Chicken Little

inference, vocabulary, fluency, character, plot, tone, drawing conclusions, evaluating, text-to-self/text-to-world connections, narrative writing

This play retells the popular children’s tale “Chicken Little” in a fun and humorous way. On another level, it delivers important messages: don’t jump to conclusions without knowing the facts, and don’t follow along without thinking about whether it’s a wise thing to do.

The play has seven chronological scenes.

The language is mainly simple yet playful and includes some similes. It has some challenging words, such as gaggle, assumed, and logical.

No special knowledge is required.

• Post this sentence in your virtual or physical classroom, and ask students to think about it:

  The sky is falling!

• Poll your students to see if they are familiar with this expression. Then have them write down what they think it means for someone to think that the sky is falling. Have one or two students share their answers, asking them to explain their reasoning. Tell them they will be reading the folktale that this expression came from.
• After reading the play, return to the expression and work together to come up with a class definition. (See critical-thinking questions.)

• Look at pages 20-21 with the class. Point out that Chicken Little is a folktale. Explain that a folktale is a story that’s been told for many generations. In some folktales, the characters are animals who talk and act the way people do. Folktales often teach listeners and readers an important lesson about life. Invite students to name any folktales with animal characters they have read in Storyworks or elsewhere. 

• Read the title and subtitle with students. Ask them to describe the illustration.

• Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow (available in your Resources tab) to preview challenging words in the play. Reinforce learning before or after reading with the Vocabulary Skill Builder. Highlighted words: fowl, galore, frantically, aside (as a stage direction), gaggle, hysterics, assumed, logical

• Call on a volunteer to read aloud the Up Close box for the class.

• Assign parts and read the play aloud as a class or in groups. Remote learning tip: Go to the Presentation Mode of the play and share your screen for students to read the parts. Students might also change their screen name to their character’s name. After reading, discuss the close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

• NEW! You can now have students listen to an editor read-aloud of the play! In response to your requests, we have created an audio version of the play. It's available in your Resources tab.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

• In Scene 1, what trick does Chicken Big play on Chicken Little? What do you learn about Chicken Little from this opening scene? (character) Chicken Big tricks Chicken Little into believing that the stone she gives him is magical. She wants to persuade Chicken Little to sweep the barn in her place. Because Chicken Little accepts the unbelievable things that Chicken Big tells him, it’s clear that Chicken Little is gullible, or believes things too easily. 

• In Scene 2, what inference, or conclusion, does Chicken Little draw? How do you know that he draws an incorrect conclusion? (inference) When something falls from the sky and knocks Chicken Little on the head, he draws the incorrect conclusion that the sky is falling because he doesn’t see the acorn that hit him. You know that he’s wrong because Storyteller 3 tells us that an acorn bonks Chicken Little on the head. Also, common sense and prior experience tell us that parts of the sky don’t fall down to Earth.

• What happens when Chicken Little tells the other birds that the sky is falling? Why do you think the other birds believe Chicken Little? (plot) The other birds believe Chicken Little without question and come along to help warn more birds. Answers to the second question will vary but should suggest that the other birds are also gullible like Chicken Little, or that Chicken Little is very passionate and convincing in his belief that the sky is falling.

• Reread Scenes 3 and 4. What is the tone, or feeling the author creates, in these scenes? How does this tone compare with the way the birds are probably feeling? (tone) The tone is funny and hectic, while the birds are probably feeling stressed and scared because they think the sky is falling.

• In Scenes 5 and 6, what clues tell you that Foxy Loxy is planning to eat the birds? What fact do you know about a fox’s natural diet that helps support this inference? (inference) Foxy Loxy’s stomach growls; he says that the birds will “be as safe as a fork in a toaster”—meaning they aren’t safe; he says that he’s sharpening his knives; he makes a fire; and he puts a big napkin around his neck. Plus, in nature foxes eat birds, which supports the idea that Foxy Loxy is probably planning to eat the birds in the story.

• What two things happen in Scene 7 to finally convince Chicken Little that the sky isn’t falling? (plot) Another acorn falls from the tree and hits Chicken Little on the head, and this time he realizes that it was an acorn. Plus, he sees the acorn on the ground that probably bonked him earlier and made him think the sky was falling. 

• How does Chicken Little feel about being wrong about the sky falling? How does the stage direction in italics in Scene 7 help support your answer? (character) Chicken Little feels relieved and a little embarrassed. The stage direction suggests that he feels embarrassed because it says that he speaks “in a tiny voice” when he realizes that he mistook an acorn falling from a tree for the sky falling.

• At the end of the play, what lesson has Chicken Little learned? How do you know? (drawing conclusions) Chicken Little has learned that he can’t believe everything without first thinking about whether it’s true. The play shows that Chicken Little has learned this lesson because he quickly realizes that the stone he assumed was magic earlier was actually part of a trick Chicken Big was playing on him. 

Critical-Thinking Questions

• In the final scene of the play, the Farmer advises Chicken Little to “Look at all the facts before you jump to conclusions.” Why is this good advice? How would the story have been different if Chicken Little had looked at the facts before he jumped to conclusions? (evaluating) Answers to the first question will vary. The story would have been different if Chicken Little had taken time to consider all the facts. He probably would have realized that it makes much more sense that an acorn hit him on the head, not a piece of the sky. If he looked around, he would have seen the acorn on the ground. He then wouldn’t have spread this scary and false news to his friends, and they could have avoided nearly being eaten by a hungry fox. 

• The expression “the sky is falling” is commonly used to describe a belief like Chicken Little’s. In your own words, what do you think this expression means? (inference) Answers will vary, but students might suggest that it means someone has a mistaken belief that a huge disaster is happening and is spreading that belief to others.

• What real-life problem is shown by all the other birds joining in with Chicken Little? Can you think of an example of this problem that you’ve seen or been involved with? (text-to-self/text-to-world connections) The other birds joining in shows the problem of people following along with others without thinking, especially in situations that are filled with fear or other strong emotions. Examples will vary.

Making a Reasoned Judgment

Like Chicken Little, we all sometimes come to conclusions without knowing all the facts. Explain to the class that another term for this is “making assumptions” or “jumping to conclusions.” Ask: What assumptions did Chicken Little and his bird friends make in this play? Then share an example from your own life where you made an incorrect assumption. Ask: Can anyone else give an example of an assumption they’ve made in the past about someone or something that ended up being wrong? (You can suggest they think about a food they assumed they’d hate until they tasted it, or a task they assumed would be too difficult until they attempted it.) Finally, lead a discussion about judging something before actually experiencing it or getting all the facts about it—and why that can be harmful.

Featured Skill: Inference

• Assign the Inference Skill Builder and have students complete it in class or for homework. This new interactive Skill Builder Slide Deck (available in your Resources tab) will walk students through understanding what an inference is and understanding the inferences Chicken Little makes. They will then be prepared to respond to the writing prompt on page 25. 

• Immerse students in the world of Chicken Little! On the day that you’re reading the play as a class, have your students set their video backgrounds as a picture of a farm.