Red Riding Hood Mock Trial: Theatre Arts for Grade 5

Based on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood

Session Design by Stormy Knaak and Kendall Westmoreland
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Content Standards
Utah Theatre Standard 4 Objective 1A
o Identify the major conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist in a dramatic
presentation and discuss any connections to one's own life.
Utah Theatre Standard 1 Objective 2B
o Create dialogue and physical attributes in a character that reveal a specific attitude
and/or motive.
Utah Theatre Standard 1 Objective 3A
o Plan and improvise a scene from a book or play in which the major conflict comes
from within the character.
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that there are multiple points of view in a trial and in order to
determine the guilt of the defendant they must objectively evaluate all arguments.
ASSESSMENT
Performance Tasks
Students will work in two groups, Wolfs perspective and Red Riding Hoods perspective, to
outline and perform the major points and characters that would appear in a scene of Red
Riding Hood as graded by the Red Riding Hood Scene Rubric (see attached) to
demonstrate they can plan and improvise a scene from a book or play in which the major
conflict comes from within the character.
Students in role will write on the Character Description Sheet (see attached) dialogue they
might say and actions they might do during the trial as well as draw a self-portrait as their
assigned Red Riding Hood character that demonstrates their ability to create dialogue and
physical attributes in a character that reveal a specific attitude and/or motive.
Students in role as jurors will complete the Facts and Evidence Worksheet (see attached)
detailing the evidence provided and facts stated in the trial as well as their final decision
on the guilt or innocence of the characters in order to demonstrate their understanding
that there are multiple points of view in a trial and in order to determine the guilt of the
defendant they must objectively evaluate all arguments.
Other Assessments
Students complete the Prosecution vs. Defense Worksheet (see attached) in order to
demonstrate that they can identify the major conflict between the protagonist and the
antagonist in a dramatic presentation and discuss any connections to one's own life.

MATERIALS NEEDED
Teacher Materials
Little Red Riding Hoods story (see attached)
Wolf Perspective Teacher Sheet (see attached)
Red Riding Hood Scene Rubric (see attached)
Big Bad Wolf Newspaper Article (see attached)
Mama Wolf costume (e.g. Wolf ears, wolf nose, brown dress, wolf tail, etc.)
Hat
Slips of paper with character names (i.e. Red Riding Hood, Wolf, Grandma, Woodcutter,
Lawyers 2-4, Goldilocks, Little Pig)
Optional Materials
Evidence Bags
Latex Gloves
Judges Robe and Gavel
Student Materials
Subpoena (see attached)
Prosecution vs. Defense Worksheet (see attached)
Character Description Sheets (see attached)
Facts and Evidence Worksheet (see attached)
Paper
Pen/pencil
Red Riding Hood basket and contents (e.g. flowers, muffin order forms, fake mace,
flashlight, receipt of sale, ambiguous notes)
Wolf Backpack and contents (e.g. muffins, wallet, fake money, journal, berries, therapist
appointment reminder card, job application)
Optional Materials
Red Riding Cape
Wolf Ears or Mask
Woodcutter Flannel Shirt
Grandma Bonnet and/or Cane
Goldilocks Apron
Pig Nose and Pig Ears
Lawyer Ties 2-4
LEARNING PLAN
Day 1
Set-up
1. Students chairs are arranged in a semi-circle around the displayed Big Bad Wolf
Newspaper Article (see attached).
Framing / Hook
2. Newspaper Article (5 minutes)
a. As students enter the classroom, they view the displayed Big Bad Wolf Newspaper
Article (see attached).
b. Students offer inferences of the protagonist, antagonist, and main conflict based on
the newspaper article. A list of suggestions is written on the board.
Process
3. Read the Little Red Riding Hood story (see attached) (3 minutes)
a. Teacher reads the Little Red Riding Hood story out loud to the class.
i. NOTE: Teacher should emphasize that this is the version of the story telling
Little Red Riding Hoods perspective.
4. Rumors (2 minutes)
a. Students are put into pairs.

b. One student takes on a role of a citizen from Far Far Away and the other student
takes on a role of an investigator.
c. The investigator asks the citizen questions about the Wolfs history as a member of
the community.
5. Create a sculpture (5 minutes)
a. Students re-gather as a group.
b. Students volunteer to create a group sculpture of either a rumor they told or heard
in the previous activity.
c. The student that volunteered uses classmates as both props and characters to
illustrate a frozen image of the rumor they told/heard.
i. NOTE: Setting up the group sculptures using classmates can be done through
demonstrating a pose or through asking permission to touch/move the
classmate into position.
d. Students discuss what they interpret the sculpture to represent as it is frozen in
front of them.
6. Interview with the Wolfs wife (5 minutes)
a. Teacher in role dresses as the Wolfs wife, Mama Wolf, and defends her husband
against the rumors that have been previously created.
b. Students ask Mama Wolf questions regarding the rumors, news article, or story.
i. NOTE: Teacher as Mama Wolf portrays the Wolf as the protagonist (innocent
party) using the Wolf Perspective Sheet for reference (see attached).
7. Students discuss the differences between the views of the Wolf portrayed by the rumors
and the view they received from Mama Wolfs portrayal (2 minutes).
a. Students discuss the following questions:
i. Who is the protagonist in the different accounts?
ii. Who is the antagonist in the different accounts?
iii. What are some similarities between the different accounts?
iv. What are some differences between the different accounts?
v. NOTE: Answers should be written on the board during discussion.
8. Who is telling the truth? (3 minutes)
a. Students group according to who they believe is telling the truth.
b. Students who believe the Wolf will go on one side of the classroom, students who
believe Red Riding Hood will be on the other side of the classroom, and undecided
students will go in the middle.
i. Students from each group volunteer to give their reasoning for who they
sided with.
9. Differing perspectives (15 minutes)
a. Teacher explains what the students will be graded on in the Red Riding Hood Scene
Rubric (see attached) during the planning and improvising of their scene.
b. Students split into two groups based on random assignment. One group represents
the Wolfs perspective and the other group represents Red Riding Hoods
perspective.
c. Students plan what characters appear in their scene, what location their scene
takes place in, and the major point of conflict between the Wolf and Red Riding
Hood from their assigned perspective.
d. Students improvise a short scene based on their plan and present for the other
group.
e. After both groups have shown their scenes, they discuss as a class what the
differences/similarities were between their major points of conflict and why the
major conflicts were/werent different.
10.Introduce homework assignment (3 minutes)
a. Students receive the Prosecution vs. Defense Worksheet (see attached) and are told
it will be due at the beginning of the next class.
b. Teacher reviews the worksheet with the students so they know how it is filled out.
11.Subpoena (2 minutes)

a. Students are told that there is breaking news on the Red Riding Hood case. News is
as follows:
i. The Wolf has been arrested and the court date has been set for tomorrow.
The Far Far Away police chief has asked me to hand out these subpoenas to
each of you because of your vast knowledge on the case.

Day 2
Set up
12.
A podium faces the classroom with one chair on either side of it facing the
classroom as well.
13.
Facing the podium with about 5 feet of space between are three chairs on the left
side and three chairs on the right side.
14.
More chairs should be arranged behind the three on each side in an audience style
formation.
Framing / Hook
15.Discussion on Homework Assignment (3 minutes)
a. Students discuss what they wrote for the Prosecution vs. Defense Worksheet.
16.Subpoena Reminder (2 minutes)
a. Teacher says: Last class we were all made aware that the Wolf had been arrested
and we were all called to court to be witnesses in the trial. We will now all take on
characters in order to more fully understand what has happened.
Process
17.Presentation of Evidence (5 minutes)
a. Students examine Red Riding Hoods basket and its contents.
b. Students examine the Wolfs backpack and its contents.
c. As they examine the evidence, students discuss the implications of the objects.
i. Objects should be revealing toward the Wolfs story (e.g. Wolfs journal,
empty wallet, flashlight, fake mace, muffin order sheet, etc.)
ii. NOTE: Objects should be ambiguous.
iii. NOTE: For added affect, teacher may put objects in evidence bags and
provide students with latex gloves.
18.Character Assignments (5 minutes)
a. Students draw their character assignments (i.e. Red Riding Hood, Wolf, Grandma,
Woodcutter, Lawyers 2-4, Goldilocks, Little Pig) out of a hat.
i. NOTE: Teacher may add extra characters as necessary for class size.
ii. NOTE: Teacher is in role as Judge.
b. Students receive Character Description Sheet (see attached).
c. Students write dialogue they might say and actions they might do during the trial as
well as draw a self-portrait according to their assigned Red Riding Hood character.
i. NOTE: Students may refer to their Character Description Sheet during the
trial, but will turn it in for a grade at the end of class.
19.Witness Questioning (15 minutes)
a. Student in role as Red Riding Hood is questioned on her/his story.
b. Students that are not lawyers or Red Riding hood act out silently the story she/he
tells.
c. Student in role as Wolf is questioned on her/his story.
d. Students that are not lawyers or Wolf act out silently the story she/he tells.
e. Student in role as Grandma is questioned on her story.
f. Student in role as Goldilocks is questioned on her/his story. Witness Questioning Part
2
g. Student in role as Woodcutter is questioned on her/his story.
h. Student in role as Little Pig is questioned on her/his story.
i. NOTE: Limit three questions per witness.
20.Closing Arguments (5 minutes)
a. Students in groups of prosecution and defense write a 1-2 minute closing statement
of the guilt/innocence of the Wolf with other witnesses on the same side.
b. One student in role as a lawyer from each group presents their groups closing
statement to the teacher in role as Judge and the other students who are now in
role as Jurors.
i. NOTE: Teacher should tell students to choose one of the lawyers from each
group to present and whoever is not presenting become jurors who have
listened to all evidence previously presented.

21.Juror Debate (5 minutes)

a. Students receive the Facts and Evidence Worksheet (see attached) and complete it.
b. Students discuss as Jurors the guilt/innocence of the Wolf.
c. Students declare their opinion of the guilt of the Wolf by speaking an aye or nay.
i. NOTE: If no majority is reached, teacher votes in favor of not guilty.
Reflection
22.Round Robin (2 minutes)
a. Students sit in a circle and each say one sentence of what happens next in Far Far
Away.
23.Conflict Resolution Discussion (3 minutes)
a. Students discuss how conflict for Red Riding Hood and the Wolf may be avoided in
the future.
i. How can Red Riding Hood and the Wolf avoid future conflict?
ii. How might the people of Far Far Away learn to coexist with the Wolf?
iii. In what ways have you been effected by differing perspectives?
iv. Have you ever been accused of being guilty of something that you didnt do?
v. How may your actions have been received as guilty by the person who
accused you?
vi. What could you have done differently? What could they have done
differently?

Little Red Riding Hoods Story

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest. Whenever
she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red
Riding Hood. One morning, Little Red Riding Hoods mother asked Red if she would go pick up
some muffins that Reds Grandmother had made to hand out at the weekends Fall Festival. Red
packed up her basket, put on her cloak, and said goodbye to her mother.
"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned. "Don't dawdle along
the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous."
"Don't worry, mom," said Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll be careful."
But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her
promise to her mother. Little Red Riding Hood was enjoying the warm summer day so much that
she didn't even notice the Woodcutter on his way back to the village.
"What are you doing out here, little girl?" asked the Woodcutter, startling Red.
"I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through the forest, near the brook," Little
Red Riding Hood replied.
Well, said the Woodcutter, make sure to watch out for the Wolf. He lives close by and is
extremely dangerous.
What the Woodcutter had said about the Wolf scared Red and she wanted to find out more,
but she realized how late she was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the path to her
Grandma's house.
As Red reached her Grandmothers house, she saw her Grandmother run out of the house
and hide behind a bush. Through the window Red could see the Wolf gobbling up all the muffins
she had come to collect. Red ran to her Grandmothers side.
What happened, Grandma? Red asked.
"Oh thank goodness youre here, dear! The Wolf barged into my house and tried to eat
me! I narrowly escaped! Sinc, he couldnt eat me, he began to eat all the muffins I spent all week
making! Grandma was clearly frightened. Run into town and grab the Woodcutter. Tell him to
come quickly with his axe.
She ran down the road as fast as she could. She reached the Woodcutters house and
shouted, "Help! Wolf!" as loudly as she could. The Woodcutter ran to Grandmas house and
chopped down the door. He ran in with his axe and chased the Wolf out.

Wolf Perspective Teacher Sheet

Once upon a time, there was a Wolf who had a very large family. There was Mama Wolf,
Big Brother Wolf, Big Sister Wolf, Little Sister Wolf, and Baby Wolf. The Wolfs lived outside of the
village in the forest because the people in town were so scared of the family they wouldnt let
them live in Far Far Away. Try as he might, the Wolf could not get a job in the town. Every
interview started and ended with the interviewer running out of the office at the sight of the Wolf.
This meant the Wolfs had no money and so the Wolf spent his days in the forest looking for food.
One morning the Wolf kissed his family goodbye and wandered into the forest to look for
food. As he was picking some berries, he smelt a delicious smell coming from down by the brook.
He wandered close enough to see Grandma pulling her famous muffins out of the oven. Now, the
Wolf knew the muffins were sold in town by Little Red Riding Hood, but the last time he went into
town he was chased out. Also, having very little money, he could never afford the steep price on
the muffins.
Wolf thought to himself, Sometimes when Im close to town, I overhear the townspeople
say that Grandma is very nice. Perhaps if I ask nicely for some muffins she will give me some for
free.
Wolf walked up to the little cottage and knocked on the door.
Come in, dear! Grandma said.
The Wolf thought it was odd that Grandma called him dear, but went in none-the-less.
Once the Wolf was through the door, he gave Grandma a big smile and asked, I dont have any
money, but may I please pack up some muffins for my family?
Grandma turned with wide eyes and said, Take whatever you want... and rushed out the
door.
Confused, the Wolf began putting some muffins in his backpack (whilst eating one
himself).
She really is as nice as they say, thought the Wolf to himself. However, mere minutes
later the Wolf heard a loud banging nose at the door and turned just in time to see a large man
with an axe burst through it. The man swung the axe at him wildly and the Wolf barely escaped
with all his fur intact.

Red Riding Hood Scene Rubric

Poor (0 Points)
Planning

Does not
participate in
planning
characters or
settings.

Satisfactory (1
Points)

Good (2 Points)

Exceptional (3
Points)

Actively
participates in
planning
characters
and/or settings.

Actively
participates in
planning
characters and
settings.

Shows initiative
in actively and
effectively
planning
characters and
settings.

Improvisation

Does not
Actively
participate in
participates in
the
the
improvisation of improvisation of
the scene.
the scene.

Actively and
effectively
participates in
the
improvisation of
the scene.

Shows adept
ability to
actively and
effectively
improvise the
scene.

Major Conflict

Does not
identify a major
conflict.

Identifies a
major conflict
but does not
represent it
fully or it does
not come from
within the
character.

Identifies a
major conflict
that comes
from within the
character and
represents it
fully.

TOTAL POINTS:
ADJUSTMENTS:

Identifies a
major conflict
but is not able
to represent it
fully and it does
not come from
within the
character.

________
________

Reason: _____________________________________________
FINAL POINTS: ________ (Rubric Points +/- Adjustments)
LETTER GRADE:

________ (Based on the matrix below)

Points

Final Grade

8-9

Excellent

6-7

Good

4-5

Satisfactory

2-3

NI

Needs Improvement

0-1

US

Unsatisfactory

FAR FAR AWAY DISTRICT COURT

STATE OF Far Far Away

) IN THE FAR FAR AWAY CRIMINAL COURT

) CAUSE NO:48997

Little Red Riding Hood

____________________________
Plaintiff/Petitioner
vs.
The Wolf
_____________________________
Respondent/Defendant

SUBPOENA
TO:

NAME Citizen of Far Far Away

ADDRESS 123 Drury Lane

YOU ARE COMMANDED to appear in the Far Far Away district court at the time, date, and place set forth
below to testify at a hearing or trial in this civil action. When you arrive, you must remain at the court until the
judge or a court officer allows you to leave.
DATE: Tomorrow
TIME: 8 AM
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Fail not under penalty of law.

John Jacob JingleHiemer Schmidt

Clerk of Far Far Away

Name:

PROSECUTION VS. DEFENSE

Prosecution:

Reasoning:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

Defense:

Reasoning:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

Main Conflict:

Reasoning:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________

In 1-2 paragraphs, answer the following questions:

Have you ever been accused of being guilty of something that you didnt do?
How may your actions have been received as guilty by the person who accused
you?
What could you have done differently? What could they have done differently?

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