Watch Out For That Wolf!

I had started writing this post while the days were still dwindling away in the school year but there was just too much left to do and I had to leave it to finish up when summer days left me with a few extra minutes of time on my hands.  The date on this Blog Post may not reflect that it is now the middle of June as I write this!  Happy Summer!

During those last days of the school year,  I had been trying to find ways to fill the hours and minutes with fun yet meaningful activities for my kiddos.  They were crawling out of their skin, anxious for summer to begin.  I couldn't blame them.  
The weather had finally warmed up and the flowers were finally blooming.  It seemed as if spring had finally come here in Michigan after a long and drawn out winter.

This activity was just fantastic in so many ways!  It was perfect for my end-of-the-year First Graders who were pretty independent and anxious to be out of their seats and moving around  a little with their friends.  This activity can be found in my 3 Little Pigs And The Big Bad Wolf Packet which is in my Tpt Store.  If  you would like to see this product, you can link back to it HERE in my Tpt Store, FirstLittleLessons.  

The Three Pigs Packet found in First Little Lessons Tpt Store

This activity incorporated the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf along with non-standard measurement and addition of three addends.  Who knew so much could happen with that Wolf and those three little pigs?  Watch out for that Wolf!

We started by reading the James Marshall version of The Three Little Pigs (The Scholastic Edition).  It is a little gruesome but always fun.  It always amazes me how many kids don't know their fairy tales anymore. If you can't find this version of the fairy tale, any version is fine.  It would be fun to compare his version to other versions of the The Three Little Pigs if you had time.  There are lots of great versions of this Fairy Tale out there. We ran out of time to do this, but would definitely do this next year!

http://www.scholastic.com

After reading, we moved right into our activity.  The kids were really excited.  I don't have pictures of the construction paper I had pre-cut for them, but I had simply cut the 18x11 larger construction paper sheets in half long-wise and then cut those strips in half again so the strips were about 2.5x18 inch strips.  Each child needed several of these strips so I just put several out at each table.  Any color would be fine but I used white.

I showed the class the page they would need to begin with.  The overall idea is that the Wolf wants to get to all three of the Pig's houses quickly so he can Huff! and Puff! and eat them all up!  You know the story!    But he's got three possible trail choices.  He needs to follow the trail that would be the shortest and fastest for a Wolf.  

The kids had to construct ALL three trials!  Be prepared to let them spread out ALL over the room and give them lots of time.  I modeled construction of one full trail first as well as the recording page, which I will post later.  Can I just say, they LOVED this activity!

Everyone got this page as well as thin strips of construction paper and I sent them off with Unifix Cubes to begin building trails!

Here are some pictures of some them enjoying their time coloring the Wolf trails before they began construction.  The joys of being a First Grader and just coloring.  Does it get any better than coloring?  Who doesn't still love coloring?

Enjoying coloring the Wolf trails before beginning construction.

Lots of coloring before construction begins.

So, while it's difficult to see here, this little guy has the first portion of the trail ready to go.  You can see the Wolf, hiding in the woods. The little boy has his stick of Unifix cubes right up to the edge of the Wolf card.  He has to measure 9 cubes over to the Straw House of the First Pig's house, which is exactly what his is doing here.  Exact measuring is going on here!  Great non-standard measurement for the end of First Grade!

Measuring is beginning from the Wolf to the First Pig's Straw House.

This little girl has already started her first trail and has glued down the Wolf to start her trail.  She is cutting out the First Pig and is getting ready to measure between the Wolf and this First Pig's Straw House.

I snapped lots of pictures of measuring as it was happening.  Here are several of the actual events as they were unfolding.  Fun times and lots of non-standard measuring in the final days of school!

Once they had measured and created their three trails, each child had to record the three measurements for each of the trails, onto their recording sheet for the Wolf.  That poor Wolf was starving waiting for them to figure out which trail he should take!  Here are some pictures of some of the children recording that information.

Aside from having to measure accurately and attach each house along the trails at the end of each measurement, each child had to then record those measurements from each trail onto this recording sheet.  You can see it above and below.  

If the first measurement on Trial 1 said to measure 9 Unifix cubes, the child records 9 in the first circle.  If the second measurement said to measure 5 Unifix cubes to the Straw House, the child then records 5 in the second circle and so on.  Additionally, the child records the third measurement.  This creates a 3-Digit addition equation which aligns with Common Core practices for First Grade.  

Once the children completed the equations for all three trails, their final job was to determine which trail would be the shortest and fastest trail for the Wolf to follow to gobble up those Pigs!  He is hungry after all!  Should the Wolf follow Trail 1?  Yes or No?

Should he follow Trail  2 or 3?  Only you can decide by constructing all 3 trails and determining THAT answer for yourself!

Here are some pictures of our final products!  This was NO fluff project!  It involved determination, skill in non-standard measurement, addition of 3-digits, comparison of numbers/inequalities and perseverance.  I could NOT be more proud of how hard my class worked on this project and what a great job they did on their accuracy in measurement and adding.  They were very worried about that Wolf!

 

 

You can grab all of the things you would need to complete this project in your own classroom right HERE.

There was much more in this packet that we just didn't get to but I know I'd like to spend more time doing next year.  Here are some of the other fantastic things to with those three pigs and that crazy and very bad wolf!

While this is just one example of a Compare/Contrast activity, this page allows children an opportunity to discuss in depth, the similarities and differences between the homes of those Pigs!  These discussions might lend themselves to good conversations about why we build our homes out of the materials that we use!  And by the way, where exactly does that Wolf live anyway?  That might just make a great STEAM activity!  Build a home for the Wolf!  Why not?!

And speaking of the Wolf!  Here is a fun Huff and Puff Science activity that is included in the packet as well.  The Wolf has got a lot going on in this packet!  This time, just like in the fairy tale, he huffs and puffs.  But he's not blowing down any houses.  He's blowing things around.

There is a variation to Huff and Puff in the packet, but you'll have to check out my link in my Tpt Store to find out more about that!  I can't give away all my secrets!

There are lots of other great things in this packet and too many more to mention in this Blog Post.  I hope you'll come visit my Store and check out this packet.  The trail there is direct, but watch out for that Wolf!!!!  Happy Summer!

Mary Ellen Merglewski

First Little Lessons