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      Learning a story to retell it

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can sequence and retell the fairy tale 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'.

      Key learning points

      1. Fairy tales are fiction stories about magical and imaginary beings and lands.
      2. Fairy tales belong to the genre of folklore in which stories are orally shared and passed down over time.
      3. Stories can be structured in four parts and each part has a different purpose.
      4. It is important to sequence a story correctly so that it can be enjoyed and understood.

      Keywords

      • Fairy tale - a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands

      • Folklore - a genre in which oral stories are shared and passed down over time

      • Sequence - following the order in which a series of events happened

      • Expression - reading with feelings and emotion to bring the story to life

      Common misconception

      Children may have questions around who the 'good' vs 'evil' characters are.

      Goldilocks is the one who breaks into the bears' home and uses their things, therefore she would be considered the 'evil' character. However, ask/discuss whether her behaviour actually constitutes 'evil' and what her motivations might have been.

      Teacher tip

      You could use any version of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' in this lesson. Provide pictures from the story to support pupils in the retelling of it.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is the correct description of a fiction book?

      a book that gives factual information
      a book with lots of poems
      Correct answer: a book about a made-up story

      Q2.
      Match the following terms to their definitions.

      Correct Answer:character,a person or animal in the story

      a person or animal in the story

      Correct Answer:setting,where the story takes place

      where the story takes place

      Correct Answer:plot,what happens in the story

      what happens in the story

      Q3.
      Starting with the first, put these parts of a fairy tale in the correct order.

      1 - opening
      2 - build-up
      3 - climax
      4 - resolution

      Q4.
      What is a fairy tale?

      a type of poem that works like a puzzle
      Correct answer: a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands
      a genre of text which presents real events, information or knowledge

      Q5.
      Which of these titles are fairy tales?

      Correct answer: Little Red Riding Hood
      Correct answer: Cinderella
      Emmeline Pankhurst: Little People Big Dreams
      Correct answer: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

      Q6.
      What does reading with expression mean?

      Correct answer: reading aloud with feelings and emotion
      reading aloud in one voice
      reading in your head

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What is folklore?

      Correct answer: the sharing and passing down of stories orally
      the reading of books
      new stories being written

      Q2.
      Where did 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' originate?

      Correct answer: Britain
      France
      Japan

      Q3.
      Which of the following are features of a fairy tale?

      Correct answer: imaginary/magical characters and settings
      Correct answer: repetition
      tells a funny and light hearted story
      Correct answer: set in an undefined period of history

      Q4.
      What prompted the bears to go for a walk?

      They had been inside all day long.
      It had snowed and they wanted to play.
      Correct answer: Their breakfast porridge was too hot to eat.

      Q5.
      Which bear’s items did Goldilocks enjoy the most?

      Father Bear’s
      Mother Bear’s
      Correct answer: Baby Bear’s

      Q6.
      How does the story end?

      Correct answer: Goldilocks ran away and never returned.
      The bears had a fight with Goldilocks.
      Goldilocks became part of the bears’ family.

      To help you plan your 3 English lesson on: Learning a story to retell it, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...