1. Being an interested and attentive listener

2. Remembering words and key events from story

3. Cooperating in acting out story

1. Book, The Three Billy Goats Gruff

2. Two or three sets of pre-made paper plate masks of the Troll and the Billy Goats

1. Gather children in a location separate from parents and caregivers, seating them for a story time.

2. Do introductions if children do not know one another.

3. Explain that the evening's theme is Animals. They will hear stories, look at books, learn a rhyme, and play games - all about animals.

4. Tell children you are going to begin with a story, so make sure all are ready to look and listen. Praise them as they sit up and look up.

5. Read The Three Billy Goats Gruff, encouraging children to join in during interesting, repeated words, e.g., "Trip-trap" "I'm coming to gobble you up!"

6. After reading, ask if children would like to act out the story. If your group is large, you can act out the story two times, with half the group in the audience and half the group performing.

7. Pass out masks of the troll and the three billy goats, making certain that each child gets to play a role. It is fine to have 2 or 3 trolls and two of each size billy goat. Your goal is to get the children to remember and act out the story. Members of a group can help one another remember. Refer to the book if needed, and prompt children to carry out the actions and say the memorable words.

8. Congratulate and praise children's performances.

9. Tell children that right now, their families are talking about all kinds of strange animals, maybe even stranger than the Troll and the Billy Goats!

10. If time remains, ask children to predict what animals they think that their families are talking about. You can write down their ideas, and later check to see if any of them were right!

11. Prepare to join families.