Explore different versions of the classic tale Goldilocks in this inference KS1 lesson plan. Pupils will learn about inference, deduction and point of view.
Is the story of Goldilocks as clear-cut as you might think? Did she go in, uninvited, to the three bears’ house and cause criminal damage? Or maybe she was lost and needed the shelter or had another pressing reason to go in?
In this lesson, children will explore the character of Goldilocks and come to their own conclusions about what she was really like, using the book Me and You by Anthony Browne, which describes itself as ‘a thought-provoking take on the Goldilocks story.’
Inference KS1 objectives
- Learn how to ‘read between the lines’: inference and deduction using words and pictures
- Build a profile of a well-known character through interpreting and discussing evidence
- Understand the narrator of the story will impact on the view the reader gets of the other characters
Starter activity
While Goldilocks is a well-known story, it would be helpful to read and enjoy a few different versions before the lesson; the Ladybird version is a classic, and Emma Chichester Clark’s take has some brilliant vocabulary and her signature illustrations.
Start by asking the class what they know about Goldilocks. Collate information on the whiteboard.
What do they think she is like? If you have read Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book? by Lauren Child, Goldilocks is a hideous, spoilt brat and in other versions a particularly naughty little girl who completely disobeys her mother.
Jacqueline Harris is a literacy consultant and passionate advocate of high-quality children’s literature.
