Little Red Riding Hood: 7. The big bad Wolf has gone
When Red Riding Hood arrives at Grandma's cottage the Wolf pounces but trips and misses her. Grandma and Red Riding Hood escape, locking the Wolf in the cottage. They are glad to hear the woodcutter has a plan...
The story
The Wolf is about to pounce on Red Riding Hood...but he steps on his nightie and trips...again...and again. Red Riding Hood has just enough time to rescue Grandma and then together they escape the cottage, locking the Wolf in behind them. They are now in the woods but Grandma is struggling and needs to rest. Then they meet Mrs Midgley's nephew - the woodcutter - and he forms a plan. They go back to the cottage and trick the Wolf into rushing outside...and straight into the cage the woodcutter has brought. The poor Wolf - still dressed in a nightie - must endure the ridicule of all the woodland animals and vows never to return. Later there is a picnic to celebrate...and Red Riding Hood goes to play with the fairies.
Story questions
What happens when the Wolf tries to pounce?
He trips on the nightie he is wearing and falls over...again...and again
What must Red Riding Hood do before leaving the cottage?
Go up to the attic to rescue Grandma
Who is working in the woods?
The woodcutter - who is Mrs Midgley's nephew
How is the Wolf trapped?
Red Riding Hood and the woodcutter return to the cottage and they trick the Wolf into thinking that Red Riding Hood wants to talk. The Wolf rushes out of the door and straight into the cage that the woodcutter has ready for him
Why does the Wolf vow never to return to the woods?
He has endured such ridicule from the woodland animals (for being dressed in Grandma's nightie) that he never wishes to be seen in the woods again
The song: 'The big bad wolf has gone' (vocal)
Practise singing the song using both the vocal version and then the backing track version when you are feeling confident to do so.
Encourage the children to practise the actions in each verse and to try to think ahead to the actions that are coming next.
Encourage the children to sing with lots of energy - this is a happy song!
Click here for the backing track version of the song or go to the Clips page.
Literacy links
| Year | Activity |
|---|---|
| Reception / Year 1 | Talk about the Wolf. Do the children think he's funny? Why? What does the Wolf mean when he says ‘Oh the shame’? What do the children think he will do next? Will he find another wood? Another village? Has he ‘learnt a lesson’? |
| Year 2 | Make up the words for a new verse of the song which has different movements. |
| Year 2 | Write a few short lines describing what Wolfie does next. |
Music activity
The focus is rhythm. Working as a whole class - led by Sarah Jane - the children take it in turns to clap, stamp and tap in time to the music. They do this in time to the steady beat.
Later, in pairs, the children can make up some clapping, tapping and stamping patterns of their own. They could even add some more actions, such as tapping their head, or wiggling their hips.
Each pair can share their rhythms and actions and compare them with the rest of the class.
Meet the characters
Listening music
Vivace from Four Cornish Dances, by Malcolm Arnold (1966).
This is a very lively piece, played by brass instruments. The music is called a dance. What sort of dance do the children think would go with this piece of music - fast or slow?
What is the mood of the music? Is it suitable as music to celebrate the happy ending to the story?
The music is played by brass instruments - just like the wolf's theme that was the listening music for Part 4. Compare the two. How are they different?
Other KS1 Music series
Resources
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Teacher's Notes
Guidance on all the content (pdf)
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Music - The big bad wolf has gone
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Lyrics - The big bad wolf has gone
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Story transcript
Download / print the story (pdf)
