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Writing Assignment
The Three Little Pigs
Grade 2 RL.2.3 5 steps
Standard: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

What to Do

  1. Read the passage carefully. You may underline or annotate as you read.
  2. Review the vocabulary words.
  3. Complete each writing step in order. Follow the instructions and hints.
  4. Use the Self-Check Rubric and checklist to review your work.

Assignment Overview

Let's read the story of the Three Little Pigs! Then you'll
think about what each pig is like and how they respond to
the wolf.

The Three Little Pigs

1

Three little pigs left home to build their own houses. The first pig built his house out of straw. The second pig built his house out of sticks.

2

The third pig worked very hard. He built his house out of bricks. It took a long time, but it was very strong.

3

A big bad wolf came to the straw house. He huffed and puffed and blew it down. The first pig ran to the stick house.

4

The wolf huffed and puffed and blew the stick house down too. Both pigs ran to the brick house.

5

The wolf huffed and puffed at the brick house, but he could not blow it down. The three pigs were safe inside.

Vocabulary Bank
WordDefinition
straw Dried pieces of plants, like hay. Very light and not very strong.
huffed Blew out a big breath of air, very hard.
Writing Steps
1 Meet the Characters
Tell us about the characters in this story:
- Who is in the story?
- What do you notice about them?

You can use short sentences. There is no wrong answer!

Try starting with:
- "The story has..."
- "In this story, there is..."
- "The characters are..."
Let us read this story together! As you read, pay attention to the characters - the people or animals in the story.

Think about:
- Who is in this story?
- What are they like?

After you read, tell us about the characters you met!
Scoring Guidance — Step 1
Look for:
  • Who is in the story?
  • What do you notice about them?
  • How many characters are there?
Main Idea
Detail / Evidence 1
Detail / Evidence 2
Detail / Evidence 3
2 How Do They Feel?
Tell us how the characters feel:

1. Who: Pick a character from the story.
2. How they feel: How does this character feel? Pick a feeling word.
3. Why they feel this way: Why do they feel this way?

Try starting with:
- "The character feels... because..."
- "the three pigs is... because..."
- "I think they feel... because in the story..."
Now let us think about how the characters feel in the story.

Characters have feelings just like us! They can feel:
- Happy - when something good happens
- Sad - when something bad happens
- Scared - when something is scary
- Mad - when something is not fair
- Excited - when something fun happens

How does the three pigs feel in the story?
Scoring Guidance — Step 2
Look for:
  • How does the character feel? Happy? Sad? Scared? Mad?
  • Why do they feel this way?
  • What happens that makes them feel this way?
How does the character feel? Happy? Sad? Scared? Mad?
Why do they feel this way?
What happens that makes them feel this way?
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
3 What Happens?
Tell us about the big event or challenge:

1. What happens: What is the big thing that happens in the story?
2. Who is affected: Which characters does it happen to?

Try starting with:
- "The big thing that happens is..."
- "In the story, something happens when..."
- "The challenge is..."
Great job! Now let us find the big thing that happens in the story.

In every story, something big happens. This is the event or challenge the characters face.

How do the three pigs respond to the wolf? What does each pig do differently?

Look at the story and find the big thing that happens.
Scoring Guidance — Step 3
Look for:
  • What is the biggest thing that happens?
  • Is there a problem or challenge?
  • What do the characters have to deal with?
What is the biggest thing that happens?
Is there a problem or challenge?
What do the characters have to deal with?
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
4 What Do They Do?
Tell us how the character responds:

1. What they do: What does the character do when the big thing happens?
2. Why they do it: Why do you think they do this?

Try starting with:
- "When ___ happened, the three pigs did ___"
- "the three pigs responds by..."
- "After ___ happened, the three pigs..."
You are doing so well! Now let us think about what the characters do when something big happens.

When something happens in a story, characters react! They might:
- Do something brave
- Ask for help
- Try to fix the problem
- Feel scared but keep going

What does the three pigs do when the big event happens?
Scoring Guidance — Step 4
Look for:
  • What does the character do when something big happens?
  • How do they react?
  • Why do you think they did that?
What does the character do when something big happens?
How do they react?
Why do you think they did that?
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
5 Put It All Together
Write your complete answer in 2-4 sentences. Your answer should:

1. Tell about the characters and how they feel
2. Tell what the big event or challenge is
3. Tell what the characters do about it

Try starting with:
- "In this story, the three pigs..."
- "When ___ happened, the three pigs..."

You can do it!
You did it! Now let us put everything together to write about the characters in this story.

You will answer our question using what you learned:
How do the three pigs respond to the wolf? What does each pig do differently?

Tell us about the characters, how they feel, and what they do when something big happens.
Scoring Guidance — Step 5
Look for:
  • Start by telling about the character
  • Tell what happens
  • Tell what the character does about it
Start by telling about the character
Tell what happens
Tell what the character does about it
Sentence Starters
In the text, the author shows that ___.
The author writes, "___," which shows ___.
This is important because ___.
Overall, the text shows that ___.
Self-Check Rubric
Criteria ●●●●●
5 — Advanced
●●●●○
4 — Proficient
●●●○○
3 — Developing
●●○○○
2 — Emerging
●○○○○
1 — Beginning
Ideas Original, well-developed ideas with depth Clear ideas with good development Ideas present with basic development Ideas unclear or underdeveloped Off-topic or missing
Evidence Strong, specific text evidence with explanation Relevant text evidence cited Some evidence but vague Little or no evidence No text support
Organization Logical flow with effective transitions Clear structure with transitions Basic structure, some transitions Disorganized No structure
Language Precise vocabulary, varied sentences, few errors Grade-appropriate language, minor errors Basic language, some errors Limited vocabulary, frequent errors Difficult to understand

Before You Turn In

I completed the planning step
I completed Step 2: How Do They Feel?
I completed Step 3: What Happens?
I completed Step 4: What Do They Do?
I completed Step 5: Put It All Together
I re-read my writing and fixed any spelling or grammar mistakes
I am proud of this work

Reflection

What was the hardest part of this assignment? What would you do differently next time?

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