James Marshall 3 little pigs Teacher Resource

Summary of the Story

Three little pigs leave home to seek their fortunes. Two pigs build their houses of flimsy
materials. The wolf blows down their houses and eats them up. The third pig builds his
house out of brick, which the wolf cannot blow down. The wolf then asks the pig to get
turnips, pick apples, and go to the fair. Each time the pig goes an hour earlier, tricking
the wolf. At the fair, the pig sees the wolf. The pig escapes by rolling home in a butter
churn. The wolf comes to the pig's house, climbs onto the roof, and jumps into a pot of
boiling water.
Introducing the Story

Read the title of the book on the cover, pointing to each word as you say it. Have
children repeat the title as you point to each word.
Look at the cover and count the pigs with the child.

Reading the Story for the First Time

Read the story, moving your finger under the words as you read.
Invite children to join in with you on the repeated phrases, "Little pig, little pig, let
me come in" and "No, no, no, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin."

Recalling the Story

After you have finished reading, ask children the recall questions below.
Continue to ask these questions when you reread the book, until he or she
knows the answers.

Reading the Story Again and Again

Give open-ended prompts on each page. For example, ask: What's happening
on this page? What does the little pig do then? What does the wolf do then? Do
less reading of the words to the story each time you read, leaving more and more
of the "reading" or retelling to the child.
Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: What
is the mother pig doing? (She's crying because the pigs are leaving home.) Use
your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the child's response.
Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or
she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time
you read the book.
You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.

Extra Activities
 Have children read The Three Little Pigs to each other.
Children can dramatize the story as you reread it. Children taking the parts of the
pigs can draw their houses on the chalkboard. Children listening can join in on
the repeated phrases.

Recall Questions
Ask the following questions to check children's understanding of the story.

1. What is the title of this book? (The title is The Three Little Pigs.)
2. Who is this story about? (It's about three little pigs and a wolf who wants to eat
them up.)
3. What does the first little pig do? (He builds a house out of straw.)
4. What does the wolf do to the first little pig's house? (He huffs and puffs and blows
the house in.)
5. What happens to the second little pig? (He builds a house out of sticks, and the
wolf blows his house in, too.)
6. Why can't the wolf blow down the third little pig's house? (The third little pig made
his house out of bricks.)
7. How does the wolf plan to catch the pig next? Does his plan work? (The wolf tries
to get the pig to go to the turnip field, to the apple orchard, and to the fair. Each
time the pig tricks the wolf and gets away.)
8. What happens to the wolf in the end? (The wolf falls into a pot of boiling water,
and the pig eats him up.)

Prompts
Use the following questions after the second or third reading of The Three Little Pigs.
There are questions for every one or two pages of the story.

1. What is happening on the first page of the story? (The mother pig is crying
because her three pigs are leaving home.)
2. What does the first little pig build his house out of? (He builds his house with
straw.)
3. Who comes to visit the pig? (The wolf comes to visit the pig.)
4. What does the pig say when the wolf wants to come in? ("No, no, no, not by the
hair of my chinny chin chin.")
5. What does the wolf do after he blows in the little pig's house? (He eats him up.)
6. What is the man in the car carrying? (The man is carrying a load of sticks.)
7. When the wolf wants to come into the second little pig's house, the little pig tells
him, ("No, no, no, not by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin.")
8. What does the wolf do to the second little pig's house? (He blows it in.)
9. What does the third little pig buy? (He buys a load of bricks.)
10. Have you ever seen a house made of bricks? Could a wolf blow it down?
11. When the wolf wants to come into the third little pig's house, the little pig tells
him, ("No, no, no, not by the hair of my chinny, chin, chin.")
12. Can the wolf blow in the third little pig's house? Why? (No. It's made of strong
bricks.)
 13. The wolf tells the pig he is only teasing about blowing his house in. Do you
believe him? Why? (No, the wolf wants to eat the third pig, just like he did the
other pigs.)
14. Does the pig go to the turnip field with the wolf? (No, he goes by himself.)
15. How does the pig get away from the wolf at the apple orchard? (The pig throws
him an apple and then runs away home.)
16. What does the pig hide in at the fair? (He hides inside an empty butter churn.)
17. Who is smarter, the wolf or the third little pig? (The third little pig is smarter.)
18. What is the wolf's last plan? (He climbs up onto the roof and jumps down the
chimney.)
19. What is happening on the last page of the story? (The pig is about to eat dinner.)

Vocabulary
The words listed below come from the story and its pictures. As you page through the
book, ask the child to name the objects listed or talk about the actions portrayed. Words
are listed for every two pages of story. Ask about other objects and actions shown in the
pictures as you see fit.

pigs, crying, hat, vest, jacket, tie, bag

cart, wheel, straw, ladder
sunflowers, wolf, bicycle
huffing and puffing
car, headlights, sticks, hammer, nail
flags, balloon, wind chime
claws, teeth, snout
bricks, trowel, hanger, pail
chimney, shutters, flower boxes, windows, curtains, mailbox, tulips
angry, turning blue
barn, silo, sun coming up, turnips, basket, pot, stool, stirring
apple tree, apples, running away
kissing, butter, butter churn, rolling, hiding, scared
fireplace, logs, fire, pot, chimney
platter, chef's hat, knife, fork, glass, table