Year 1 English: Retelling Goldilocks and linking to my life
Part of the Year 1 English stories and fairy tales chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Retelling Goldilocks and linking to my life
Goldilocks and the Three Bears is another traditional tale. Goldilocks tries three bowls, three chairs and three beds. Each time, something is too hot, too hard or too short, until she finds one that is just right.
When you retell a story, you can also link it to your own life. Has something ever been too hot, or just right, for you? That is linking a story to your own experiences.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Once upon a time, a girl called Goldilocks went for a walk in the woods. She came to a little house. No one was at home, so she went in.
In the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. There was a big bowl, a middle bowl and a small bowl.
Goldilocks tasted the big bowl. “Too hot!” she said.
She tasted the middle bowl. “Too cold!” she said.
She tasted the small bowl. “Just right!” she said, and she ate it all up.
Then she sat on three chairs. The big chair was too hard. The middle chair was too soft. The small chair was just right, but then it broke!
Goldilocks was tired. She went upstairs and lay on three beds. The big bed was too long. The middle bed was too short. The small bed was just right, and she fell fast asleep.
Soon, a big bear, a middle bear and a small bear came home. “Someone was in our house!” they said.
They found Goldilocks asleep in the small bed. She woke up with a jump. She ran out of the house, and she did not come back.
Key ideas
- Goldilocks tries three of everything: bowls, chairs and beds.
- Some things are too hot, cold, hard or short. One is just right.
- To link a story to your life, think of something that has happened to you.
- When you retell, use your own words.
Method. Find what Goldilocks found in the kitchen.
- Read the sentence about the kitchen. It tells us what was in the kitchen.In the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge.
- Check the rest of the sentence. Three bowls means there were three of them.a big bowl, a middle bowl and a small bowl
- Write the answer. These were the things in the kitchen.three bowls of porridge
Check. Read it aloud: three bowls of porridge. ✓
Watch out. Porridge is a warm food made from oats. Look at the picture to see the bowls.
Method. Find the bowl that was just right.
- Read what Goldilocks did with the small bowl. She tasted it and said what she thought.She tasted the small bowl.
- Find the words she said. Just right means it was not too hot and not too cold.“Just right!”
- Write the answer. The bowl that was just right is the small bowl.the small bowl
Check. The big bowl was too hot and the middle bowl was too cold, so the small bowl was just right. ✓
Watch out. Check each bowl. Only one is just right.
Method. Retell means to tell the story again in your own words.
- Read the first sentence. It tells us who went for a walk, and where.a girl called Goldilocks went for a walk in the woods
- Put it in your own words. Say the same thing in a new way.First, Goldilocks went for a walk in the woods.
- Write the answer. The first part of the story is now in your own words.First, Goldilocks went for a walk in the woods.
Check. Read your sentence aloud. It keeps the same idea in new words. ✓
Watch out. Start with first, then keep to the order of the story.
Watch out
Watch out: when you retell, use your own words. Do not copy the lines word for word.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Goldilocks is a long name, so say it in parts: Gold-i-locks. Use three cups or boxes of different sizes to show big, middle and small. Try each one and say “too big”, “too small” or “just right”. Ask: “Has anything been just right for you today?”
Exercise 8F Retelling Goldilocks and linking to my life
Method. Look back at the story and find the words that answer the question.
- Find the clue in the story. The answer is in the box, or we can work it out from it.“a girl called Goldilocks went for a walk in the woods”
- Think about what the clue tells us. The first sentence tells us who went for a walk in the woods.
- Write the answer. Answer with a short sentence or the word from the story.Goldilocks
Check. Also accept: a girl called Goldilocks. Read your answer back to the story. It fits the clue. ✓
Watch out. The answer is in the story. Do not guess from what you think might happen.
Method. Look back at the story and find the words that answer the question.
- Find the clue in the story. The answer is in the box, or we can work it out from it.“there were three bowls of porridge”
- Think about what the clue tells us. The sentence tells us what was in the kitchen.
- Write the answer. Answer with a short sentence or the word from the story.three bowls of porridge
Check. Also accept: porridge; three bowls. Read your answer back to the story. It fits the clue. ✓
Watch out. The answer is in the story. Do not guess from what you think might happen.
Method. Look back at the story and find the words that answer the question.
- Find the clue in the story. The answer is in the box, or we can work it out from it.“She tasted the small bowl.”
- Think about what the clue tells us. Goldilocks said the small bowl was just right.
- Write the answer. Answer with a short sentence or the word from the story.the small bowl
Check. Also accept: the small one. Read your answer back to the story. It fits the clue. ✓
Watch out. The answer is in the story. Do not guess from what you think might happen.
Method. Look back at the story and find the words that answer the question.
- Find the clue in the story. The answer is in the box, or we can work it out from it.“They found Goldilocks asleep in the small bed.”
- Think about what the clue tells us. The bears found Goldilocks in the small bed.
- Write the answer. Answer with a short sentence or the word from the story.Goldilocks asleep in the small bed
Check. Also accept: Goldilocks asleep; Goldilocks in the small bed. Read your answer back to the story. It fits the clue. ✓
Watch out. The answer is in the story. Do not guess from what you think might happen.
Method. Put the events in the order they happen, from the start of the story to the end.
- Find the first thing that happens. Read the story from the start.Goldilocks tasted the big bowl
- Find the next thing. Each part comes after the one before it.Then she sat on three chairs
- Find the last thing. It happens after the others.She went upstairs
- Write the events in order. These are the events in the order they happen in the story.Goldilocks tasted the big bowl / Then she sat on three chairs / She went upstairs
Check. Read the events in your order. Does the story go the same way? ✓
Watch out. Look for the words that show time: first, next, then, after that, and at the end.
Method. Use the picture to find the answer. The words in the story can help you check it.
- Look at the picture. Find the thing the question asks about.The bowls get smaller from left to right, like the story.
- Check the words in the story. The small bowl is the one Goldilocks said was just right.
- Write the answer. Use the picture and the story together.the one on the right
Check. Also accept: the smallest bowl; the bowl at the end. Point at the picture as you say the answer. ✓
Watch out. Look at the whole picture first. Then find the thing the question asks about.
Method. Retell means to tell it again in your own words. Start with first, then keep to the order.
- Read the first two sentences. They tell us what Goldilocks did at the start.went for a walk in the woods. She came to a little house.
- Put it in your own words. Say the same idea in a new way.Goldilocks went for a walk and found a little house.
- Write the answer. Your words keep the same idea.First, Goldilocks went for a walk in the woods, and she found a little house.
Check. Read your sentence aloud. It keeps the order: first the walk, then the house. ✓
Watch out. Keep to the order of the story, with first and then next.
Method. Look back at the story and find the words that answer the question.
- Find the clue in the story. The answer is in the box, or we can work it out from it.“Too hot!”
- Think about what the clue tells us. Goldilocks said this about the big bowl, after she tasted it.
- Write the answer. Answer with a short sentence or the word from the story.Too hot!
Check. Also accept: it was too hot. Read your answer back to the story. It fits the clue. ✓
Watch out. The answer is in the story. Do not guess from what you think might happen.
Method. Link the story to your own life. Say what was too hot or just right for you.
- Think about your own life. Think about a time that something was too hot, too cold, too hard or just right for you.
- Think of one true example. It can be something that really happened to you.
- Say it in a sentence. A whole sentence shows you understand.Answers will vary. For example: my bath was too hot, so I waited until it cooled down.
Check. Your answer can be different. It is right if it is true for you. ✓
Watch out. Tell a grown-up about your own time. Your answer can be different, and that is fine.
Method. A traditional tale is an old story that people have told for a long time.
- Read the two choices. One tells us what a traditional tale is.A: a story people have told for a long time B: a story about the weather
- Check each choice. Goldilocks and The Three Little Pigs are old stories told for a long time.A fits. B is about the weather.
- Write the answer. The choice that describes a traditional tale is A.A: a story that people have told for a long time
Check. Also accept: an old story that people have told for a long time. ✓
Watch out. Read both choices before you pick one.