Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Love Connects Us: A Program on Living in Unitarian Universalist Covenant for Grades 4-5

Activity 3: Alternative Story Perspectives

Activity time: 20 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Children's storybooks of well known tales such as The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood
  • Paper, and pens/pencils

Preparation for Activity

  • Obtain a few well known children's tales— ideally, enough so each three- or four-person team can work with a different tale.

Description of Activity

Form teams of three or four. Give each small group a storybook and invite them to rewrite the story from another perspective (for instance, tell the story of the three little pigs from the perspective of the wolf).

When the teams have completed their stories or time is up, invite each team to present their story to the group. Invite reflection with questions such as:

  • How did the story change when it was told from a different perspective?
  • Are the events of the story still true even when told this way? Why or why not?
  • How does this show us it is possible to tell a story from a different perspective and still tell the truth?
  • What does this exercise reveal about us as Unitarian Universalists and our fourth Principle of "free and responsible search for truth and meaning?"

Including All Participants

Form teams with care. Allow for differences in writing ability, reading ability, learning style, and personality. Try to ensure that each team includes children who can generate ideas, some who can write ideas down, and some who can read the story aloud to the whole group.