Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Objective

Students will read (or follow along with) an excerpt from Chapter I of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and be able to describe the sequence of events that happen to Alice, identify how she solves problems using clues from the text, and make a prediction about what happens next.

Materials

• Provided text: Chapter I, "Down the Rabbit-Hole" (printed copies or one copy to read aloud)
• Chalkboard/whiteboard or chart paper
• Paper and pencil for each student

Warm-up (~5 min)

1. Write the word "curious" on the board.
2. Ask students to share: "Has anything ever happened to you that seemed strange or impossible?" Take 2–3 quick answers.
3. Tell students: "Today we're going to meet a girl named Alice who follows a very strange rabbit into a very strange adventure. Let's find out what happens."

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Read-aloud (10 min): Read the text aloud from the beginning through Alice falling down the rabbit-hole ("...and the fall was over."). Have students follow along on their own copies if available. Pause briefly at these moments to check understanding:
2. When the White Rabbit takes out a watch — ask: "Why does this surprise Alice?"
3. When Alice falls down the well and sees cupboards and bookshelves — ask: "What does Alice see as she falls?"

1. Continue reading (10 min): Read from "Alice was not a bit hurt..." through the end of the excerpt (Alice eating the cake and finishing it off). Pause to check understanding at these points:
2. The locked doors and the golden key — ask: "What problem does Alice have with the key and the door?"
3. The "DRINK ME" bottle — ask: "What does Alice do before drinking it? Why?"
4. The "EAT ME" cake — ask: "Why does Alice decide to eat the cake?"

1. Sequence chart (5 min): On the board, write these four events out of order:
2. Alice finds the tiny golden key
3. Alice follows the White Rabbit down the hole
4. Alice drinks from the bottle and shrinks
5. Alice eats the cake

Have students copy these onto their own paper and number them 1–4 in the correct order. Review the correct order together as a class (2, 4, 1, 3 based on the story... actually confirm using the text order: Rabbit → hole/fall → key → bottle/shrink → cake). Guide students to the correct sequence by referring back to the text.

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

On a sheet of paper, have each student answer these three questions in complete sentences:

1. Why does Alice follow the White Rabbit?
2. Name two things Alice finds on the glass table.
3. What problem does Alice have after she drinks from the bottle and shrinks?

Collect the papers as students finish.

If Time Remains

Have students turn to a partner and take turns retelling, in their own words, what happened to Alice in this chapter — from sitting on the bank to eating the cake. Remind them to include the White Rabbit, the fall down the hole, the key, the bottle, and the cake.