Lesson Topic

Interviews from Little Red Riding Hood

Proficiency/Grade Level:

Advanced beginners to low intermediate ESL students in grades 3-8.

Content Concepts and Skills:

Social language; interviewing techniques; question formation

Lesson Objectives

Students will:

1. Demonstrate comprehension of play or story, "Little Red Riding Hood."

2. Help construct interviews based on what they have learned about the chaacters in the play Little Red Riding Hood.

3. Develop peer conversation and cooperative learning skills.

Materials Needed:

Personalized interviews developed for each character

Instructional Sequence:

• Begin with a dramatic reading of the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Choose a version of the story appropriate to the age and language level of your students. Have students each take a character and read that part of the play or story.
• Ask students what questions they would ask if they could interview the Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, Granny, the Mother and the Hunter. Make a list of the questions your students brainstorm.
• Type up the questions for each interview that your students brainstorm. Tell students that they are going to interview the characters in "Little Red Riding Hood." Review or teach how an interview is conducted. Each student will have a partner whom they will interview. When they are being interviewed, students must answer the questions as if they were their character in the play or book. They must answer the questions from their character's point of view. For example, Natasha will ask Kim how it feels to be the wolf and Kim, who was the Wolf in the play, will give an answer that the wolf would give. Then Kim will ask Natasha why she was in the woods by herself and Natasha, who was Little Red Riding Hood in the play, will answer from her character's point of view.
• Explain to students that they will each get an interview page. From that page they will each ask their partner three or four questions (depending on the grade and language level of the students.) In each pair group one student will be the interviewer and the other the character. They will switch at the end of the first interview.
• Pair students and hand out the interview questions. Encourage students to add their own question if they wish.

Sample Interview Questions

These are sample questions made up by a group of Advanced beginning 4-5th graders

Interview Questions for Little Red Riding Hood

1. Didn't your Mother tell you not to talk to strangers ?

2. Why didn't you listen to your Mother?

3. What were you doing in the woods by yourself?

3. Do you ever change your clothes?

4. How old are you? Do you go to school?

Interview Questions for Mother

1.Why didn’t you visit your own mother when she was sick ?

2. Did you know there was a wolf near your house? Would you still send Little Red Riding Hood to visit Granny?

3.Why do you dress Little Red Riding Hood in that outfit?

4.What kind of cookies did you make?

Interview Questions for Interview Questions for the Wolf

1.Why didn’t you eat Little Red Riding Hood when you first saw her?

2. Where did you come from?

3. Are you male or female?

4. How did you learn to talk?

5. Didn't you feel silly in Granny's nightgown?"

Interview Questions for Interview Questions for Granny

1.What are you sick from?

2. How did it feel to be in the wolf’s stomach?

3. How old are you?

4. What nationality are you?

Interview Questions for Interview Questions for the Hunter

1.What did you do with the wolf when he died?

2. Why did you cut open the wolf’s stomach?

3. Are you married? Do you have a family?

4. If you are not married, will you marry Little Red Riding Hood's Mother?

Evaluation

At the end of their interviews, students should get back into one large group and share what they have learned about their partners' characters. Have each student share one question from his/her interview along with the response.

Bulletin Board Idea

Have students draw and color a large picture of the character they interviewed. You can use commercially-made characters for this activity.

Students should then write up their interviews and post them on your bulletin board.

© 1998-2007 Judie Haynes, www.everythingESL.net