Critical Thinking & Classic Tales FOLKTALES · from Africa to Europe to America. A fable is a form of folktale, as is the American tall tale. Folktales are fictional stories about
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ABOUT THIS BOOKFolktales are among the oldest works of man. They are
stories handed down by word of mouth. Many are eventuallywritten down. Folktales are found in cultures all over the world,from Africa to Europe to America. A fable is a form of folktale, asis the American tall tale.
Folktales are fictional stories about people or animals thatentertain, teach, and inform. They illustrate the values that wereconsidered important by the creator of the story. Folktales can beused to help impart those same values to the reader.
The twelve folktales in this book are each followed by acrossword puzzle that tests literal comprehension, as well as a setof comprehension questions based on the six levels of Bloom’sTaxonomy: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis,synthesis, and evaluation. Since the exercises range from simpleto complex, they are ideal for the differentiated classroom.
The following is a more detailed explanation of the types ofthinking skills involved at each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. It willhelp you understand why the comprehension and critical thinkingquestions are labeled and worded as they are. Keep in mind thatthese categories will overlap and intertwine. You will also findthat many skills apply to more than one level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
• Knowledge: reading for details, finding facts, recallinginformation
• Comprehension: identifying the main idea, summarizing,determining sequence. Higher level comprehension skillsinclude classifying, identifying cause and effect, makinginferences, drawing conclusions, and predictingconsequences of behavior.
• Application: applying story content to real life or topersonal experience, converting abstract content toconcrete situations, making use of knowledge learned
• Analysis: completing analogies, using logic, identifyingthe unstated moral of a story, recognizing patterns ofbehavior, breaking a whole into its component parts, seeinghow parts relate to the whole, classifying
• Synthesis: predicting outcomes, drawing conclusions,comparing/contrasting, relating knowledge from severaldifferent areas, generalizing from given facts, combiningparts of a whole in a new and different way
• Evaluation: making judgments, forming/expressingpersonal values, expressing/justifying an opinion,discerning fact from opinion, evaluating facts for accuracy
In addition to folktales, crossword puzzles, and questionsbased on Bloom’s Taxonomy, this book features several literatureresponse activities: The Venn Diagram Compare/Contrast Chart,the Story Map, Story Sequence, and a challenge activity calledAbout This Story.
• Venn Diagram Compare/Contrast Chart: to help studentsincrease their comprehension of a story by showingsimilarities and differences between characters (either inthe same story or in two different stories) or betweenstories (for example, comparing or contrasting story plots,morals, or recurring themes)
• Story Map: to help the teacher assess the student’s abilityto recall the main events in the plot that move the storytoward its resolution
• Story Sequence: to help students understand the mostimportant events in a story and that those events happen ina certain sequence. The “time-order” words will help studentsorganize their thoughts.
• About This Story: to help those students who are capableof exploring the elements of a story such as characters, plot,setting, theme, recurring themes, personification, author’spurpose, etc.
The high-quality audio CD, which may be found inside the backcover of this book, follows each story word for word.
You will find the Chart of Skills (inside the front cover) to bea valuable teaching tool. It shows precisely which skills are targetedin every story. The chart will enable you to choose a selectionaccording to the skills it covers, or to simply be informed about theskills you will be teaching with each story.
Suggestions For Using This Book:
• Use the stories and follow-up activities with individualstudents or with small groups of students who are readingat the same level. They make an excellent at-home practiceor partner reading activity. Oral discussion of work as it iscompleted will increase the level of student understanding.
• The audio CD is ideal for use with students who areexperiencing reading difficulties. By listening to the storyor following along as it is being read, those students willhave a greater chance at comprehension success.
THE BOY AND THE NORTH WIND ......................................................................... 1QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................ 2
THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS .............................................................. 4QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................ 5
THE COW ON THE ROOF .......................................................................... 10QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................11
THE GIRL IN THE MARSH .......................................................................... 13QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................14
HOW THE TORTOISE OUTRAN THE DEER ............................................. 16QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................17
THE SPECIAL CAT ...................................................................................... 28QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 29
THE THREE WISHES .................................................................................. 31QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 32
THE BOY AND THE NORTH WINDA boy left home to get dinner for his
sick mother. As he was returning withthe food, the North Wind blew down andtook it away from him. When the boywent back for more food, the NorthWind took that away too. After theNorth Wind had stolen his food a thirdtime, the boy got very angry. He decidedto travel to the home of the North Windto get all his food back. He walked all thenext day to the home of the North Wind.
When he arrived, he asked the NorthWind to return the food. The NorthWind said that he would give himsomething else instead. He gave the boya magic tablecloth. He told the boy tosay, “Cloth, spread yourself.” When hedid, the magic cloth suddenly was coveredwith all kinds of good food. On the wayhome, the boy stopped at an inn.
When it was time for dinner, the boyspread the cloth on the table and said themagic words. He had a wonderful dinner.The man who owned the inn saw all this.During the night, he took the magic clothand left a plain one in its place. When the
ANALYSIS
1. What is the pattern of behavior of these characters? (What do they keep doing)?
The boy:_____________________________________________________________
The North Wind:______________________________________________________
The innkeeper:________________________________________________________
boy got home, he found the cloth was notthe magic one. He went back to theNorth Wind and told him the cloth did notwork. The North Wind then offered hima ram that gave gold coins when it openedits mouth. The boy again stayed at the innon the way home. The innkeeper took themagic ram and left another in its place.
Then the boy found out what hadhappened and told the North Wind aboutthe innkeeper. The North Wind gave hima magic stick to hit the man. As the boypretended to sleep, the innkeeper tried tosteal the magic stick. But the moment hetried, the stick began to beat him. The boywould not make the stick stop until theman gave him back the magic cloth andthe ram. After that, the boy and hismother were never hungry again.
Name ________________________________________THE BOY AND THE NORTH WIND
ACROSS1. The ram gave the boy gold ___.5. The boy pretended to ___ in the bed.7. The boy decided to ___ to the home of
the North Wind.8. The man stole the magic cloth and left a
plain one in its ___.11. The boy ate a ___ dinner.13. The magic ___ gave the boy gold coins.15. The ___ beat the man.16. The cloth was covered by good ___ for
the boy to eat.18. The boy stayed at an ___ on the way
home.19. The boy and hi mother were never ___
again.
DOWN2. The man ___ the cloth and the ram.3. The boy said, “Cloth, ___ yourself.”4. The boy’s ___ was sick.6. The boy was very ___ at the North
Wind.9. The North Wind gave the boy a magic
___.10. The boy’s mother was ___ in bed.11. The North ___ took the food from the
boy.12. The boy went to see the ___ Wind.14. The ___ cloth gave food to the boy and
THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANSA donkey had grown very old. His
master no longer wanted him, so he ranaway. Since he could bray so loudly, thedonkey decided to go to the town ofBremen and be a musician. On the way totown, the donkey met an old dog lying bythe road. The old hound said he couldhowl very well. The donkey asked him tocome along and be a musician too.
Soon they met a cat who was runningaway from home. The cat screeched whenhe saw them. The donkey and the dogasked the cat to come with them and be amember of their band. They liked the waythe cat could screech. Next, they met arooster who could crow better than anythey had ever heard. They asked him tojoin them on their way to town. Therooster was happy to do it. They allplanned to make a lot of money by singingin Bremen.
That night they came to a house inthe forest. When they peeked in thewindow of the house, they saw a group ofrobbers eating supper. They were alsocounting all the money they had stolen
SUMMARIZING – COMPREHENSION
1. Tell what happened in the story in one or two sentences.
that day. The animals were very hungryand wanted to eat the robbers’ food. Thedonkey had an idea. He said that if theyall sang together, the noise might scarethe robbers away.
The donkey began to bray. The dogbegan to howl as loud as he could. The catscreeched at the top of his lungs. Therooster crowed and crowed. The horriblenoise scared the robbers so much thatthey ran away into the forest. The animalsmoved into the house and lived there forthe rest of their lives. They had lots of foodand money. They never did have to go tothe town to sing for a living.
Name ________________________________________THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS
ACROSS4. The ___ could crow very well.5. The robbers were counting their ___.6. The animals were going to town to earn
their living by ___.7. The ___ could screech.8. The noise the animals made was ___.
10. The sound the cat made was a ___.13. The rooster could ___.14. The ___ were hiding in the house.15. The animals made a horrible ___.16. The ___ could howl.
DOWN1. The ___ could bray.2. The robbers were eating ___ for supper.3. The donkey was going to the town of
Bremen to be a ___.5. The donkey’s ___ did not want him any
more.6. The robbers were eating ___.8. The animals were ___ and wanted food.9. They were going to the town called ___.
10. The robbers were ___ when they heardthe noise.
THE CLEVER LEPRECHAUNA young man named Tom was walking
along a path. He heard a noise behind thebushes and stopped to see what it was. Hewas surprised to see a little man sitting inthe shade of the bush. Tom had found aleprechaun. All of his life, Tom had heardstories about the little men who lived inthe forests. People said the leprechaunshad pots of gold buried all over the land.
Tom decided to try to capture thelittle man and get him to lead him to apot of gold. Very quickly Tom grabbedthe leprechaun by his collar. Tom knewthat leprechauns were very clever andfast. If he let go of the collar, the littleman could disappear in a flash. The littleman was so scared that he said he wouldshow Tom where the treasure could befound.
The leprechaun led Tom many milesacross the country. Finally, they came toa field full of beautiful flowers. Theleprechaun pointed to one plant and toldTom that the pot of gold was buried inthat very spot. Tom was very excited.Then he remembered that he did nothave his spade to dig up the treasure.
SYNTHESIS
1. What else could Tom have done to outsmart the leprechaun?
Tom took off his tie and put it on theflower so that he could find it when hecame back with the spade. He made theleprechaun promise not to touch his tiewhile he was gone. The little man promisedthat he would not touch the tie.
While Tom was gone, the leprechaunworked some magic. He snapped hisfingers. Suddenly he had about 50 tiesexactly like Tom’s. The little man quicklytied them on all the flowers that werearound the special one. When Tom cameback, he could not tell which was thetreasure plant. The clever leprechaun hadsaved his treasure without breaking hispromise to Tom.
Name ________________________________________THE CLEVER LEPRECHAUN
ACROSS3. The leprechaun promised not to ___ the
tie.6. The pot of gold was ___ under the flower.7. The leprechaun tied the ties around ___
the flowers.9. Tom ___ the leprechaun by the collar.
10. Tom was very ___ about getting the potof gold.
12. The leprechaun snapped his ___ to domagic.
14. The leprechaun made about ___ ties justlike Tom’s.
15. The leprechaun was behind the ___.
16. Tom took off his ___.17. The leprechaun led Tom to the ___.18. The leprechaun worked some ___.DOWN
1. The leprechaun was very ___.2. Tom wanted a pot of ___.4. He led Tom many miles across the ___.5. Tom had to go get a ___ to dig the hole.8. Tom grabbed the ___.
11. Tom knew that the leprechaun would___ if he let go.
13. Tom decided to ___ the little man.14. They were in a field of beautiful ___.17. The young man’s name was ___.
THE COW ON THE ROOFA farmer kept telling his wife that her
work was easier than his. Finally, sheoffered to go work in the fields while hetook care of the house. He said he wouldlike to try it. The next day, his wife wentoff to work in the corn field. The man firstfixed breakfast for himself and his son.Then he put the child on the porch whilehe washed the dishes. The man was thirsty,so he went into the cellar to get somecider. He pulled the cork out of the barrelof cider and started to fill his cup. Just then,he heard his son crying upstairs.
When the man ran upstairs, he foundhis son on the porch. The boy hadknocked over the butter churn andspilled the cream all over himself. As thefarmer started to pick up the boy, heremembered that he had not put thecork back in the cider barrel. When hewent back down to the cellar, he sawcider all over the floor. As he started toclean it up, he heard the cow mooing inthe barnyard. He ran upstairs to seewhat was wrong.
The poor cow was tied to the fenceand could not get anything to eat. The
farmhouse was built into the side of a hill.There was grass growing on the roof. Theman led the cow up onto the roof to eatthe grass there. To keep her from fallingoff, he tied a rope around her and let therope down the chimney. He went backinto the house and tied the other end ofthe rope around his waist. Then he satdown to make soup for lunch.
When the woman came home forlunch, she saw that the cow had slipped offthe roof and was hanging by the rope. Shecut the rope and saved the cow. As sheentered the house, she found her husbandsitting in the soup kettle. He had fallenthere when she cut the other end of therope. In the end, the farmer decided thathis work was easier than his wife’s.
Name ________________________________________THE COW ON THE ROOF
ACROSS1. The cow was tied to the ___ and
couldn’t get food to eat.7. The man ___ breakfast.8. He tied the ___ around the cow.
10. The cider was down in the ___ of thehouse.
11. The woman came home for ___.13. The ___ was built in the side of a hill.14. The man tied the rope around his ___.17. He said his wife’s work was ___ than his.18. The cow was out in the ___.19. The man ran up the ___.
DOWN2. There was ___ in the barrel.3. The woman did her husband’s ___ in the
fields.4. The man was sitting in the soup ___.5. The boy turned over the butter ___.6. The churn was on the ___ of the house.7. The woman went out to the ___ to
THE GIRL IN THE MARSHThe king told his five sons that he
wanted to share his kingdom with them. Inorder to claim his share of the kingdom,each son must find a wife. The wife mustbe able to spin the wool, weave the cloth,and sew a shirt all in one day. All the sonsleft to look for wives that could do thethings that would please the king.
The youngest son was named Jack.His brothers would not let him travelwith them. They thought that Jack wasnot very smart, so they sent him away.Jack was very unhappy as he walkedalong the road in the wet, grassymarshland. He began to cry. A tiny voicecalled to Jack from the grass. He kneeleddown and looked in the grass. There wasa beautiful, tiny girl. He told her why hewas so unhappy. Then he told her abouthis search for a wife who could spin,weave, and sew a shirt in one day.
“I can do that,” the tiny girl said, andshe did. She handed him the little shirt shehad made. Jack was so happy that heasked the tiny girl to marry him. Whenshe asked him why he wanted to marry
COMPARING/CONTRASTING AND MAKING INFERENCES – COMPREHENSION
such a little person, Jack told her that heloved her for being so kind to him. As Jacksmiled at her, the girl jumped into thewater of the marsh. She sank out of sight.
Because Jack thought she had drowned,he began to cry. As his tears fell on the tinyshirt, it began to get bigger and bigger.Soon it was just the right size for Jack. Atthat moment, the girl came up out of thewater. She also had grown to normal size.Jack’s kindness had broken a witch’s spellthat had been cast on the girl many yearsbefore. The couple returned to the kingand were married.
A tortoise met a deer one day as hewas out walking in the forest. The deerbegan to tease the tortoise about hisshort legs. The tortoise got mad andbragged that he could beat the deer in arace. When he heard that, the deer beganto laugh very hard. They decided to runa race the next morning when it was notso hot.
That evening, the tortoise called all ofhis family to a meeting. He told them hisplan for the race. Because all of his familylooked exactly alike, he asked them tohelp him. The next morning, an hourbefore the race, the tortoise had hisfamily hide behind bushes all along theroad where the race would be run.
The race began. The deer ran slowlyat first. When the deer came around thefirst bend in the road, he saw a tortoiseseveral yards ahead of him. The tortoiselaughed and asked the deer why he wasso slow. Since the deer thought that thetortoise was the same one who startedthe race, he began to run faster.
APPLICATION
1. Give a real-life example of a person acting like the deer did in this story.
Around the next curve, the deer sawa tortoise ahead of him, laughing. Thismade the deer run as fast as he could. Hewas almost out of breath when he camearound the third turn and saw a tortoisein front of him. The deer was so tired hewasn’t sure he could finish the race, but hekept running. As he came around the lastturn, the deer saw the finish line. Sureenough, there was a tortoise waiting forhim to get there.
Thinking he had lost the race to thetortoise, the deer promised never totease anyone again. Later, the tortoisethanked all of his family for helping himteach the deer a lesson.
would lie around and watch his motherwork all the time. Finally, she told him shewould not feed him if he did not do somework. Jack liked to eat, so he said he wouldhelp with the chores.
The first chore was to go to the farmnext door to help the farmer with hiswork. Jack worked all day, and the farmerpaid him with a few coins. On the wayhome, Jack had to cross a brook. Hedropped the money into the water. Whenhe got home, his mother said, “Silly boy, youshould have put the money in your pocket.”Jack promised to do that next time.
The next day, Jack went out to workfor the diary farmer down the road. Thefarmer paid him with a jar of cream at theend of the day. Jack remembered what hismother had said. He put the jar of creaminto his pocket to carry it home. Ofcourse, it spilled all over his jacket. Whenhe got home, his mother said, “Silly boy, youshould have put the milk jar on your headto carry it.” Jack promised to do that nexttime.
SEQUENCE – COMPREHENSION
1. Number these events in the order they happened.
_____ Jack spilled a jar of cream in his pocket.
_____ Jack carried a donkey on his head.
_____ Jack dropped coins in a brook.
This happened many times. Jack wouldalways choose the wrong way to carrythings. One day, after Jack had earned adonkey for his work, he decided to carryit home on his head. He passed the houseof a rich man that had a daughter whonever laughed. All the man wanted in theworld was to hear his beautiful daughterlaugh. The girl looked out the window andsaw Jack with the donkey on his head. Itmade her laugh out loud. This made therich man so happy that he invited Jack intothe house. Jack fell in love with the girl andmarried her. This time, his mother couldnot call him a silly boy.
Name ________________________________________LAZY JACK
ACROSS3. The ___ farmer paid Jack with a jar of
cream.4. The farmer next door paid Jack with a
few ___.6. Jack ___ to do what his mother told him
to do.11. Jack ___ the rich man’s daughter.12. Jack was the ___ boy in town.13. The rich man’s daughter was very ___.15. The man was very___.17. Jack carried the ___ on his head.18. Jack’s ___ called him a silly boy.19. Jack’s mother said she would not ___
him if he didn’t work.20. Jack lost his coins when he crossed the
___.
DOWN1. Jack put the jar of ___ in his pocket.2. The cream spilled in the ___ of Jack’s
jacket.5. Jack said he would help with the ___.7. The rich man ___ Jack into his house.8. The girl ___ for the first time when she
saw Jack.9. Jack’s mother called him a ___ boy.
10. Jack decided to ___ the donkey on hishead.
14. Jack worked for the ___ next door.16. Jack carried the donkey on his ___.
kingdom looking for a wife. He told theking that he would give him a magic flyingcarpet if the king would let him marry theprincess. The magician showed the kinghow to make the carpet fly. The king sat inthe middle of the rug and clapped hishands two times. The carpet began to flyabove the castle and then all over thekingdom. When the king clapped his handsthree times, the carpet landed gently backin the palace.
The king loved the magic carpet andtold the old man that he could marry theprincess. When the beautiful youngprincess saw how old and ugly the magicianwas, she began to cry. She went to herbrother to ask him to help keep her frommarrying the old man.
Her brother, the prince, talked to theking about it. The old man heard themtalking and decided to try to get thebrother out of the way. He did not wantthe king to change his mind. The magicianshowed the magic carpet to the brotherand told him how to start the rug. The
APPLICATION
1. Describe a time when a trick someone played backfired on them. (The trick ended up
hurting them more than the person they tried to play it on.) __________________
prince was very excited and flew away onthe magic carpet. The old man laughedbecause he had not told the brother howto stop it. He knew the young man wouldnot be able to come back.
The ugly old man went to the king totalk about plans for his wedding to theprincess. The king said that he wanted toride on his magic carpet again. That iswhen the old man knew he had made a bigmistake. The magic carpet was gone withthe prince and would never return again.Without the carpet, the ugly old magiciancould not marry the beautiful youngprincess. Her brother truly had been ableto help her.
Name ________________________________________THE MAGIC CARPET
ACROSS1. Her brother was the ___.4. The prince could not come ___ to the
castle.7. The magician talked about his ___ for the
wedding.8. The ___ was ugly and old.9. The carpet ___ gently back in the castle.
12. The magician wanted to ___ theprincess.
14. The princess was very ___.16. The king loved the magic flying ___.17. The princess asked her brother for ___.18. The king ___ over the kingdom on the
carpet.
DOWN2. The king ___ his hands twice to start the
carpet.3. The magician did not want the king to
change his ___.5. The king flew high above his ___ on the
carpet.6. The magician was old and ___.8. The magician made a big ___.
10. The princess began to ___ when she sawthe magician.
11. The ___ was very beautiful.13. A carpet is also called a ___.14. The princess asked her ___ for help.15. The prince did not know how to ___ the
THE MAGIC SOUP KETTLEA very poor family lived in a house on
a street corner in town. The father haddied, leaving the mother and little girl livingalone with no money. One day, the littlegirl found an old kettle under a bush.Inside the kettle was a note which saidthat the kettle was magic. To use thekettle, the girl read that she must say, “Boil,kettle, boil.” Then the kettle would beginto make wonderful soup. When it hadmade enough soup, the girl was to say,“Stop, kettle, stop.”
The girl took the kettle home andshowed it to her mother. She decided tomake soup. The girl said, “Boil, kettle, boil.”At once the kettle began to make soup. Itsoon had made enough soup to last for aweek. Then the girl said, “Stop, kettle,stop.” The kettle became quiet.
The girl and her mother finally hadenough food to eat. One day, the girl wentinto town to look for work. While she wasgone, her mother decided to have thekettle make soup. The mother said, “Boil,kettle, boil.” The kettle began to make itsgood soup. Soon the soup ran over the
CAUSE AND EFFECT – COMPREHENSION
1. What happened that caused the girl and her mother to have a lot of money?
side of the kettle. It spilled all over thefloor and out the door of the house. Thesoup ran down the street into the middleof town. It poured into all the people’shouses. The mother had forgotten how tostop the kettle from boiling.
When the little girl saw it, she knewwhat had happened. She called out, “Stop,kettle, stop!” The kettle stopped makingsoup. The people in the town had to eat allthe soup to get their houses clean. Theydidn’t mind at all because the soup was sogood. In fact, they all gave money to the girland her mother to pay for the wonderfulsoup.
THE SPECIAL CATA girl and her brother were left alone
when their parents died. All they had wasa cow and a cat. They both wanted the cowbecause she gave them milk. Neither onewanted the cat. They tossed a coin and thebrother won. He chose the cow and leftwith it to earn his fortune. The girl was leftwith the cat. The cat jumped on her lap andtold her not to worry. It promised to helpher make a good life for herself.
While they were walking in the forest,the girl and the cat saw a castle ahead ofthem. The cat told the girl to hide her oldclothes in the bushes. Then the cat ran tothe castle. It told the queen and the princethat a princess from a nearby kingdom hadbeen robbed in the forest. The cat said thatthe robbers had taken everything from theprincess. The queen was very sorry andsent new clothes to the girl.
The girl looked beautiful in her newclothes when she arrived at the castle.The prince wanted to marry the girl, butthe queen wanted to be sure that she wasa princess.
SUMMARIZING – COMPREHENSION
1. Write the main points of this story in two or three sentences.
The queen put a bean under themattress of the girl’s bed. The queen knewthat a real princess would feel the beanand not be able to sleep. The cat saw whatthe queen did and told the girl. The nextmorning, the girl said that her bed had a bigbump in it, and she hadn’t been able tosleep. That made the queen think that shewas a real princess. She let the princemarry the girl. The cat had indeed helpedthe girl make a good life for herself.
day cutting wood. As he was about to chopdown a big oak tree, an elf jumped outfrom the tree. The little man begged Jakenot to chop down the tree. He said thathe lived inside of it. Jake felt sorry for him,and said he would not cut down his tree.The elf was so happy that he told Jake hecould have three wishes.
Jake ran home and told his wife aboutthe elf and the three wishes. They tried todecide what they should wish for. Theycould not make up their minds. The wifefixed lunch for them while they werethinking about it. When she served thefood, it was the same thing they always hadfor lunch. Without thinking, Jake said, “Iwish I had a big sausage for lunch.” In aflash, his wish was granted. A big longsausage was on his plate.
Jake’s wife was so mad that shescreamed at him and jumped up and down.Once again, he did not think about what hewas saying. He looked at her and said, “Iwish this sausage was on the end of yournose.” In an instant, there she was, with a
SEQUENCE – COMPREHENSION
1. List Jack’s 3 wishes in the order he made them.
long sausage on the end of her nose. Shebegan to cry.
Jake did not know what to do. He hadused two of his wishes, and all he had wasa wife with a sausage on her nose. After along time, Jake knew what his third wishhad to be. He went to his wife and said, “Iwish that the sausage was gone from yournose.” In a flash, his wife was the same asshe used to be. They had used all of theirwishes and not gained anything. Jake wentback to the forest many times. But hecould never again find the tree where theelf lived.
THE YOUNGEST BROTHERThe king of the land had a daughter
who was very beautiful. The princess gotsick one day, and none of the doctors inthe land could cure her. A wise magiciantold the king that she could be cured byeating an apple, but only if she ate the rightone. The king promised that the man whobrought the right apple to the castle couldmarry the princess.
A man who lived in the kingdom thoughtthat he was very clever. He had threesons, and he wanted one of them to marrythe princess. The father had taught histwo older sons never to tell the truth andnever to trust anyone. When he tried toteach the youngest son, Hans, the samething, the son would not listen. Thebrothers called him “Silly Hans” becausehe always told the truth.
The oldest son filled a basket withapples and started for the castle. On theway, he met a tiny old woman who askedhim what was in his basket. He told herthat it was full of frogs’ legs. She smiledand nodded her head. When he openedhis basket in front of the king, he found
MAIN IDEA – COMPREHENSION
1. Tell what this story was mostly about in one or two sentences.
that it was full of frogs’ legs. The secondson went to the castle with his basket ofapples. He told the tiny old woman thathe was carrying fishing worms. Sureenough, when he got to the castle, he hada basket of worms.
The youngest son started off for thecastle with a basket of apples. When hemet the tiny old woman, he told her thathe had a basket of apples. He also said hehoped that he had the right one to makethe princess well. The woman smiled andnodded. When Hans got to the castle, theking took his apples to the princess, whoate one. It made her well. She was happyto marry the honest young man.
4. What is the author’s purpose (to entertain, to inform, to persuade, to teach a lesson, etc.)? (Theremay be more than one answer.) ________________________________________________
5. What are the important values or lessons taught in the story? (For example: honesty, kindness,fairness, hard work, you reap what you sow) _______________________________________
6. Is there a theme (underlying idea) in this story that is repeated in other folktales?(For example: the triump of good over evil, the consequences of good and bad actions, the underdogwins in the end, rags to riches, failure turns into success, someone stronger rescues someoneweaker.) If so, write what that theme is. (There may be more than one answer.) ____________
7. Is there an example of personification (an animal or object having human characteristics, such as,the ability to talk) in this story? If so, write what the example is. _________________________
1 1) The boy kept asking the North Wind for help, andhe kept getting tricked. The North Wind at first kepttaking the boy’s food, and later keeps helping theboy. The innkeeper kept tricking the boy, and keptstealing the boy’s things.
2 1) It took away his food three times. 2) He walkedto the home of the North Wind and asked for his foodback. 3) a tablecloth, a ram, and a stick 4) Theinnkeeper had put a “look-alike” tablecloth and ramin their place. 5) It beat the innkeeper until he gavethe boy’s things back. 6) persistence; standing upfor himself; taking care of his mother 7) 2, 3, 18) Accept any reasonable answer.
5 1) It was very old, and the master didn’t want it.2) by singing 3) robbers eating supper and countingtheir money 4) They sang together and made ahorrible noise. 5) They were able to move into therobbers’ house and use their food and money.6) donkey, dog, cat, rooster 7) You can often getmore done if everyone works together than if you tryto work alone. 8) Answers will vary.
8 1) He wanted it to lead him to a pot of gold 2) to afield of flowers where its gold was buried 3) He puta tie on the plant where the gold was buried. 4) notto touch the tie 5) It did not touch the tie, but it putties on 50 other plants so Tom could not tell wherethe gold was buried. 6) It got scared when Tomgrabbed it. 7) Accept any reasonable answer.8) Answers will vary.
9 Across: 3) touch 6) buried 7) all 9) grabbed10) excited 12) fingers 14) fifty 15) bushes16) tie 17) treasure 18) magic Down: 1) clever2) gold 4) country 5) spade 8) leprechaun11) disappear 13) capture 14) flowers 17) Tom
10 1) She didn’t argue with him. She simply suggestedthat he switch jobs with her for a day.
11 1) His son spilled the cream from the churn. 2) Hehad forgotten to put the cork back in the barrel whenhe heard his son crying. 3) The cow was hungry,and there was grass on the roof for it to eat.4) When his wife cut the rope that tied him to thecow, he fell into the soup kettle. 5) that his workwas easier than his wife’s 6) spending a day tryingto do what she did - caring for a child, a home, and acow 7) Don’t judge someone until you walk a milein his shoes. 8) Descriptions will vary.
13 1) They were all sons of a king; they all went to lookfor wives; they all were to have a share in the kingdom.2) Jack was kinder and more sensitive; he wasyounger; he wasn’t accepted by them.
14 1) to find a wife who could make a shirt in a day2) His brothers didn’t want him with them becausethey thought he wasn’t very smart. 3) She madehim a shirt; she also listened to him. 4) He askedher to marry him. 5) Jack’s kindness 6) Answerswill vary. 7) king; sadness 8) Accept any reasonableanswer.
15 Across: 1) sons 4) kingdom 7) wife 8) voice10) unhappy 12) sew 14) marry 16) travel17) tiny 18) tears Down: 2) normal 3) five 5) drowned 6) shirt 7) weave 9) spin 11) youngest12) smart 13) bigger 15) grass
16 1) Examples will vary.
17 1) The deer teased him about his short legs. 2) Hislook-alike family members would hide along the pathand each would run part of the race, fooling the deerinto thinking it was just one tortoise. 3) All the tortoiseslooked alike. One of them always kept ahead of thedeer, so he thought he lost the race. 4) He learnednot to tease others. 5) They had helped him teachthe deer a lesson; they had helped him win the race.6) the trickery of the tortoises 7) Don’t tease and bemean to others - you may have to eat your words.8) Stories will vary.
20 1) His mother said he had to work or she would notfeed him. 2) He worked for the farmer next door.3) He worked for the dairy farmer down the road.4) She saw Jack with a donkey on his head. 5) Hefell in love with the beautiful girl and married her.6) Wise: She insisted that Jack go to work. Foolishand unkind: She kept criticizing her son and callinghim a silly boy. 7) He kept carrying things the wrongway. 8) He changed from lazy to hard-working; hechanged from failing to succeeding.
23 1) He wanted to marry the king’s daughter. 2) Hewas old and ugly. 3) She asked her brother for help.4) He showed him how to start the magic carpet, butnot how to stop it. 5) He sent the princess’s brotheraway on the magic carpet. Without the carpet, hecouldn’t marry the princess. 6) Answers will vary.7) Accept any reasonable answer. 8) Answers willvary.
25 1) When the soup flowed into people’s houses, theyate it. They thought it was so good that they paidthe girl and her mother for it.
26 1) She read the note in the kettle. 2) She madeenough soup to last for a week. 3) She forgot howto stop the kettle from making soup. 4) They had toeat it all. 5) It tasted so good. 6) things to cookwith or stove cookware; things you make soup withor kinds of food 7) Both produced food on command.8) Life was hard. They were poor. We know thisbecause the father had died and left no money. Thestory also says that they finally had enough to eat.
27 Across: 3) good 5) street 6) down 9) remember12) soup 14) clean 16) boil 17) corner 19) kettleDown: 1) food 2) week 4) stop 5) side 7) work8) magic 10) middle 11) bush 13) people15) alone 18) note
28 1) Summaries will vary.
29 1) The cow gave them milk. 2) They tossed a coinfor it, and the brother won the toss. 3) It promisedto help her make a good life for herself. 4) The girlsaid she felt the bean under her mattress. 5) Theypretended the girl had been robbed so the queenwould give her clothes. They lied about feeling abean under the mattress so the queen would let hermarry the prince. 6) Good qualities: It was loyal; itkept its promise. Bad qualities: It was dishonest.7) castle; kingdom 8) Example: The Princess andthe Pea
31 1) First, he wished for a sausage to eat. Second, hewished for the sausage to be on his wife’s nose.Third, he wished for the sausage to be gone from hiswife’s nose.
32 1) The elf asked him not to cut down his tree, andJake felt sorry for him. 2) He was grateful to Jakefor not cutting down his tree. 3) He wasn’t thinking;he wanted something different for lunch. 4) First, hewasted a wish on a sausage. Then, he wished asausage would be on the end of her nose. 5) Jakehad used all his wishes and not gained anything; henever was able to find the elf again. 6) His life didn’tchange after all; he lost his opportunity to make hislife better. 7) Don’t waste your opportunities. ORThink before you speak. 8) Examples will vary.
33 Across: 3) time 5) screamed 7) wishes 10) oak12) chop 14) decide 15) sorry 16) Jake 17) noseDown: 1) tree 2) wife 4) lunch 5) sausage 6) elf7) wood 8) forest 9) gained 11) three 12) cry13) plate
34 1) Summaries will vary.
35 1) He taught them never to tell the truth and never totrust anyone. 2) He always told the truth. 3) Thetiny woman used magic to cause their words to cometrue. 4) They had fishing worms and frogs’ legs intheir baskets instead of apples. 5) The tiny womanmade it the right one because he told the truth.6) his honesty; his goodness 7) Accept anyreasonable answer. 8) Examples: Act I - The kingpromises that whoever can find the right apple to curehis daughter can marry her. Act II - The two older sonslie to the tiny woman and end up at the castle withworms and frogs’ legs. Act III - Hans tells the truth,brings the right apple to the princess, and marries her.
36 Across: 1) truth 6) tiny 7) apple 8) legs 9) king12) thought 13) beautiful 16) worms 17) castle18) princess Down: 1) three 2) Hans 3) honest4) ate 5) basket 6) trust 10) cured 11) daughter14) sick 15) honest