• Welcome
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Learning Apps
  • Alphabet
  • Learn to Read
  • Phonics
  • Spelling
  • Struggling Readers
  • Comprehension
  • Writing with Kids
  • Free Printables

This Reading Mama

Writing Piggyback Stories

By thisreadingmama 3 Comments

photo of  Writing Piggyback Stories

Years ago, when I taught preschool music, I used a book called Piggyback Songs quite a bit.  To create a piggyback song, you write new lyrics to a familiar tune (“Twinkle, Twinkle”, etc.).  I adopted the name “piggyback” and adapted it for writing.  Piggyback Stories is what I call them and kids really do enjoy writing them.  ALuv (currently 6.5 years old) has been working on one this week that I wanted to share.

1. First, we read and re-read The Enormous Turnip & The Enormous Watermelon.  (This Russian folktale has taken piggyback forms of its own with The Enormous Potato, The Giant Carrot, The Giant Cabbage, etc.)

2. Then, I told him I wanted to see if he could write a piggyback story.  What would he call it?  “The Enormous ??”.  We brainstormed some ideas together-what he could grow and who would be in his story.  I wrote down a list for him from our brainstorming session.

3.  To help ease his need for perfection the first time (an inherited trait, I’m afraid to say), we discussed a “sloppy copy”.

I showed him one of my sloppy copies from the latest Phonics by The Book reader.  It blew his mind how messy it was. 🙂

4. He started writing…The Enormous Carrot.

He wrote and wrote and wrote…5 pages with a little extra left over!

He didn’t want to stop.  Made my heart proud! (It took him 2 writing sessions to do this, about 45 minutes to an hour total.)  I did step in occasionally to help him remember the “rhythm” or structure of the book and apply that to his own writing.

5. I edited his work.  I helped him with conventions (mainly punctuation and capitalization) and some spellings.

6. He typed his story on the computer (with some help from me).  This took 2 days total.

7. We printed it out and he illustrated his story.

8.  We made it into a book!  Now, he can add it to his bin of independent readers and re-read it any time he likes! 🙂

 

Some Additional Ideas for “Piggyback” Stories

Folktales make some of the best material for piggyback stories because

  • the story structure is predictable in nature (repetitive language; such as The Little Red Hen-“Who will help me?”…”Not I!”…”And she did.”; good always wins; etc.)
  • there’s usually more than one version of the story (see the list below)

When you ask a child to write a piggyback story, it helps…

  • to read at least two versions of the story to him
  • for the child to be very familiar with the story line or structure of the story, so read and re-read the story(ies) several times
  • to point out and discuss the predictability of the story with the child.  This fosters comprehension (for example, see if he can predict what will happen next).
  • to brainstorm ideas together; possibly create one yourself or together first to give the child support

Examples of some folk tales (and their “piggybacks”)

  • The Little Red Hen (The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza, Manana Iguana,  It’s my Birthday)
  • The Gingerbread Man (The Gingerbread Boy, Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Cowboy, The Stinky Cheese Man)
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Believe Me, Goldilocks Rocks!)
  • The Three Little Pigs (The Three Pigs, The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig)

This post was linked to For the Kids Fridays.

If you haven’t already joined This Reading Mama via RSS Feed, Facebook, Twitter, or email, please do! 🙂

Thanks and God bless,

~Becky

letter credit
microsoft office online 2011
dominos free coupon codes
home decor hardware coupon
how to check dell laptop warranty
cyber monday camera sales
art institute in atlanta ga
having trouble breathing while pregnant
the easton express times obituaries
steak taco salad recipe
strep throat contagious antibiotics
go here
state bank of india money transfer
here
free shipping shutterfly coupon code 2012
google flight simulator planes
bowers and wilkins zeppelin best price
new zealand map
kohls online coupons codes
go here

Want MORE Free Teaching Resources?

Join thousands of other subscribers to get hands-on activities and printables delivered right to your inbox!

Filed Under: Book Lists, Comprehension, Teaching Writing

« Skip Counting Word Problems
Number Puzzle Racing Fun! »

Comments

  1. Carolyn Wilhelm says

    May 10, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Excellent lesson worthy of professional publication. You are quite a talented curriculum writer and teacher. Carolyn

    Reply
    • thisreadingmama says

      May 10, 2012 at 10:41 am

      Thanks, Carolyn!!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Writing Prompt Ideas to Inspire Young Writers says:
    April 2, 2014 at 12:05 am

    […] this as “standing on the shoulders” of authors.  Three simple of examples include 1- piggyback stories, 2- writings that interact with characters, or 3- continuing the storyline further or writing a […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

JOIN MY NEWSLETTER

and get free printables!

Sign me up!


Hi! I’m Becky, a homeschooling mama with 4 blessings who keep me on my toes {and knees}. Before homeschooling, I was a classroom teacher (M.Ed.) and reading tutor. Read more about me here.

Let’s Get Connected!

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
  • Checkout
  • Privacy
  • Affiliates

Copyright © 2023 · Designed by Visibilia Media