retelling of the story. Provide masks, puppets, costumes etc. and invite students to use the materials to retell the story.
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Provide provocations for students to build, construct, design houses for the pigs. Suggested materials include spaghetti, playdough, snap cubes, leggo, straws, modelling clay, fabric, large blocks, set out as centres.
“How can we use these materials to build a house that the wolf can’t blow down?”
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Have students reflect on the design challenge by asking them to consider what materials worked well, how they could improve their design next time.
Play-based Learning and Inquiry Extensions
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Have students create a dramatic presentation for their peers using the materials provided (puppets, costumes, masks, etc.).
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Ask students to consider how they can use the materials to create: a set for their presentation, tickets, seating.
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Repeat with other fairytale or nursery rhymes such as The Mitten, The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
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Have students create a video diary in role as the wolf, mother pig or another animal.
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Ask students to generate a list of questions they have about wolves, pigs, fairy tales, structures and buildings etc. to inform future inquiries.
Photos courtesy of Meghan Park and TLDSB students