Goldilocks and the Three Hares
by Heidi Petach
INTRODUCTION
Goldilocks and the Three Hares can be successfully integrated into a cross-curriculum program for grades 1-4. Besides the Classroom Discovery Pages included, ideas for further exploration in language, science, math, and geography skills are suggested here.
A Closer Look at Books
For Discussion
Describe other parts of a book. The gutter is the center of an open book. Full page art and 2-page spread refer to the size of the illustrations.
The endpapers of Goldilocks and the Three Hares are white, and half of each one is glued to one of the binding boards of the covers. Goldilocks is a hardcover, or hardbound, book. There is no half title page, and counting the title page as page 1, the following is true: pages 4 and 5 are both full page art. Page 4 is a 4-side bleed; page 5 has no bleed. Pages 6 and 7 form a 2-page spread. Page 8 is a 1-side bleed.
Fun Facts
Did you know that odd-numbered pages in books are always on the right-hand (recto) page? The left-hand page (verso) always contains the even-numbered page numbers.
A Closer Look at Books
The class can cooperate in making a large dress-up book. Using a big carton, remove the top flaps, turn the carton over, and cut out holes for a head and arms. Add construction paper covers and draw lines on white paper for the page edges. Students can take turns wearing it and telling stories as the talking book. Or make a large book with a front cover that opens, and use a number of large sheets of white paper to make the half title, title, copyright, and dedication pages. The children can take turns being the book and identifying its different parts.
Using the large book with pages of blank paper, the class can collectively write a story in the book, perhaps using one of the ideas suggested for Classroom Discovery Page 2.
Ask the class to name which side of the book a certain page number would be found, reinforcing the concept of even and odd numbers, as well as left and right.
Fun with Puns
For Discussion
1. What are puns? How do they relate to homonyms and synonyms and rhymes?
2. How does Goldilocks and the Three Hares compare to The Story of the Three Bears and to The Story of the Three Little Pigs? How are the stories similar? How are they different?
3. Have students write down their favorite puns from Goldilocks and then share them in groups.
4. Mix up two or more different fairy tales into one story. Or make up a pun-filled version of a fairy tale or nursery rhyme and illustrate it. Cross-cultural versions of fairy tales could be made, such as Dreadlocks and the Three Bears.
