Three  Little  Pigs

      “Once upon a time there were three little pigs”, “Goodbye my little ones, be careful of the big bad wolves”, “Little pig, little pig, Let us in”… These are some of the lines in our play Three Little Pigs. In our play, we have narrators, a mommy pig, three little pigs, big bad wolves, straw sellers, stick sellers, brick sellers, and birds. Students choose the roles and have immersed themselves in their characters. To be honest, practicing a play is a nightmare, but it is also an amazing experience for everyone.

At the beginning, Nicole and I talked about which play was the best and Three Little Pigs was a good choice. First of all, our students are familiar with the story; Secondly, the play has enough roles for everyone getting a chance; Thirdly, the lines of the play are not long and it is easy for our children. The most important thing is that the children enjoy the story. Then the real preparation begins.

Actually， there are many versions of Three Little Pigs, but we must choose one. Nicole read several versions to the kids each day and  finally, based on the kids’ opinions, we chose one which they understood the best.

The next step was to understand the details of the story. Students identified what kinds of materials were used by the little pigs to build their own house – from the weak straw house to the strong brick house. They gained an understanding of how the little pigs fought against the big bad wolves and other major keypoints of the story.

Through different learning centers, the kids gained a deep understanding of the story:

Reading center: Through individual reading, students were able to enrich their understanding of the story. Another way students utilized this centre was when Nicole read to them in a smaller group, which allowed our students to ask questions and clarify their understanding.

Playdough center: Our students used playdough to build the three different houses. They were also able to use this center to make characters from the story, such as the three pigs or the big bad wolf.

Creative Drawing Center: After reading the story, students were instructed to draw their favorite scene from the book. Using their creative thinking, students were suggested to make their own ending to the Three Little Pigs.

Craft center: Through this center, they were able to build their own set of houses for the three little pigs. Utilizing different color construction paper to signify the various materials: yellow for the straw house, brown paper for the house made of sticks and red for the brick house. Some students even wrote down the house number for a more individualized creation.

Narrative center: Using flashcards that represent different settings and characters, students used their logic and understanding to recreate the story. The children were asked to place the flashcards in the order; from the beginning, through the climax, and to the end of this classic story.

Approximately one week later, almost every student has had the chance to experience the different learning centers. As a class, we set out to find materials for our pigs’ houses – straw, sticks and bricks. With buckets filled two by two with various materials, it was time to build our house props for the play. Nicole and I prepared three large cardboard panels, paint brushes and glue. We divided the children into different groups to build the three houses. Students cut, glued, painted and arranged the houses to their own liking. They actively took part in building our three houses and even suggested adding more details such as a door and windows to make it more realistic. Our children are definitely creative and amazing throughout this learning process.

At the same time, the most critical thing was learning the lines. In Nicole’s opinion, she did not want learning the lines to decrease the interest and passion of the students. The children enjoy the story but they do not like having to memorize lines over and over again. Nevertheless, sometimes having to do something that you do not want to is part of the growing process. Learning the lines should not be thought of as a burden but a challenge.

I remember for the Christmas concert we performed a play ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, and even after a couple of months some kids can still remember their roles and lines. Sometimes, you can not judge a play as a good thing or a bad thing. A saying goes “Everything has two sides”. Maybe practicing a play takes some time and energy , but at the same time it is a good chance to develop the ability of memorization, public speaking and willpower. All in all, a play’s function may not show up now, but it will show up some time in the future in an unbelievable way.

Although lines of the play are tough, we are making progress day by day.  When the characters get to wear their costumes and actually stand on the stage, they become so excited and happy, especially when we told the kids they would be performing the play to their moms or dads. They want to behave well and to be the best. “One more time”; “When my mom will come to see me?” They are so motivated that they are consistently eager to participate!

Likewise, we cannot ignore that we do experience some days where students are less motived and bored from working on the play. We tell them that this play is like a mountain: the higher and closer we are to the peak, the harder it will become. However, we can do it and put on an amazing play.

Maybe on Graduation Day, the parents will see the play and appreciate the effort each student has put into this. Hopefully, our students will still enjoy the story and reflect on this play as a good memory. I hope one day the students might reread the story and remember their role in this amazing play.