There are some stories that are easy to remember — we pass them on to our children and grandchildren from memory. I’m not sure I ever read The Three Little Pigs
or Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but I certainly know the stories. It’s interesting that these are the kinds of stories we know by heart, when they’re certainly not the most beautifully crafted stories. But they’re simple enough to remember, and complex enough to keep our attention over the years.
I credit this to the fact that everything happens in threes. There are three protagonists (bears or pigs), there are three events before the climax (taste the porridge, break the chair, and fall asleep in the bed), and there are three of everything (three bowls, three chairs, three beds and three houses for the pigs). The pattern is easy to remember.
When I teach students about writing, grammar, and even reading, I refer to the rule of three. The rule of three is simple: things are manageable and elegantly presented in threes. A writer can write about three characters. A child can learn to use commas between three nouns in a series. And a reader can notice words and phrases that are repeated three times. Once students accept that three is a manageable number and that a lot of writing has a pattern of three elements, my teaching gets a lot easier. Here are some examples:
Look at this line from Slow Loris by A. Deacon:
It took Loris ten minutes to eat a Satsuma . . . twenty minutes to get from one end of his branch to the other . . . and an hour to scratch his bottom.
Notice the author groups things in threes:
- The time is ten minutes, twenty minutes and an hour
- Loris eats, move (gets) and scratches
- The ellipses separate three phrases
- The ellipses have three dots
Look at this paragraph from a student’s writing response about Ereth of the book Poppy by Avi:
He doesn’t have a lot of friends, only Poppy. He left his family. He wants to be by himself and eat salt. He shouts when someone comes near. He’s sad and lonely all of the time.
Notice the paragraph development. The main idea is he doesn’t have a lot of friends. There are three supporting details: He left his family, he wants to be alone, he shouts at others. Then there is the wrap-up sentence.
Here is another example of using the rule of three from There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived by Matt Traverse:
He eats and eats and eats.
Notice the word ‘eats’ is emphasized through repetition and using the word ‘and’ instead of commas. This gives the reading the understanding that the character ate . . . A LOT and OFTEN.
In the book How We Are Smart, the format for each biographical profile is set up in three sections:
- a quote from the person;
- a poem about his/her greatest accomplishment or contribution; and
- a Wikipedia-style paragraph with a summary of his or her life.
Writing Expectations and the Rule of Three
In my classroom, I use the rule of three as a way to help students manage writing expectations. My students don’t have the time to spend months on one piece. I have to find ways to keep things manageable and yet stretch them as writers. Here are some ways I use the rule of three to teach writing.
Content development in narrative writing:
- Write about no more than three characters
- Have at least three events before the climax
- Use repetition (no more than three times) to emphasize something
- Give the reader three details about your character that will stick in the reader’s minds — don’t over do your details
- Use three detail sentences to support a main idea
Sentence structure:
- Use a comma between a series of three nouns. If there are more than three, you may also need a colon.
- Use three participle (verb) phrases to combine sentences
- Use a dash to set off a list of at least three items
- Start three sentences in a row with the same beginning
- Write three sentences. Start with a short one, then add a medium-sized one, and finish with a longer sentence. You can reverse this as well.
Writer’s craft:
- Repeat a word three times
- Repeat a functional fragment three times (Out! 2 Outs! 3 Outs! Game Over!)
- Use three words in an alliterative phrase (cloud-capped cornfield — from Leah’s Pony)
WARNING: When you start teaching the rule of three, you’re going to see it pop up everywhere. It will appear in books, in student writing, and even in science and social studies texts — Columbus had three ships! Your students will not only improve their skills of reading like writers, but they will be empowered to try this strategy often. After all, you’re only asking for three of anything.
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FAQs
In academia its common practice to structure lessons and assignments around the rule of three. Learners of all ages typically need to do or interact with the new content three times before the information becomes concrete to memory. This is especially true in any kind of technical training.
What is the rule of 3 in teaching? ›
In academia its common practice to structure lessons and assignments around the rule of three. Learners of all ages typically need to do or interact with the new content three times before the information becomes concrete to memory. This is especially true in any kind of technical training.
What is the rule of three in literary devices? ›
The rule of three is a writing principle that suggests that a trio of entities such as events or characters is more humorous, satisfying, or effective than other numbers.
How does the rule of three affect the reader? ›
People tend to remember things better if they are written in threes (for example: reading, writing & arithmetic; Father, Son & Holy Ghost; life, liberty & pursuit of happiness).
What is the 3% rule? ›
Virgil Abloh called it the 3 percent rule: create something new by only changing a process, a product, a perspective, etc. by 3 percent.
What is the Rule of 3 in literacy? ›
Write about no more than three characters. Have at least three events before the climax. Use repetition (no more than three times) to emphasize something. Give the reader three details about your character that will stick in the reader's minds — don't over do your details.
What is the Rule of 3 examples? ›
Examples of the rule of three
In storytelling: “The Three Little Pigs,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and “Three Billy Goats Gruff” are all classic examples of stories that use the rule of three. In speeches: “I came, I saw, I conquered” is a famous example of the rule of three used by Julius Caesar.
Is rule of three a persuasive technique? ›
The rule of three in writing is a successful literary technique because it makes stories memorable, emotionally impactful, and persuasive for readers.
What is an example of rule of thirds in literature? ›
For example:
- “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
- “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”
- “Friends, Romans, Countrymen”
- “Blood, sweat, and tears”
- “Location, location, location”
- “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”
- “Faith, Hope, and Charity”
- “Mind, body, spirit”
The rule of three is a mechanism by which three related words or points are presented in quick succession for literary effect, e.g. friends, romans, countrymen. Why do we use this technique? Things that come in threes are more persuasive.
Product information
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (January 21, 2014) |
|---|
| ISBN-13 | 978-0374355029 |
| Reading age | 12 - 17 years |
| Lexile measure | HL720L |
| Grade level | 7 - 9 |
9 more rowsBut The Rule of Three is a little different because in it the small, local community comes together to put a detailed plan into action for long term survival. This is not a journey through the decaying landscape, but an exercise in thought, reason, and working together with your neighbors to survive.
What is an example of the rule of three presentation? ›
The Rule of Three can also be found in many famous speeches, slogans, and stories, such as: "I have a dream", "Just do it", "Friends, Romans, countrymen", and "The good, the bad, and the ugly". The Rule of Three creates a sense of rhythm, balance, and completeness that appeals to our emotions and logic.
Is Rule of Three a rhetorical device? ›
The Rule of Three is a rhetorical device where concepts or ideas are presented in groups of three. The sentence mentions three groups - business, labor, and agriculture - hence applying this rhetorical device to mark up emphasis and to make the message more memorable and persuasive.
What stories follow the Rule of Three? ›
In his book Morphology of the Folktale, published in 1928, he identified a basic and fundamental rule of narrative structure that he called 'trebling'. Trebling appears most obviously in folktales and nursery rhymes such as 'The Three Little Pigs', 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', and 'Three Blind Mice.
Why is the rule of 3 effective? ›
It suggests that information presented in groups of three is more memorable, engaging, and persuasive. The rule of three is a principle that has been used in communication for centuries, and it suggests that things that come in threes are inherently more satisfying, effective, and memorable than other numbers.
What is a rule of 3 in English? ›
A triple is a list of three things in a sentence. This is often a list of three adjectives but can be a variety of words and techniques. Triples are also good tools for making information stick in the reader's head.
What is the Rule of Three method? ›
The rule of 3 is an operation that helps us quickly solve both direct and inverse proportion word problems. In order to use the rule of 3, we need three values: two that are proportional to one another and a third. From there, we will figure out the fourth value.
What is an example of the Rule of Three presentation? ›
The Rule of Three can also be found in many famous speeches, slogans, and stories, such as: "I have a dream", "Just do it", "Friends, Romans, countrymen", and "The good, the bad, and the ugly". The Rule of Three creates a sense of rhythm, balance, and completeness that appeals to our emotions and logic.
What is the power of 3 in English? ›
The Rule of Three, or Power of Three, suggests that things that come in threes are funnier, more satisfying, more effective, and/or more memorable, than other numbers of things. Hence, in listing examples of things, three are usually provided. 3) Something that is weird, unexpected, or contradictory.
or Goldilocks and the Three Bears
, but I certainly know the stories. It’s interesting that these are the kinds of stories we know by heart, when they’re certainly not the most beautifully crafted stories. But they’re simple enough to remember, and complex enough to keep our attention over the years.
by A. Deacon:
by Avi:
by Matt Traverse:
, the format for each biographical profile is set up in three sections:
)