About this activity
Ten retells from another character's point of view: Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf's; The Three Little Pigs from the wolf's; Goldilocks from Baby Bear's; Jack and the Beanstalk from the giant's; The Tortoise and the Hare from the hare's; and then four real ones — a playground argument from the other kid's, your morning from your parent's, a school day from the bus driver's.
How to use it in a session
Do the fairy tales before the real ones. A known story removes the recall load so all the effort goes into the perspective shift, and it is much safer emotionally than starting with a playground argument. The four real-life prompts at the end are the point of the board; a student who can voice the giant and cannot voice the other child in an argument has the skill and not the application.
What to listen for
Listen for the other character's motivation, not just their actions. A wolf's retell that describes the same events from a different position is a change of camera angle; one that says why the wolf did it is perspective-taking. Watch the parent and bus driver prompts, where students frequently produce a character who exists only in relation to them rather than one with their own day.
Carrying it home
Any argument at home is material. Asking a child to say what the other person was probably thinking, once everyone has calmed down, is the same task with the stakes attached.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Fourth through seventh, and it works for older students with the real-life prompts.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all ten prompts play with no login.
- Why start with fairy tales?
- Because the story is already known, so all the effort goes into the perspective shift rather than into remembering the plot. It is also emotionally safer than starting with a real conflict.