1-2-3 Come Do Some "Three Billy Goats Gruff" Activities With Me
Do you read the fairy tale, "Three Billy Goats Gruff" ? It's an old-fashioned favorite of mine, and perfect for sequencing!
So I designed 3 "craftivities" that will help practice the "sequencing & retelling a story" standards: There's a slider, wheel and flip booklet.
Any of the projects make for a wonderful transition activity, after you're done reading the story. Fun for your kiddos and easy-peasy for you too, as all three are simply “Print & Go”.
First up is the flip booklet.
There are 2 booklet options to choose from: one featuring a troll, the other a goat.
The troll pages are large circles with bigger graphics, while the goat pages come two on a one-page pattern. The graphics are also a nice size.
Pick your favorite, or give students a choice.
There are full color patterns so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share, plus black & white templates, so students can make their own.
Simply run the troll and goat patterns off on construction paper or card stock. Students color & trim. These become the sturdy “base” of their booklet.
Children then color, cut & collate the pages into a little book, which is then attached to the base.
I purposely did not number the pages, so you can assess comprehension & their ability to sequence correctly.
You can also easily omit pages, to make a shorter booklet for little ones, so they can simply tell the "beginning-middle & end" of the story.
For some writing practice, I thought it would be fun for students, to add a caption inside a speech bubble, that’s above a “color me” picture of the troll falling off the bridge or being swept away in the river.
Completed worksheets make a cute bulletin board.
Next up is the slider. There are 3 outside slider options to choose from, which children color & trim.
Two options are square for easy-peasy, straight-edge cutting, while the other is a “cut me out” troll, for those with more scissor experience.
Students color the story elements on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together. (All 3 options use the same “slider strip”).
As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their troll/goat home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.
I introduce the lesson by reading "3 Billy Goats Gruff", then share my completed "slider craftivity” with my students.
So that you can quickly, and easily make an example, I’ve included a full-color slider pattern.
After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts. Have children guess which story element they think comes next before you pull the picture through the “window”.
My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a story slider of their own.
Finally, the storytelling wheel is yet another quick, easy & fun way for students to practice the “retelling & sequencing” a story standards.
There are 2 wheel options to choose from: one featuring a troll, the other, the 3 billy goats. The "pie wheel" that's underneath is the same. I give my students a choice.
When everyone is done, practice retelling by using the manipulative. Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the 3 goats appear in the “pie-slice window”, then call on a child to begin the story,
Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”. You can also ask kiddos if this is the beginning-middle-or end of the tale.
To further check comprehension, I’ve included a “color, cut & glue” worksheet in all 3 packets.
Same format, but with different clip art that matches that particular craftivity. There's a simple version for younger kiddos, as well as a more challenging option, where the "picture tiles" are mixed up.
As another way to assess comprehension, as well as include some writing practice, there’s also a variety of “Here’s What Happened…” worksheets, which can be done as a whole group with younger children.
When everyone is done with their slider, wheel or flip booklet, have children pick a partner and take turns telling the story, “3 Billy Goats Gruff” to each other.
We sometimes do this sort of thing with our older reading buddies.
Afterwards, encourage students to share their goat/troll craft with their parents, once again retelling the story.
Because my little peanuts are absolutely exhausted, at the end of our day, I like to show some sort of very short educational video.
This is a "winding down" (calming time) for us, which not only helps my students, but gives me a few minutes to get things ready for dismissal.
I spend quite a bit of time seaching YouTube, so I've also included 3 of my favorite "Billy Goats Gruff" video links in all three packets.
I sincerely hope you'll give one of these crafts a try. If your students are like mine, they will really enjoy sequencing and retelling with a "paper manipulative".
Today's featured FREEBIE is a fun little "back to school" icebreaker treat bag. I enjoy decorating with fish.
They work for the beginning of the year, as well as summer; their bright colors simply give one a happy feeling.
There's also the terrific "play on words" possibilities, with "school" and "o-fish-ally".
So I designed these sweet treat bag "headers" to put at the top of a Snack Baggie of Fishy crackers. Don't want to do a treat bag? Use the patterns for a bookmark!
There's also a fish pattern to slit & slide a push-up Popsicle through, plus a bookmark for more quick, easy & inexpensive treats.
I've included a "We're ready for a 'fin-tastic' school year" poster as well, which can be the center for a fish-filled bulletin board.
The packet includes patterns for preschool, kindergarten & 1st grade, with a blank template to fill in with whatever grade you teach.
Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.
I don't know about you, but my back-to-school, "To Do" list, keeps getting longer as the summer gets shorter.
Wishing you a relaxing and stress-free day.
"Less Monday; more summer!" -Unknown