The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza - Teaching Ideas

Wolf LOVES to eat, in fact he loves to eat so much he can hardly think of anything else. One day Wolf decides he wants a nice chicken stew for dinner, so he goes out in search of a chicken. When he finally spots the chicken, instead of grabbing her for his stew, a wonderful idea pops into his head. He thinks that if the chicken was fatter then he would have more stew, so he sets out to fatten her up. First he makes 100 pancakes, then 100 donuts, and finally a 100 pound cake. He has left all of these goodies on her front porch so she can find and eat. The day comes when he thinks she should be fat enough so he heads to her house. As he peeks inside to see if she has gotten any fatter she throws open the door which completely startles Wolf. She asks if he has been the one leaving such fine treats on her door and when he says that he has she introduces all her little chickens to their Uncle Wolf. She tells them that they should thank him for all of the fine treats he has left them. The little chickens jump all over their Uncle Wolf and cover him with 100 kisses! As Wolf is walking home, without his chicken, he thinks about the 100 cookies that he is going to make for all the little chickens when he gets home.

This is such a CUTE story and a great one to read on the 100th day of school. Listed below are skills, strategies, questions and ideas to use to create a great lesson for this book. 

To save you time I have create a complete packet to go with this book, if you are interested.

Reading level: 3.2 
Theme/Subject: friend/friendship 
Genre: animal stories 

Suggested Vocabulary and phrases: chicken stew, scrumptious, screeched, shucks, little critters

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what the story is about. I wonder if the wolf will eat the chicken stew.  {possible questions during} I wonder if the chicken is eating all those pancakes, donuts and cake. {possible questions after} I wonder if the Wolf will ever eat chicken stew. **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.
• Author’s point of view – Third person. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this.
• Author’s purpose – entertain {evidence} Animals don’t talk. Wolves don’t bake and chickens don’t live in houses. These make a funny, entertaining story.
• Beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} Wolf found a chicken for his stew. {most important event from middle} Wolf left lots of sweets on chicken’s porch to fatten her up. {most important event from end} The mother chicken told all the baby chicks that Uncle Wolf made all the scrumptious food.
• Cause and effect – Why did Wolf keep thinking about food? Because he loved to eat more than anything in the world. Why did Wolf go search for a chicken? Because he wanted chicken stew. Why did Wolf change his mind about grabbing the chicken? Because he wanted to fatten the chicken up. Why did Wolf want to fatten the chicken up? Because a fat chicken would make more stew. Why did the Wolf make pancakes, donuts and a cake? So the chicken would eat them and fatten up. Why did Wolf screech? Because chicken opened the door suddenly. Why did the little chickens give Wolf 100 kisses? Because they were thanking him for the scrumptious donuts, cake, and pancakes.  
• Character analysis - describe Wolf, describe Chicken {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
• Character changes – in the beginning Wolf was just Wolf wanting to eat the chicken and at the end he was Uncle Wolf wanting bake cookies for all the little chickens.
• Classify & categorize – Classify food – categorize sweets and salty food.
• Compare & contrast – Wolf and chicken. Wolf from this book and Wolf from Three Little Pigs.
• Connections - {possible text-to-self connections} Baking cakes, cookies, donuts and pancakes. Being hungry all the time. Receiving a gift on the porch. Leaving a gift on a porch.  {possible text-to-text connections} Connect to the book The Three Little Pigs because both have wolves that want to eat something.
• Drawing conclusions & inferencing - Do you think Wolf will ever eat chicken stew? {text clues} Wolf really wanted chicken stew. He wanted to fatten up the chicken so there would be more stew. At the end Wolf was given 100 kisses and called Uncle Wolf. {what I know} People don’t usually hurt their friends and family. {my conclusion} I don’t think Wolf will have chicken stew now that he is an Uncle to so many little chickens.
• Fact & opinion – {fact} Wolf loved to eat. Wolf fixed pancakes. Wolf left donuts on chicken’s porch. The little chickens gave Uncle Wolf 100 kisses. {opinion} Pancakes are easy to make. Fat chickens are delicious. Donuts are bad for you. Wolf will be a mean uncle.
• Main idea & details - {main idea} Wolf wanted chicken stew. {details} Wolf searched for a chicken. Wolf wanted to fatten up the chicken. He made pancakes, donuts and a 100 pound cake for chicken to eat.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story is when all the little chickens call Wolf, Uncle Wolf and give him 100 kisses.
• Predict – What do you think the story is going to be about? Do you think Wolf will get the chicken? What do you think Wolf’s idea is? What do you think Wolf is going to cook? Do you think the chicken is going to eat the food that Wolf leaves for her? What do you think Wolf will see when he peeks in the door? What do you think Wolf will do with all those chickens? What do you think Wolf will do now that the little chickens call him Uncle Wolf and gave him 100 kisses?
• Problem & solution - {problem} Wolf really wanted chicken stew but he wanted the chicken a little bit fatter.  {solution} Wolf baked chicken 100 pancakes, 100 donuts, and a 100 pound cake so that she would eat them and get fatter.
• Sequencing – Wolf loved to eat. He wanted chicken stew. Wolf went in search for a chicken. Wolf decided to make 100 pancakes for the chicken to fatten her up. Wolf then baked 100 donuts for the chicken. The next night he left a 100 pound cake for the chicken. Wolf peeked in the chicken’s door. Chicken surprised Wolf by introducing him to all her little chickens. The little chickens thanked their Uncle Wolf and gave him 100 kisses. Wolf did not have chicken stew for dinner. Wolf decided to bake the little chickens 100 cookies.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Summarize - {someone} Wolf {wanted} wanted a fatter chicken for his stew {so} so he made her 100 pancakes, 100 donuts and a 100 pound cake to fatten her up. {When} When it was time to get the chicken for his stew he found 100 little chickens thanking him for the scrumptious goodies he gave them. Wolf {finally} finally went home and never had chicken stew.
• Visualize – Wolf made 100 pancakes, 100 donuts and a 100 pound cake to fatten up the chicken. What would you make 100 of to give to the chicken? I would make 100 ___________________ for the chicken.

Happy Reading!