Language Arts: Fun with Stories 故事樂趣多
BasicListen, tell and act out stories: The Three Little Pigs teaches English and courage.
- Open with: Once upon a time.
- Catch keywords: straw, sticks, bricks, huff, puff.
- Use past tense: built, came, blew.
文體小知識：Language Arts——透過故事、兒歌同詩歌學英文：語言不止是工具，仲是樂趣。
§Text Passage
1Once upon a time, three little pigs built three houses. The first pig built a house of straw. The second pig built a house of sticks. The third pig worked hard and built a house of bricks. One day, a big bad wolf came. He huffed and he puffed and he blew the straw house down! The little pig ran to his brother's stick house.
2The wolf huffed and puffed again and blew the stick house down too! The two little pigs ran to the third pig's brick house. The wolf huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed — but the brick house did not fall down. The wolf was too tired. The three pigs were safe and happy inside. The third pig said, 'Hard work keeps us safe.'
3Story time is learning time. When you listen to a story, you hear new words: straw, sticks, bricks, huff, puff. When you tell the story again, you practise speaking. When you act it out with friends, you remember the words forever. Stories are the best teacher — and the Three Little Pigs teaches us: work hard, and do things well.
1Summary 重點摘要
Listen, tell and act out stories: The Three Little Pigs teaches English and courage.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Dried grass stems.
Small branches of wood.
Hard blocks for building.
To breathe out strongly.
To make fall by blowing.
The classic story opening.
Not in danger.
Working with effort.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Catch keywords while listeningWhile listening to The Three Little Pigs, listen for five keywords: three pigs, straw, sticks, bricks, wolf. Raise your hand or circle each one on paper as you hear it. Catching words while listening trains your ears and helps you remember the story.
- Step 2: The classic openingOnce upon a time is the opening of every fairy tale. Begin your story with this line, and the feeling of a story comes at once. Then continue: Three little pigs built three houses. With the first two lines said well, the audience settles down to listen.
- Step 3: Verbs with sound — huff and puffThe wolf huffed and he puffed. Huff and puff are the wolf's big blowing words; read them loudly: HUFF! PUFF! Verbs with actions and a big voice bring the story alive. When you meet such sound words in English, act them out once — you will never forget them.
- Step 4: The three-part patternFairy tales repeat: the wolf blows down the straw house, then the stick house, then the brick house. The three parts share the same shape, so listeners remember easily. On the third time, slow down and let the audience join in: He huffed and he puffed ... The more voices, the livelier the story.
- Step 5: Act it out — character voicesAct in groups of three: the wolf uses a big rough voice, the first two pigs use nervous voices, and the third pig uses a steady voice. Different voices make the characters clear at once. This trains your speaking skill and is the most fun part; after one round, swap roles so everyone tries being the wolf.
- Step 6: The story's last lessonThe third pig said: Hard work keeps us safe. The moral sounds strongest when a character says it. After telling the story, always tell the moral: story plus moral is the complete Language Arts structure, and the listeners go away with something to remember.
5Worked example Example
Sample: tell The Three Little Pigs with four pictures, training the skill of picture talk.
- Picture one, the opening: Once upon a time, three little pigs built three houses: straw, sticks and bricks. One sentence sets the scene.
- Picture two, the trouble: A big bad wolf came. He huffed and puffed and blew two houses down! Read huff and puff loudly.
- Picture three, the climax: The wolf came to the brick house — huff, puff — but it did not fall! Make your voice a little tense.
- Picture four, the ending: The pigs were safe. Hard work keeps us safe. The End. Say the ending, then the moral.
- After telling, let the listeners ask questions or retell their favourite picture, and check that they understood.
- Answer: Four-picture script: 1) Once upon a time, three little pigs built three houses: straw, sticks and bricks. 2) A big bad wolf came and blew two houses down! 3) But the brick house did not fall — huff, puff, nothing happened! 4) The three pigs were safe inside. Hard work keeps us safe. The End. One sentence per picture, all words from the story.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What did the three pigs build with?
Q2The classic story opening?
Q3What did the wolf do?
Q4Which house did not fall?
Q5What is the lesson?
8Recap Recap
- Open with: Once upon a time.
- Catch keywords: straw, sticks, bricks, huff, puff.
- Use past tense: built, came, blew.
- The three-part pattern is easy to remember.
- End with the moral: Hard work keeps us safe.