Rip Van Winkle

Class: 5    |     Prose 

Lesson Title: Rip Van Winkle 

Day 1: Narrative and Picture-Based Interaction and Reading. 

Reading Segment 1 

We are going to listen to the story of Rip Van Winkle. It happened many years ago. 

• Write the name “Rip Van Winkle” on the blackboard. 

Do you know who Rip Van Winkle is? Do you like his name? 

Alright. We can simply call him Rip, since his name is too long. Are you okay with that? 

• Show the picture of Rip. 

 

This is Rip. He is the hero of our story. What do you think about the dog? 

Well, it is his pet dog, Wolf. The dog would go with Rip wherever he went. 

Wolf was Rip’s companion. 

• Write the words “Companion” and “Wolf” on the blackboard. 

Do you know where he lived? 

• Show the picture given below: 

 

What do you see in the background of the picture? 

• Elicit and write “Mountains” in the margin of the blackboard. 

In the picture, where do you see the village? 

• Elicit the idea that the village is located at the foothills of the mountains 
• Write “The village is located at the foothills of the mountains” on the blackboard. 

Narration: 

Rip lived in the small village at the foothills of the mountains. He was a simple man. He never quarreled with anyone. 

Can you guess what could be some of his other good qualities? 

• Elicit a few free responses. Derive points and write a sentence like, “He was kind, helpful, and good natured”. Write these down on the blackboard. 
• Ask the following questions to elicit more ideas about Rip: 

Do you think Rip was ready to help anyone? 

Was he a kind neighbour?Do you think everyone loved him? 

• Elicit and write down sentences as the ones shown below: 

Rip was always ready to help anyone. 

He was a kind neighbour. 

Everyone loved him. 

     

Children loved Rip as well. Do you know why? Look at the pictures. 

1. Who do you see in this picture? 
2. Why do you think the children are happy? 
3. What would the children do whenever they saw Rip? 

• Elicit some random responses 

Narration: 

All the children loved Rip. Whenever they saw him, they would shout with joy, “Rip, Rip!” 

They would ask him many things. 

“Rip, do this; Rip, do that,” the children would say. 

And, Rip would do whatever they asked him to do. 

“Rip, come and play with us?” they would say. 

What would the children do whenever they saw Rip? 

Elicit and write down on the blackboard the idea that “Whenever the children saw Rip, they would shout out in joy”. 

Elicit the idea that “Rip played with them” and write it on the blackboard. 

Sometimes, the children would say, “Teach us to fly kites.” 

And, at other times, they would ask, “Teach us to shoot marbles.” 

Or, they would also say, “Tell us a story, Rip.” 

What would Rip do? 

Elicit and write ideas, such as “Rip taught them how to fly kites and shoot marbles” and “He told them stories”. 

Narration: 

Do you like Rip? He seems very jolly. But, there was a problem with Rip. He was very lazy. He wouldn’t do any work. When his wife would shout at him, he would act as if he was dumb. 

• See this picture below. 

1. Why is Rip covering his ear? 
2. Does this picture remind you of any other lazy character about whom we have studied before? 
3. What are the similarities that you see in both Rip and Fred? 

• Elicit the children’s response and write down “Rip’s problem” and “Rip was lazy” on the blackboard. 

Rip had a big farmhouse in the village. But, he never attended to any work in the farm. 

What would happen if we do not do anything in the farm? 

I will show you the picture of his farmhouse. Look at these pictures. 

Show the pictures showing the two farmhouses. 

  

These are two farmhouses. Which one do you think is Rip’s farmhouse? Why do you think so? 

In which farm did more weeds grow? Why 

What is happening to the fences in the first picture? 

• Elicit from the children the ideas that “The fences were falling into pieces” and “Weeds grew on his farm” and write it down on the centre of the blackboard. 

Interaction: 

We have written down many things about Rip. You can read them from the board. 

Reading Process: 

• Ask the learners to come to the front of the class in small teams (2 to 3 members) and read from the blackboard. 
• Use a pointer. Make sure that they are reading the words, phrases, and sentences from the blackboard. 
• The blackboard should look something like the following:

Rip van Winkle         The village was located at the foothills of the mountains. 

Companion              He was kind, helpful, and good natured. 

Wolf                          He was always ready to help anyone. 

Mountains               He was a kind neighbour. 

Rip’s problem          Everyone loved him.

                                  Whenever the children saw Rip, they would shout out in joy. 

                                  Rip played with them.

                                  Rip taught them how to fly kites and shoot marbles. 

                                  He told them stories.  

                                  Rip was lazy.

                                  The fences were falling into pieces. 

                                  Weeds grew on his farm.

Don’t you want to know more about Rip? Read the first two paragraphs of the story individually, from “Many years ago”…” to “…he would walk away into the forest with his dog”. 

Reading Process: 

• Ask the children to put a question mark (?) above the words, ideas, or passages that they don’t understand. 
• Ask the children to sit in groups and discuss about what they understood. 
• While children sit in groups, show the earlier pictures that were shown before once again. 
• Write down the words that the children do not understand (along with the earlier written words/sentences on the board) and tell them their meanings. 
• Ask the children to read the passage aloud. 

Questions for the first part 

• Ask the children a few questions to check whether they have understood the passage that they read. 
• Ask some comprehension as well as some extrapolative questions. (Here, the comprehension questions (given in the textbook) related to the first part can be asked.) 

1. Where was Rip’s village located? Can you find out the name of that mountain from your textbook? 
2. Why did the children of the village like Rip so much? Locate the answer from the textbook. 
3. How do you know that Rip was lazy? What happened to his farm? 
4. Who is Rip’s constant companion in the story? 
5. If you were one of the children in the village, which game would you prefer playing? 

Reading aloud: 

• Read the first segment of ‘Reading aloud’ with voice modulation and use optimal gestures. 
• Ask the children to sit in groups and make them read the text aloud by taking turns. 

Home Assignment 

Now you know many things about Rip. Write a paragraph about him. 

What will you write first? 

• Come to a consensus regarding the sequencing of ideas with the help of the following questions: 

Whose description are you going to write? 

1. Where was he living? 
2. What are his good qualities? 
3. What was his only problem? 
4. What is your opinion about Rip? 

Day 2: Narrative, Picture-Based Interaction, Reading 

Reading Segment 2 

• Before going further, ask a few students to present what they have written about Rip Van Winkle. 
• Provide feedback to them with the help of the following questions: 

Do you think the sentences are properly sequenced? 

Are there any more ideas that you think you can include in the writing? 

Are the sentences well-formed, without having any missing words, excess words, and order problems? 

When you get free time, share your write-up with your friends. 

Interaction: 

• Look at the picture (show the picture).  

1. What is Rip doing in the picture? 
2. Who is accompanying Rip? 
3. Where do you think Rip will reach if he continues walking up the mountains? 

• Elicit and write the phrase “The highest part of the mountains” in the margin of the blackboard 

Narration: 

Do you like to climb mountains? Is it risky or is it adventurous? 

One day, our Rip decided to go and climb the mountain Kaatskill. He walked and walked and reached the highest part of the mountains. 

“Oh, I am tired,” said Rip, and he lay down under a tree. His companion, Wolf, sat near him. 

Look at the picture. 

• Show the picture 

He had nothing to do. Siting under the tree, he thought about many things. 

He thought about living happily without doing any work. He thought about playing with children. 

He was daydreaming. 

• Write the word “Daydreaming” in the margin of the blackboard. 

It was late in the evening. 

“I must go now,” said Rip, “When I reach my village, it would be night.” 

He started walking. 

Suddenly, he heard a voice calling him. “Rip Van Winkle, Rip Van Winkle?” 

Interaction: 

What happened? 

Do you have any idea about who was calling him? 

• Look at the picture. 

 

1. Who do you see in this picture? 

2. Can you describe the man whom Rip met in the mountain? What about his height, beard, and the thing that he carries? 

3. What happened when Rip reached the highest part of the mountain? 

• Elicit and write the following: 

“a short old man”, “thick hair”, “white beard”, “a barrel” (in the margin of the blackboard). 

“He heard a voice calling him” (in the body of the blackboard). 

Narration: 

“Rip Van Winkle.” Rip heard the voice again. 

He saw that a strange-looking old man was calling him. He was short and had thick hair. His long beard was white like snow. 

“Oh, that old man looks very odd,’ thought Rip. 

The strange-looking man did not say anything. He only made signs to Rip. 

“I think he is asking for my help,” said Rip, “I must hurry.” 

Interaction: 

The old man was asking for Rip’s help. Do you think Rip would help him? 

Rip was saying to himself, “I must hurry.”  

What must he hurry for? 

• Elicit and write the idea that “Rip hurried to help the stranger”. 

Narration: 

But, the old man did not take Rip’s help. He caught Rip by the hand and started walking. 

“Where is he taking me?” Rip wondered. 

Then, he heard loud sounds like that of thunder. 

“What is that thunder-like sound?” 

Then, to his surprise, he saw something. Do you know what that was? 

Show the picture. 

Interaction: 

Who do you see in the picture? 

Are they dressed differently or in the same way? 

Look at their beards. Are they of the same colour and shape? 

What are the odd-looking men doing? 

Do their faces look jolly or serious? 

Do you think they are talking? 

What are they playing with? 

• Elicit and write ideas like the ones given below: 

“Some more odd-looking men.” 

“They are dressed the same way.” 

“They have beards of various colours and shapes.” 

“They are playing a game with a ball.” 

“Their faces look serious.” 

Narration: 

Rip looked at the odd-looking men. They were all dressed the same way. They had beards of various colours and shapes. They were playing with a ball. 

“They are playing ninepins.” 

Rip watched them playing. 

They threw the ball at the bottles. The ball hit the bottles, and it made a loud noise. 

The odd-looking men were not talking. They were silent. But, there was the noise of the ball. It was echoing in the mountains.  

“DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA….” 

Rip was frightened. 

“I am scared,” thought Rip. He closed his eyes out of fear. The noises came again. 

“DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA, DA….” 

Rip was trembling with fear. 

Interaction: 

What was the game the men were playing? 

What made the loud noise? 

What did the men do when they saw Rip? Do you think they continued playing? 

• Elicit ideas like the ones given below and write it on the blackboard. 

“The men were playing ninepins.” 

“The odd-looking men were silent.” 

“The noise of the ball echoed in the mountains.” 

“Rip was frightened. He was trembling with fear.” 

Reading from the Blackboard 

Ask the learners to come to the front of the class in small teams and read out the ideas written on the blackboard.  

Narration: 

Let us continue the story. When the old men saw Rip, they stopped playing. They stared at Rip. The first old man poured the contents of the barrel into glasses. Do you know what happened after that? 

• Look at the picture.  

1. What does Rip have in his hand? 
2. What do the old people have in their hands? 
3. What are they doing? 

Narration: 

The first old man emptied the contents of the barrel into glasses. He gave one cup to Rip. 

He poured the contents of the barrel into the glass and it brought to Rip. 

“Drink,” he commanded. 

Rip was trembling with fear. He wanted to run away. But, it was dark. 

And, Rip was afraid of the strange-looking men. 

“DRINK!” the old man shouted. 

Interaction: 

Do you know what happened then? 

Read paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 from the textbook passage on pages 52, 53m and 54 from “One day, Rip just walked…” to “…to deep sleep”. 

Follow the protocols of reading (individual reading, collaborative reading) 

Interaction Questions: 

1. Do you think Rip helped the short man because he wanted to have a drink from his barrel? Why do you think so? 
2. Can you describe the strange-looking men whom Rip met on the mountain top? 
3. What were they playing? 
4. Was Rip freighted or happy after meeting them? Show which sentence tells this from the story. 

Reading aloud: 

Go for the reading aloud session 

Home Assignment 

Narrate the events in the second part of the story. The following questions may help you to write the narrative: 

1. What were the events that happened? 
2. Where did they happen? 
3. Who were involved in the events? 
4. What did they say or think? 

Day 3: Narrative, Picture-Based Interaction, and Reading 

Reading Segment 3 

• Ask a few students to read the summary that they have written. 
• Provide feedback to them based on the following questions: 

Did you include all events? 

Did you follow the sequence of events? 

Did you include any dialogues? 

Narration: 

Recall what happened in the story. 

Rip drank a few glasses from the contents of the barrel. Then he slept off. 

How long did he sleep? 

One single night? 

It was a deep sleep. Days passed. Weeks passed. Many months passed. 

Still, he did not wake up. 

Like this, he slept for 20 long years.  

Rip slept for twenty long years. Can you imagine that? 

Interaction: 

1. What might have happened in those twenty long years? 
2. Do you think Wolf, his dog, would be alive? 
3. Do you think he looked the same? 
4. What about his village? What about his wife and his farmland? Will all of it look like same even after 20 long years?     Look at this picture and tell the changes that had happened to Rip. 
5. If Rip would get up and go down to his village, would the people recognize him? What do you think? 
6. Do you think Rip would be able to meet some of his old neighbours and friends? 
7. Would the people treat him as a stranger?
8. Any idea who the old woman is? 
9. Who are the woman and the child near Rip? 
10. Do you think any of them recognized Rip? 

Reading the textbook passage: 

• Ask the learners to read the third part of the story. 
• Follow the reading protocols. 
• Ask comprehension and extrapolative questions. 
• Go for the reading aloud session 

Homework 

Narrate the events included in the third part of Rip’s story. You have to write a sequence of events, dialogues, and feelings of the characters. 

Day 4 

• Go for presentation of a few narratives. 
• Provide feedback as suggested in the previous segment. 

Dramatization of the Whole Lesson 

• Ask the children to find out about the incidents in the whole story and write them down in the correct order. (Note: “Everyone in the village liked him” is not an incident, but “All children shouted with joy on meeting Rip” is an incident.) 
• Identify the places where these incidents are taking place (As for example, “Rip’s house”, “In front of a neighbour’s house”, “On the road”, “On the mountains”, etc. Each location needs a different scene setting. 
• Ask the children to identify the characters associated with the incidents (As for example, “Children” and “Rip” in the first part). 
• Ask the children to insert dialogues and self-talks of the characters wherever necessary. 

Let groups work together to plan the drama in a manner shown as follows: 

Scene 1 

The location 

The characters 

The positions and movements of the characters (i.e., when they enter or exit from the scene) 

The actions that take place 

The dialogues or self-talks 

Plan the remaining scenes in the same manner