The Three Little Pigs

 

 

Level: TBD

Aims: reading comprehension, dictionary lookup skills, recitation skills, reading in context, exposure to American culture

Grammar: no grammar aims here

Time: 90 minutes

Materials: photocopies of the story, dictionary

 

Introduction: The Three Little Pigs is a traditional English children’s story.

Have the students read the story silently for 10 minutes, using their dictionaries. Then, go around the classroom, having students recite paragraphs from the text aloud. Work on fluency in recitation. Next, go through Text of the Story with Notes, and follow this with Discussion Questions.

 

 

Text of the Story

The Three Little Pigs

 

Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes.

Before they left, their mother told them, "Whatever you do, do it the best that you can, because that's the way to get along in the world.”

The first little pig built his house out of straw because it was the easiest thing to do.

The second little pig built his house out of sticks. This was a little bit stronger than a straw house.

The third little pig built his house out of bricks.

One night the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little piggies, came along and saw the first little pig in his house of straw. He said "Let me in, let me in, little pig, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin", said the little pig.

But of course the wolf did blow the house in and ate the first little pig.

 The wolf then came to the house of sticks.

"Let me in, let me in, little pig, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin,” said the little pig. But the wolf blew that house in too, and ate the second little pig.

The wolf then came to the house of bricks.

"Let me in, let me in" cried the wolf, "or I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house in."

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the pig.

Well, the wolf huffed and puffed, but he could not blow down that brick house.

But the wolf was a sly old wolf and he climbed up on the roof to look for a way into the brick house.

The little pig saw the wolf climb up on the roof and lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and placed on it a large kettle of water.

When the wolf finally found the hole in the chimney he crawled down and KERSPLASH right into that kettle of water and that was the end of his troubles with the big bad wolf.

The next day the little pig invited his mother over. She said "You see it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can." Fortunately for that little pig, he learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after!

 

 

 

 

Text of the Story with Notes

The Three Little Pigs

 

Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes.

Before they left, their mother told them, "Whatever you do, do it the best that you can, because that's the way to get along in the world.”

The first little pig built his house out of straw because it was the easiest thing to do.

The second little pig built his house out of sticks. This was a little bit stronger than a straw house.

The third little pig built his house out of bricks.

One night the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little piggies, came along and saw the first little pig in his house of straw. He said "Let me in, let me in, little pig, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin", said the little pig.

 

But of course the wolf did blow the house in and ate the first little pig.

The wolf then came to the house of sticks.

"Let me in, let me in, little pig, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin,” said the little pig. But the wolf blew that house in too, and ate the second little pig.

The wolf then came to the house of bricks.

"Let me in, let me in" cried the wolf, "or I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house in."

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the pig.

Well, the wolf huffed and puffed, but he could not blow down that brick house.

But the wolf was a sly old wolf and he climbed up on the roof to look for a way into the brick house.

The little pig saw the wolf climb up on the roof and lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and placed on it a large kettle of water.

When the wolf finally found the hole in the chimney he crawled down and KERSPLASH right into that kettle of water and that was the end of his troubles with the big bad wolf.

The next day the little pig invited his mother over. She said "You see it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can." Fortunately for that little pig, he learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after!

 

 

Discussion Questions

  1. Have the students re-tell the story to you using their own words.
  2. Why did the wolf manage to eat the first two little pigs, but not the third? (Because the third one listened to his mother’s advice!)
  3. What is the lesson of the story? What are we supposed to learn from it?