The Third Little Piggy sets a trap for the Big Bad Wolf and captures Wolf. The Three Little Piggies then explore different rectangular arrangements of 16 patio stones for the base of Wolf's pen. They also realize that their sloppy living habits have hurt Wolf's habitat. ISBN 978-1-926699-01-1 Buy the book,

• Grades: 2-8
• Classroom tested: Grade 2
• Plot
  • The Third Little Piggy sets a trap and captures the Big Bad Wolf. The Three Little Piggies then explore different rectangular arrangements of 16 patio stones for the base of Wolf's pen, and find an arrangment that matches the length of fence they have available.
  • But they also realize that their sloppy living habits have hurt Wolf's habitat. The cutting down of trees has decimated Wolf's forest home. The burning of their garbage has poluted the air and given Wolf asthma (which causes him to huff and puff).
  • The Three Little Piggies' promise to take better care of their natural environment, and Wolf hopes this will actually be the case.
• Math insights
  • A rectangular patio made of 16 patio stones can be made using a variety of arrangements (1 by 16, 2 by 8, and 4 by 4).
  • Although the number of patio stones (area) is always the same, the fence needed to surround the patio (perimeter) can change.
• Grade-specific activities (see more details in the Tips section of the book)
  • In grades 2-3
    • Students use 16 snap cubes as the 16 patio stones. And they use a piece of string (the length of 18 snap cubes) as the fence that the Three Little Piggies have available.
    • Students follow along with the story and build the various rectangular arrangements possible with 16 patio stones.
    • Students record their findings in a table (available in the book), using numbers and diagrams.
    • Students develop an early understanding of multiplication: 1 by 16 = 16, 2 by 8 = 16, 4 by 4 = 16.
    • Students realize that arranging the 16 stones in different rectangular arrays leads to different distances around the patio (the same rectangular area can have different perimeters).
  • In grades 4-6
    • In addition to the above, students explore what rectangular dimensions would lead to the greatest area, for a given perimeter.
  • In grades 7-8
    • In addition to the above, students plot data (length versus perimeter and length versus area) on a grid and explore graphical patterns.

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