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Story Trail Grades 2-3 / Week 11 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 11 · Fable Fireside

Wednesday

The Crow and the Pitcher
// Fables, morals and the details that show them
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: The Crow and the Pitcher

Oliver the Owl lands on the Story Stump. He pushes up his glasses.

"Chris, does every fable say its moral?" he asks.

"Not always," says Chris. "Sometimes you find the lesson yourself."

"Then we will think like detectives," says Ferris.

Learn it: find the lesson yourself

Some fables do not say the moral in the story.

Ask: What problem did the character have?

Ask: How did the character solve it?

The answer can help you find the lesson.

A pitcher is a tall jug that holds water.

Read it
The Crow and the Pitcher (a fable by Aesop)
A crow was very, very thirsty.
He saw a tall pitcher and flew to it.
There was water inside, but only a little.
The water was down at the bottom.
His beak could not reach it.
He tried and tried, but nothing worked.
Then the crow had an idea.
He picked up a small stone and dropped it in.
Plop! He dropped in another, and another.
With each stone, the water rose a little higher.
At last, the water was near the top.
The crow took a long, cool drink.
CHECK IT: THE CROW AND THE PITCHER
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What was the crow's problem?
Where was the water?
What did the crow drop into the pitcher?
What happened with each stone?
PUT THE FABLE IN ORDER
  • What happened first?
  • Tap the cards in order.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last

The old moral

The old moral says: Necessity is the mother of invention.

That is a fancy way to say something simple.

When you really need something, you can think of a clever way.

FIND THE LESSON
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which lesson fits this fable?
Which detail shows the crow was clever?
What did the crow do when it did not work at first?
SentenceTrue or false?
The pitcher was full of water.?
The crow had an idea.?
The crow gave up and flew away.?
The crow got a drink at the end.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThere was only a little water. The crow kept trying and got his drink.
Try it
Tell a grown-up about a time you had a problem.
What clever idea helped you fix it?

Word Spot: above, girl

Here are new sight words.

Look at each word. Say it. Spell it.

Above: A-B-O-V-E.

Girl: G-I-R-L.

FIND THE WORD
  • Listen to the word.
  • Tap it.
Find the word you hear.
Find the word you hear.
Find the word you hear.
Find the word you hear.
FILL THE GAP
  • Listen to the sentence.
  • Tap the missing word.
The bird flew ___ the trees.
The ___ climbs the ladder.

Clever thinking! Tomorrow the wind and the sun have a contest.

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