The Little Chicken Named By Wanda Steward READING GUIDE
At Pearson we are dedicated to helping people make progress in their lives through learning and we re proud that our work with Project Literacy, our flagship social impact campaign, allows us to reach a wider audience than ever before. Reading is the key that unlocks all learning, and it s our belief that global literacy should be accessible for all. We strive to solve the challenge of global illiteracy to unlock the potential of millions of people worldwide. We were inspired by the effort Wanda had put in to writing her story, and the bravery, courage and self-belief she had shown, and these were themes we wanted to emphasise as we wrote the guide which sits alongside Wanda s story. The guide contains questions on each page which encourage readers to think about the story, understand the themes more deeply, and connect Wanda s story to their own lives. Whether you re reading Wanda s story as a child or an adult, alone, with friends, or with a parent or guardian, it is our hope that Wanda s words and the associated guide will spark conversations which inspire everyone to read and take on the challenge of global illiteracy. Yours, Sophie Thomson Sarah Dale Mary Layland Primary Learning Services, Pearson UK
This isn t the story you think it is. This is the story of The Little Chicken Named Pong-Pong. And until now, the only place it existed was in the mind of a woman named Wanda. She s a mother of six from Philadelphia, and when her children were little, they would ask her to read them stories at bedtime. But Wanda couldn t. She had never learned to read or write. But not wanting to disappoint her kids, she would use the power of imagination and creativity to make up her own tales, using the pictures as her inspiration. Today, Wanda is on her way to becoming literate. So Project Literacy asked her to take the pictures of the familiar tale Chicken Little and create something entirely new just like she used to to rewrite a story that will encourage and help other adults learning to read and write. I hope you enjoy it. And if this story inspires you as much as it has inspired me, please help support adult literacy programs by sharing this story with others to help us raise awareness about the challenge of illiteracy. For more information, visit projectliteracy.com Together, we can rewrite lives. - Idris Elba, September 8th 2017 Story Checkpoint These questions help the reader to think about the story, ensure they have understood, and apply their knowledge of the story so far. Experiencing the World These questions help the reader to link the events in the story to their own lives, and put the story into a context they can understand. Information Point These pieces of information elaborate on the story, for example explaining a setting or a word which might be unfamiliar to the reader.
There once was a little chicken named Pong-Pong. He liked to walk through the forest. Pong-Pong also liked the big trees and the flying insects who lived in the forest. One day, Pong-Pong was walking in the forest when all of a sudden an acorn hit Pong-Pong on the head. Pong-Pong was scared. Help! It is raining acorns, he cried. He ran fast out of the forest. Experiencing the World Do you know what an acorn is and where they come from? Information point An acorn is the seed of an oak tree, and it looks like a small nut. You can also think about what else might fall from the sky in the forest, for example, leaves, twigs, and sycamore seeds which float like helicopters.
Pong-Pong was running so fast that he bumped into Miss Hen. Miss Hen asked Pong-Pong, Are you okay? Pong-Pong pointed to the sky and said, No! It was raining acorns! Miss Hen said, Are you sure, Pong-Pong? Yes, Miss Hen. Oh yes! said Pong-Pong. Story Checkpoint Why is Pong-Pong running away from the forest? Prompt questions: What just happened to Pong-Pong, and why was it scary? (Level 1) Why is Pong-Pong scared of the acorn that fell on his head? (Level 2) Is Pong-Pong right to be scared of the falling acorn? (Level 3)
Then Pong-Pong and Miss Hen saw Mr. Duck, who had a banjo in his hand. Did you see that it was raining acorns? asked Pong-Pong. No, said Mr. Duck, with the banjo in his hand. Story Checkpoint Why has Miss Hen followed Pong-Pong? Prompt questions: Do you think Miss Hen is scared too? (Level 1) Do you think Miss Hen knows what to do about the raining acorns? (Level 2) Do you think Miss Hen believes Pong-Pong s story? (Level 3)
So Pong-Pong, Miss Hen, and Mr. Duck, with the banjo in his hand, hurried down the road. Pong-Pong saw Mr. Goose, who made big bags of sugar. Pong-Pong asked him, Did you see that it was raining acorns? No, said Mr. Goose. Story Checkpoint Why do the animals think they need to warn everyone about the raining acorns? Prompt question: Do you think acorns are dangerous? (Level 1) What do you think the animals think is going to happen? (Level 2) Do you think the animals are right to warn everyone? (Level 3)
Pong-Pong, Miss Hen, Mr. Duck with the banjo in his hand, and Mr. Goose who made big bags of sugar, all hurried down the road. They saw Mr. Turkey with a big tall hat on his head. They all asked Mr. Turkey, Did you see that it was raining acorns? No, I didn t, Mr. Turkey said. Story Checkpoint Do you think Pong-Pong is still scared? Prompt questions: Is Pong-Pong on his own now? (Level 1) Do you think Pong-Pong feels safer now? (Level 2) Do you think Pong-Pong is reassured by the other animals? (Level 3)
So Pong-Pong, Miss Hen, Mr. Duck with his banjo in his hand, Mr. Goose who made big bags of sugar, and Mr. Turkey with a big tall hat on his head, all hurried off down the road. From the side of the road, Ms. Fox was watching all the animals from behind a tree with a flower in her hand. Experiencing the World What do you know about foxes from other fairy stories? Prompt questions Are foxes usually good characters in fairy stories? (Level 1) Do you think Ms. Fox is a good character? (Level 2) What do you think Ms. Fox is going to do? (Level 3)
Suddenly, the animals saw Ms. Fox. They all asked, Did you see that it was raining acorns? Raining acorns? thought Ms. Fox to herself. My, oh my, these animals are fools. There is no such thing as raining acorns. Hmm, said Ms. Fox. I don t think so. But what would I know? I am only a fox. Maybe you should ask Mr. King, he s right down this tunnel. Story Checkpoint Do you think Ms. Fox believes the animals story about raining acorns? Prompt questions: Are there any words which suggest Ms. Fox does not believe the animals? (Level 1) Do you think the other animals really believe Pong-Pong s story? Why or why not? (Level 2) Why does Ms. Fox tell the animals to go and ask Mr. King if she knows that there is no such thing as raining acorns? (Level 3)
So, they all ran inside the tunnel and there was Mr. King. Pong-Pong cried, Help, Mr. King! It was raining acorns! The other animals nodded. There is no such thing as raining acorns! Mr. King told everyone. He asked Pong-Pong, Where were you when you saw it raining acorns? I was in the forest, said Pong-Pong. Mr. King chuckled. The sky wasn t raining acorns. The acorns were falling from the trees! Experiencing the World Why do acorns fall from trees? Prompt questions Is there a certain time of the year when acorns and leaves fall from trees? (Level 1) Are new trees always planted by humans? (Level 2) How do new trees grow? (Level 3)
Pong-Pong was so happy. Now he could walk through the forest again, like a brave little chicken. Experiencing the World Pong-Pong was brave to go back in to the forest after being so scared. Have you ever been scared of something, but been brave and faced your fear? Information point This could be something like starting school, staying overnight at a friend s house, going to the dentist, meeting someone for the first time or taking an exam.
We would like to extend a huge thank you to our partner organizations. Thanks to them, we re turning the tide in the fight against global illiteracy. To learn more about the organizations in your area, visit projectliteracy.com