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Goldilocks and the Three Bears retold by Jan Brett

Summary of the Story

The three bears take a walk in the woods while their porridge cools. While they are out, Goldilocks comes into the house. She eats up the little bear's porridge, breaks the little bear's chair, and falls asleep in his little bed. When the bears return from their walk, they discover what Goldilocks has done. In fact, she is still sleeping in the little bear's bed. Goldilocks wakes up and runs away.

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.
• Explain that Goldilocks is the name of a little girl. Point to the picture of Goldilocks sleeping on the cover. Ask: Have you heard the story of Goldilocks? Do you know what she did one day?

Reading the Story for the First Time

• Read the story, moving your finger under the words as you read.
• After reading, ask: Do you think Goldilocks should have gone into the bear's house? Why? Why not?

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 do you see here? Do less reading of the words to the story each time you read, leaving more of the "reading" or retelling to the child.
• Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: What do you see hiding in the flower? (A mouse is hiding in the flower.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the children's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the words. 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 draw three different-sized bears and use them to retell the story.
• Children can dramatize the story using simple props while you read it aloud. Have children say the parts of the great bear, the middle-sized bear, and the little bear.

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

1. What is the name of this book? (The book is called Goldilocks and the Three Bears.)
2. Who is this story all about? (It's about a girl named Goldilocks and three bears.)
3. What is the first thing that happens in the story? (The bears go out for a walk because their porridge is too hot to eat.)
4. What happens next? (Goldilocks comes into the bears' house.)
5. What does Goldilocks do first in the house? (She tastes everyone's porridge and eats the little bear's porridge all up.)
6. What happens to the bears' chairs? (Goldilocks sits in all the chairs and breaks the little bear's chair.)
7. Where does Goldilocks go next? (She goes upstairs and falls asleep in the little bear's bed.)
8. What happens when the bears come home? (They discover that someone has been eating their porridge, sitting in their chairs, and lying in their beds.)
9. What happens at the end of the book? (The little bear wakes up Goldilocks, and she runs away.)

Prompts
Use the following questions after the second or third reading of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. There are questions for every one or two pages of the story.

1. Who lives in this house? (The three bears live there.)
2. How are the bears different? (One is a great, huge bear; one is a middle-sized bear; and one is a little, small, wee bear.)
3. Who is sitting in the great, huge chair in this picture? (The great, huge bear is sitting in the great, huge chair.)
4. What is the little bear doing? (He is crawling under a chair looking at a butterfly.)
5. Why are the bears going for a walk outside? (They want to give their porridge time to cool.)
6. What is the little bear doing? (He is rolling over a log looking at the mushrooms.)
7. Who is looking in the window? (Goldilocks is looking into the window.)
8. What does she do next? (She goes into the bears' house.)
9. What is Goldilocks doing in this picture? (She is stirring the porridge.)
11. Which bowl belongs to the little, small, wee bear? (The smallest bowl belongs to the little, small, wee bear.)
12. What is happening in these two pictures? (Goldilocks sits in the middle-sized chair and then sits in the little, small, wee bear's chair and breaks it.)
13. Where are the bears' beds? (They are upstairs.)
14. When he looks at his porridge, the great, huge bear says,_______("Somebody has been at my porridge.")
15. When he looks at his chair, the great, huge bear says,_______ ("Somebody has been sitting inmy chair.")
16. What has happened to the little, small, wee bear's chair? (It is broken.)
17. When he looks at his bed, the great, huge bear says,_______("Somebody has been lying in my bed.")
18. What does the middle-sized bear say when she looks at her bed? ("Somebody has been lying in my bed.")
19. What is happening in this picture? (The little, small, wee bear discovers Goldilocks sleeping in his bed.)
20. What is happening in this picture? (The three bears are all looking at Goldilocks.)
21. How would you feel if you were Goldilocks at this moment?
22. What does Goldilocks do? (She jumps out of bed and runs away.)

Vocabulary

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

• mouse, house, door, roof, big bear, middle-sized bear, little bear
• bread, honey, teapot, butterfly
• basket, mushrooms, sunflowers, walk
• peeking, owl, fish, braid, ribbon, hat, dress, buttons, plate
• stirring, porridge, big bowl, middle-sized bowl, little bowl, spoon
• pillow, fringe, broken, big chair, middle-sized chair, little chair
• rug, big bed, pine cone
• looking, claws
• roaring, mouth, tongue, sharp teeth, paws
• boots, mice, pillows, sitting
• sleeping, flowers
• waking up, nose, eyes
• running, trees
• hugging