Jack and the Beanstalk

Enter the fantastical world of Jack and the Beanstalk with this early literacy experience and take students on a journey through the story. This scene is designed to help students sequence narratives, learn key contextual vocabulary, and immerse them in a well-known fairytale with a visually captivating experience beyond the page. Along the way, students will walk in Jack's footsteps, experiencing his journey to the giant's castle for themselves! They will meet Jack's mother, the bean seller, and they may even catch a glimpse of the giant himself. They had better watch out, though, because he doesn't like visitors very much!  **Note to Teachers:** This experience can be used to visually introduce the story and key elements or help learners who struggle with visual literacy skills to step into the story themselves and bring the text to life. We have chosen to name Jack's cow Milky-white in our depiction of the story, while the traditional retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk doesn't name the cow. By giving the cow a name, we hope to create a more personal connection for students. We have included some elements that might be scary for younger learners, such as bones in a big bubbling pot. There are also some elements of storytelling that might differ from other retellings, as Jack and the Beanstalk is a traditional fairytale that has been interpreted and retold many times by different people. For example, in our experience, we incorporated more magical beans than the original story as part of a cross-curricular math activity, helping students practice counting up to 20. # Learning Objectives 1. Experience the story visually, including key story events{.info} 2. Meet some of the key characters{.info} 3. Contextualize keywords and vocabulary with visual clues{.info} # Preparing for the Experience Before entering the Jack and the Beanstalk experience, we recommend reading the story with them to familiarize them with the characters and overall story arc. While they may not understand each key story event yet, they should be able to name or describe a few characters and have some foundational knowledge of how the story unfolds. **Preparation Questions** Encourage your students to think about the following questions to help guide them through the experience: - Can you name any of the key characters in the story? {.task} - Who is Jack? What do you think he looks like?{.task} - What clues can you find that might give us hints about the story and what will happen next?{.task} # Step-by-Step Experience Guide Teachers can use this step-by-step guide to lead students through the experience once they are in the headset. ## Jack’s Home{.objective .objective1} Welcome to Jack's home! This is where he lives with his mother and his cow, Milky-white. Take a look around. Jack and his mother lived in an old cottage close to a village, and they were very poor, meaning they didn't have enough money to pay for food, clothes, or other necessities. ## Quick Fire Questions - What do you notice about Jack's home?{.task} - How do you think they cook their food?{.task} - Where do you think they sleep?{.task} ## Selling Milky-white{.objective .objective2} Walk outside toward the barn; oh no, it's empty! Where do you think Jack's cow Milky-white is? One day, Jack's mother told Jack they had nothing to eat in the house. Jack's mother decided that the only way to get any food to feed her family was to sell Milky-white, their cow. Jack's mother hoped Daisy could be bought and exchanged for five gold coins. Shall we go and find Milky-white? Turn around and walk out of the garden. What is that glowing on the floor? Follow them until you reach the bean seller. What does the sign on Milky-white's neck say? After Jack's mother told him to sell Milky-white, he went to the market. Jack tried hard to sell Daisy, but no one wanted her because she didn't produce milk. Suddenly, he saw a mysterious man standing in front of a box full of glowing, multicolored, pebble-shaped things. They were magical beans! The man gave Jack magical beans in exchange for Milky-white. With no other choice, Jack agreed and went home with them. ## Quick Fire Questions - What do you think the magical beans do?{.task} - Would you have sold Milky-white for beans? Why or why not?{.task} - What do you think Jack’s mother with say when she sees the beans?{.task} ## Magical Beans!{.objective .objective3} What is that in front of you? Go and find Jack; what is he looking at? When Jack returned home after selling Milky-white, his mother asked him if he managed to sell her for five gold coins. He told her he sold her for something much better: magical beans! But she was very upset with him. That night, Jack planted the beans before he went to bed, sure that something would grow, and it did. Look at the beanstalk growing from the magical beans; I wonder where it leads! ## Quick Fire Questions - What did Jack do with the magical beans?{.task} - If you had magical beans, where would you plant them?{.task} - What do you think Jack will do next?{.task} ## Up, Up, Into the Sky{.objective .objective4} Are you ready to climb the beanstalk? As you climb higher and higher into the clouds, what will you find when you reach the top? The following morning, Jack woke up. Outside of his window, he saw a gigantic beanstalk! Jack immediately climbed the beanstalk to find out what was at the top. And so, he began to climb. He climbed higher and higher and higher until... ## Quick Fire Questions - How do you think Jack felt when he saw the gigantic beanstalk?{.task} - What do you think he will find when he reaches the top?{.task} - What do you see on the beanstalk?{.task} ## The Giant’s Castle{.objective .objective5} Looking through the clouds, what can you see in front of you? Suddenly, Jack stopped. He was at the very top of the beanstalk and could see all the way down to the ground. He lifted his head back up again and saw an enormous castle. Looking up toward the castle doors, who do you think this castle belongs to? Look for a clue outside the castle walls. Who is on the purple banners? ## Quick Fire Questions - What do you think is behind the big castle doors?{.task} - What do you think Jack expected to find up here?{.task} ## Sleeping Giants{.objective .objective6} Tiptoeing in...everything is so giant! This must belong to a very big person! Look around the courtyard. Can you find any clues about who owns it? Inside the castle, Jack noticed that everything appeared to be giant. As he walked around, he noticed a small ladder propped up against a barrel. Climb up and see what he found! ## Quick Fire Questions - Can you see anything that might help Jack and his family?{.task} - What is in the big black bubbling pot?{.task} - Do you notice anything that might help Jack cut down the beanstalk later? {.task} ## Golden Treasure{.objective .objective7} Walk toward the nice warm fire and head inside the castle doors. As Jack walked around the castle, he headed toward the kitchen. Entering the kitchen through the large open door, Jack saw a huge giant sitting at his large wooden table, sleeping and snoring loudly! Can you find the giant sleeping? Walk up the ladder and get a closer look but be careful! You don't want to wake him! The giant suddenly woke up. Jack had to find a hiding place, so he ran under the table and hid away from the giant. What can you find hidden under the table? While the giant did not know it, Jack could hear everything he was saying. Getting up from his seat, the giant loudly asked his hen to lay a golden egg, and much to Jack's surprise, it did exactly that! Feeling rather tired, the giant very quickly fell asleep. Jack slowly appeared from where he was hiding and decided that the hen would be the perfect item to take back home with him. He knew that this hen would help feed his family. ## Quick Fire Questions - What other items can you find in the kitchen that Jack might be able to use to feed his family?{.task} - Where would you hide if you were Jack?{.task} - What special thing did the hen do?{.task} ## Hometime!{.objective .objective8} Now that you've listed all the items Jack might be able to use, it's time to go home! Jack quickly picked up the hen, held it under his arm, grabbed the giant's ax and ran back to the beanstalk. He hurried down the beanstalk as fast as he could. But how many eggs did he drop on the way? ## Quick Fire Questions - How many golden eggs are there? Can you find them all?{.task} - Why do you think Jack took the giant’s ax?{.task} - If you had a hen that laid golden eggs, what would you do with them?{.task} ## Cutting Down the Beanstalk{.objective .objective9} Be careful as you walk back down the beanstalk; the giant is awake and knows Jack has his golden hen and favorite ax! Suddenly hearing a loud voice, Jack realizes that the giant he had seen in the castle had been following him down the beanstalk! Jack's mother quickly grabbed the ax that Jack took from the castle and passed it to Jack. Jack began chopping down the beanstalk. Managing to cut through its thick stalk, the beanstalk and the giant fell to the ground. Jack's mother was delighted at what he had found. She would never have to worry about feeding her family ever again! ## Quick Fire Questions - Why was the giant following Jack?{.task} - How did Jack’s mother feel about the golden hen?{.task} - Do you think Jack will ever climb another beanstalk? Why or why not?{.task} # Extended Learning Use these extended ideas to enhance your Jack and the Beanstalk experience. **Early Counting Skills** Ask students to find all the golden eggs. How many did the hen lay? They can also count all of the magical beans, how many did Jack plant? **Early Language Skills** Ask students to sequence the story. What happened at the beginning, middle and end? **Important Lessons** Ask students to discuss if Jack was right to trade Milky-White for the beans? Was he right to steal from the giant? # Cross-Curricular Links **Science** Discuss how the beanstalk in the story grows so tall. You can show students some real seeds and explain how plants need soil, water and sunlight to grow. Let the students plant their own seeds in cups and track their growth over time. **English and Art** Ask students to draw, paint, or construct a character from the story using classroom materials like paint, pencils or recycled materials. They can then present their work to the class. What adjectives would they use to describe them? **Theater** Bring the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to life with role play! Divide the students into small groups and have them reenact a key scene from the story. Encourage them to focus on characterization, exploring how each character might feel in that moment. For example, Jack might feel excited when he first climbs the beanstalk, or the giant might feel angry when he realizes Jack has taken his hen. # Teacher Resources ### Download Teacher Notes [](https://avnfs.com/IFZWW99DOEvVTkV50JOY5GO8NbNyRvGyfutkemQUXGs?size=10197636&type=application%2Fpdf&name=Jack+and+the+Beanstalk+UPDATE+Teacher+Notes+-+Teacher+Version.pdf) # Student Quiz ### Download the Student Quiz on Jack and the Beanstalk []( https://data.avncloud.com/activities/735199/files/Jack%20and+the+Beanstalk+Teacher+Notes_03.pdf?date=1625843202&size=81646&md5=184d5812956c7a05cf2d67aefaf5783f)