"Gossip Wolf and the Fox" Short Fiction Activities for High School | Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale

Assess reading comprehension, support vocabulary development, and facilitate analytical thinking with these activities covering the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Gossip Wolf and the Fox," a cautionary short story warning against placing trust in the wrong people. A plot-based quiz, a close reading analysis worksheet, a vocabulary application activity, a crossword puzzle, a word search game, the short story, and answer keys are provided. Materials are delivered in editable Word Document and printable PDF formats. (Alternatively, a Google Drive bundle option is available.) By engaging with these activities and assessments, students will:

• Identify what the text states explicitly and implicitly

• Consult reference materials in order to learn and verify word meanings

• Discern the intended effects of the author's word choices and narrative techniques

• Explore how complex characters think, behave, interact, and develop

• Apply knowledge of literary devices including consonance, dramatic irony, verbal irony, and more

• Consider themes in context

• Support claims and inferences with sound reasoning and relevant evidence

• Write about literature with clarity, accuracy, and precision

• Come to class better prepared to discuss works of fiction

Plot synopsis:

• Gossip Wolf asks a fox to serve as the godfather of her child, but the deceptive fox purposefully endangers Gossip Wolf's life, teaching her a lesson about placing trust in the wrong people.

Resources are available for teaching short stories of various genres:

• Christmas Fiction - Google and printable

• Coming-of-Age Fiction - Google and printable

• Fantasy - Google and printable

• Halloween Fiction - Google and printable

• Horror - Google and printable

• Psychological Fiction - Google and printable

• Science Fiction - Google and printable

• Valentine's Day Fiction - Google and printable