readingobjectives town mouse and country mouse belling the

™

Level P/38 Level K/20

Genre Workshop titles are designed to accommodate a combination of whole- and small-group instruction.Use the suggested timetable below to help you manage your 90-minute literacy block. You may also conductthe entire lesson within small-group reading time by adjusting the length of time needed per group.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Days 6–15

Whole Group(25 minutes)

Prepareto Read

Before Reading Before Reading Before Reading Before Reading Write a fable.

Use thetimetableand dailysuggestionsprovided.

Small Group #1*(15 minutes)

Read “Town Mouseand CountryMouse”

Read “Belling theCat”

Read “The Dog andthe Wolf”

Reread “The Dogand the Wolf”











Whole Group(20 minutes)

After Reading After Reading After Reading After Reading

*Select the appropriate text to meet the range of needs and reading levels of your students.

While you are meeting with small groups, other students can do the following:• Reread the text with a partner to practice fluency or read independently from your classroom library• Reflect on their learning in reading response journals• Engage in literacy workstations or meet with literature circles/discussion groups

B E N C H M A R K E D U C A T I O N C O M P A N Y

Reading Objectives• Comprehension: Analyze story

elements; Make judgments• Tier Two Vocabulary: See book’s Glossary• Word study: Description• Analyze the genre• Respond to and interpret texts• Make text-to-text connections• Fluency: Read with dramatic expressionWriting Objectives• Writer’s tools: Idiom• Write a fable using

writing-process stepsRelated Resources• Comprehension Question Cards• Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart• Using Genre Models to Teach Writing• The Tortoise and the Hare; The Lionand the Mouse; The Ant and theGrasshopper (Levels N/30 and J/18)

Town Mouse and Country Mouse

Belling the Cat

The Dog and the Wolf

TEACHER’S GUIDE: FABLES

• Ask students to turn to pages 4–5. Say: The fables inthis book are based on stories by Aesop. Let’s readabout Aesop.

• Have a student read aloud the biographicalinformation while others follow along.

• Say: Aesop first told these fables more than 2,000years ago. People are still reading them today. Whatcan you infer, or tell, from this? Allow time forresponses. Prompt students to understand that thelessons, or morals, in Aesop’s fables are still relevantto people today.

Introduce the Tools Writers Use: Idiom• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5.• Say: People use idioms in conversation. Writers useidioms, too, to add color and humor to their writing.Let’s practice identifying idioms so we can noticethem in the fables we read.

• Distribute BLM 1 (Idiom). Read aloud sentence 1 withstudents.

• Model Identifying Idioms: Can Mom really be“all ears”? Of course not. A person has two ears—and many, many other body parts. “All ears” is anidiom that means “ready and willing to listen.”The author has used this idiom to show that Mom isbeing gentle and a little lighthearted to Katie, whois evidently upset.

• Ask students to work with a partner or in smallgroups to identify the examples of idioms in theremaining sentences and to write one or moresentences of their own using familiar idioms.

• Bring the groups together to share their findings.Point out that writers mostly use idioms in dialogueand description to add flair to their writing.

• Ask each group to read one or more sentences theywrote. Use the examples to build their understandingof how and why writers use idioms. Remind studentsthat using idioms can help the reader understand,make connections, visualize, and make inferencesabout the characters, plot, and moral of a fable.

• Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transferstudent-written sentences to chart paper, title thepage “Idioms,” and post it as an anchor chart inyour classroom.

Reflect and Review• Turn and Talk: Write one or more of the following

questions on chart paper:What is a literary genre, and how can understandinggenres help readers and writers?What did you learn today about the fable genre?How can readers recognize the technique of idioms?Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas andreport them back to the whole group as a way tosummarize the day’s learning.

3THREE FABLES FROM AESOPTHREE FABLES FROM AESOP2 ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Prepare to ReadBuild Genre Background• Write the word genre on chart paper. Say:Whocan explain what the word genre means? (Allowtime for responses.) The word genre means “a kindof something.” How many of you like to watchscience fiction movies? How many of you preferadventure? Science fiction and adventure moviesare genres, or kinds, of movies. All science fictionmovies share certain characteristics. All adventuremovies have some features in common, too. Asreaders and writers, we focus on genres of literature.As readers, we pay attention to the genre to help uscomprehend. Recognizing the genre helps usanticipate what will happen or what we will learn.As writers, we use our knowledge of genre to helpus develop and organize our ideas.

• Ask:Who can name some literary genres? Let’s makea list. Allow time for responses. Post the list on theclassroom wall as an anchor chart.

• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the board.Write Fable in the center circle of the web.

• Say: Fables are one example of a literary genre.Think of any fables you know. How would you definewhat a fable is?

• Turn and Talk: Ask students to turn and talk to aclassmate and jot down any features of a fable theycan think of. Then bring students together and askthem to share their ideas. Record them on the groupweb. Reinforce the concept that all fables havecertain common features.

Introduce the Book• Distribute the appropriate-level book (P/38 or K/20)

to each student. Read the title aloud. Ask students totell what they see on the cover and table of contents.

• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week weare going to read fables that will help us learn aboutthis genre. First we’re going to focus on this genre asreaders. Then we’re going to study fables from awriter’s perspective. Our goal this week is to reallyunderstand this genre.

• Ask a student to read aloud the text on page 2 whileothers follow along. Invite a different student to readthe web on page 3.

• Point to your fables web. Say: Let’s compare ourinitial ideas about fables with what we just read.What new features of this genre did you learn?Allow time for responses. Add new information tothe class web.

• Post this chart in your classroom during your fablesunit. Say: As we read fables this week, we will comeback to this anchor chart. We will look for how thesefeatures appear in each fable we read.

©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in wholeor in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-60859-845-8

Before ReadingIntroduce “Town Mouse and Country Mouse”• Reread the fables anchor chart or the web on page 5

to review the features of a fable.• Ask students to turn to page 6. Ask: Based on thetitle and illustrations, what do you predict this fablemight be about? Allow time for responses.

• Invite students to scan the text and look for theboldfaced words (superior, determined,delectable, squeamish). Say: As you read, payattention to these words. If you don’t know whatthey mean, try to use clues in the surrounding textto help you define them. We’ll come back to thesewords after we read.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the fable, and to focus on the

genre elements they noted on their anchor chart.They should also look for examples of idioms andthink about how the author’s use of idioms helpsthem understand the characters.

Read “Town Mouse and CountryMouse”• Place students in groups of three or four based on

their reading levels. Ask students to read the fablesilently or whisper-read. If students need moresupport, you may have them read with a partner.

• Observe students as they stop and think about thefable. Confer briefly with individual students tomonitor their use of fix-up strategies and theirunderstanding of the text.

After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Analyze Story Elements• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze the

Characters” questions on page 11, or use thefollowing steps to provide explicit modeling of howto analyze story elements in a fable.

• Explain:We learned yesterday that fables contain amoral, or lesson. The writer uses the characters,setting, and plot to tell the story that leads up toa moral. When you read a fable, you need to payclose attention to the characters and their actions.One of these characters has a problem, which usuallyputs the plot in motion. One or more of the othercharacters helps the main character recognize theproblem, which leads to the end of the story andthe lesson.

Day 1 Day 2

Management Tips• Throughout the week, you may wish to use some

of the reflect and review questions as promptsfor reader response journal entries in addition toturn and talk activities.

• Have students create genre study folders. Keepblackline masters, notes, small-group writing, andchecklists in the folders.

• Create anchor charts by writing whole-groupdiscussion notes and mini-lessons on chart paper.Hang charts in the room where students can seethem.

Management TipAsk students to place self-stick notes in the marginswhere they notice examples of idiom or featuresof the genre when they are reading.

• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Analyze Story Elements)and/or draw a chart like the one below.

• Model:When I analyze story elements, I use all theclues and evidence the writer provides. I think aboutwhere and when the story takes place, the characters’description and dialogue, and what happens in thestory. I’m going to think about Country Mouse. Iknow he is a hard worker and proud of all the foodhe was able to gather. But after Town Mouse visits,and Country Mouse goes to the city, he is not sure ifhis country life really is better than the easy life inthe city. But then the cat chases the mice from thegarbage can and Country Mouse realizes he is betteroff back home. We learn about the charactersthrough their thoughts and actions, and how theyreact to the other characters.

• Guide Practice: Work with students to analyze CityMouse’s character. Help them understand that CityMouse has a different attitude than Country Mouse.Is he really brave? Or is he lazy and reckless? Askstudents to think about how this character’s dialogueand actions help move the plot along. Then havestudents write the sequence of events in the plot onthe right-hand column of BLM 2.

• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studiesfolders.

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Remind students that when they answer questions

on standardized assessments, they must be able tosupport their answers with facts or with clues andevidence directly from the text.

• Use the appropriate-level Comprehension QuestionCard (P/38 or K/20) with small groups of students topractice answering text-dependent comprehensionquestions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer FindIt! questions. The answer to a Find It! question isright in the book. You can find the answer in oneplace in the text.

5THREE FABLES FROM AESOPTHREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC4 ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Reflect and Review• Turn and Talk: Ask partners or small groups

to reread the features of a fable on page 5 anddecide if all of these features were present in“Town Mouse and Country Mouse.” Ask groupsto share and support their findings.

Fluency: Read with Dramatic Expression• You may wish to have students reread the fable with

a partner during independent reading time. Havethem focus on reading with appropriate expression.Ask students to use what they know about the traits,flaws, and assets of Town Mouse and Country Mouseto convey emotions in their reading. (Both are proudof where they are from; Country Mouse is morecautious; City Mouse is a bit snobby.)

• Model: Read the Find It! question on theComprehension Question Card. Say:When I read thestatement, I look for important words that tell mewhat to look for in the book. What words in thissentence do you think will help me? (Allow studentresponses.) Yes, I’m looking for the words gatheredcorn and wheat. [Bridges: putting corn] On page 7,I read, “It was harvest time and he was gathering allthe corn and wheat into his barn before winter.”[Bridges: “He was putting corn into the barn. Hewas putting wheat into the barn.”] This sentencehas the words I’m looking for. This sentence fills inthe answer.

• Use the Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart todevelop other Find It! questions to use with students.

Focus on Vocabulary: Description• Explain/Model: Descriptions in a text can helpreaders figure out unfamiliar words. For example,on page 7, the author says that Town Mouse andCountry Mouse had “very different opinions.” In thenext sentences, she explains and describes opinionsas different thoughts and ideas. Sometimes readerscan figure out an unfamiliar word by looking atdescriptions in a text.

• Practice: Ask students to think of descriptive wordsand actions that go with the following words: giddy,miniscule, mellow. Challenge pairs of students tomake up sentences using the descriptive words asclues for the adjectives.

• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in this fable.What can you do if you don’t know what thesewords mean? (Allow time for responses.) One thingyou can do is look in the glossary or a dictionary, butsometimes there is no glossary or dictionary available.In those cases, you need to look for clues in the textto help you define the unfamiliar word. One strategyyou can use is to look for descriptions in the text.

• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the“Focus on Words” activity on page 11 using BLM 3(Focus on Descriptions). Explain that they shouldread the sentences around the boldfaced wordto find a description that helps define the word.They should be able to explain how they knowthe word’s meaning.

• Transfer Through Oral Language: Ask groups ofstudents to share their findings. Then challengeindividual students to use the words in completelynew contexts. Ask other students to listen carefullyand give a thumbs-up if they think the word wasused correctly. Encourage all students to make aneffort to use the words.

• Ask students to save their work in their genre studiesfolders to continue on Days 3 and 4.

Before ReadingIntroduce “Belling the Cat”• Ask students to turn to page 12. Say: You are goingto read another fable today. Turn to a partner todiscuss how you will use your genre knowledge as areader to help you understand the fable.

• Ask the partners who listened to summarize whatthey heard.

• Say: Let’s look at the title and illustrations of thisfable. What do you predict it might be about? Givestudents time to share their predictions.

• Ask students to scan the text and look for theboldfaced words (dreadful, sly, foe, courageous).Ask:What do you notice about these words? Whydo you think they appear in boldfaced type? Allowtime for responses. You may want to point out thatthree of these words are adjectives and one, foe, isa noun.

• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meaningof these words. Look for descriptions in the text.After we read, we will talk about how you usedthese descriptions and other context clues providedby the author.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the fable, and to focus on how

the characters and plot illustrate the moral.Encourage them to notice the author’s use of idioms.

Read “Belling the Cat”• Place students in groups of three or four based on

their reading levels. Ask students to read the fablesilently or to whisper-read. If students need moresupport, you may have them read with a partner.

• Observe students as they stop and think about thefable. Confer briefly with individual students tomonitor their use of fix-up strategies and theirunderstanding of the text.

After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Analyze Story Elements• Say: Yesterday we analyzed the story elements—characters, setting, and plot—in another fable. Forexample, by seeing what the character CountryMouse does, we concluded that he is a hard worker,but he is cautious. In this fable, what can weconclude about the character of the young mousefrom what he says and does? Allow time forresponses. As students share their analyses,synthesize their responses into a whole-group chartlike the one on page 6.

• Discuss Story Elements Across Texts: Lead adiscussion using the following questions:How are the characters of the two fables alike? Howare they different?

Day 2 (cont.) Day 3Page Word Description Meaning

7 superior “I’ll prove how much better itis.”[Bridges: “I’ll show you that it isbetter.”]

of higher rank,quality, orimportance

7 determined He would do anything to provethat the town was the perfectplace.[Bridges: He would show thatthe town was the best place.]

not giving up;driven to succeed

8 delectable There was food fit for a king. Itwas . . . delicious.[Bridges: The food was fit for aking. It was tasty.]

delightful; pleasingto the taste

9 squeamish Country Mouse was scared . . .shaking with fear

easily disgustedor repulsed

Setting Character Description Plota farm and barnin the country;a garbage canin the basementof a housein the city, a fewweeks later

CountryMouse

hard worker;proud;impressedby the foodin the city;cautious

1. Town Mouse visitsCountry Mouse and isimpressed by all the foodhis cousin has gathered.2. Country Mouse visitsTown Mouse and admitsthat the food they getfrom the garbage istastier than the foodin the country.3. A cat chases the micefrom the garbage.4. Country Mouserealizes he’d be safer athome in the country.

Town Mouse snobbish;reckless

Note Regarding This Teacher’s Guide

The genre models in the Bridges books areadapted for a lower reading level. To facilitatewhole-group instruction, citations from the Bridgesversion of this book are shown in square brackets.

THREE FABLES FROM AESOPTHREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC6 ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 7

Before ReadingIntroduce “The Dog and the Wolf”• Ask students to turn to page 16. Say: Today we aregoing to read “The Dog and the Wolf.” This fable iswritten in a different format from the other fableswe have read. Notice how in the margins there arenotes to you, the reader. The first time we read thetext, we will read to understand the fable, focusingon the characters, plot, and moral. Tomorrow, we willreread this fable like a writer and think about thenotes in the margin as a model for how we can writeour own fables.

• Point out the boldfaced words (hibernating,darted, game, accustomed). Say:When you seethese words in the fable, look for descriptions to helpyou know what they mean. Remember that findingdescriptions in the text is a strategy to help youdefine unfamiliar words.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the fable and to focus on how

the characters and plot illustrate the moral. Theyshould also look for examples of idioms and thinkabout how the author’s use of idioms helps themunderstand the fable.

Read “The Dog and the Wolf”• Place students in groups of three or four based on

their reading levels. Ask students to read the fablesilently or whisper-read. If students need moresupport, you may have them read with a partner.

• Observe students as they stop and think about thefable. Confer briefly with individual students tomonitor the use of fix-up strategies and theirunderstanding of the text.

After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Analyze Story Elements• Lead a whole-class discussion about analyzing

the story elements of characters, setting, and plot.Ask:When you analyze the characters in a fable,what do you look for? (Allow time for responses.)Make sure students understand that readers learnabout characters through what the author tells themabout the characters and what the characters say,think, feel, and do in the story. Then review how toanalyze a fable’s setting (use clues to identify thetime and place of the story) and plot (sequence themain events in the order that they occur and identifythe problem and the solution).

• Divide the class into four groups. Assign each groupone of these topics: (1) the setting, (2) the characterWolf, (3) the character Dog, (4) the plot (story events).

• Give each group time to analyze its part of the storycarefully and in detail. Suggest that the groups fill in

• Transfer Through Oral Language: Invite pairsof students to act out the words using only facialexpressions, gestures, and other body language.The rest of the class tries to guess the word. Oncethe word is named, the pair offers a sentence thatdescribes what they were doing and uses the word.

• Ask students to save their work in their genre studiesfolders to continue on Day 4.

Reflect and Review• Turn and Talk: Ask partners or small groups to

discuss the following questions and report theirideas to the whole group:Do you agree with this fable’s moral? Why or whynot?Think of a time in your life when you had theopportunity to do something brave. Whathappened?

Fluency: Read with Dramatic Expression• You may wish to have students reread the fable

with a partner during independent reading time.Have them focus on reading with appropriateexpression. Ask students to use what theyknow about the young mouse and king mouse’spersonalities to convey emotions in their reading.(Young mouse is a bit of a braggart and probablycowardly; king mouse is patient and wise.)

the part of BLM 2 that applies to their topic. Remindthem that they need examples from the text tosupport their ideas.

• When the groups have finished their research andanalysis, have each group report on its topic tothe whole class. Draw the chart from the BLM onchart paper or the board. One member from eachgroup can write the group’s findings in theappropriate part of the BLM. After all the groupshave reported, reread the BLM to review the storyelements in “The Dog and the Wolf.”

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Use the appropriate-level Comprehension Question

Card (P/38 or K/20) with small groups of students topractice answering text-dependent questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer ProveIt! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question isnot stated in the book. You have to look for cluesand evidence to prove the answer.

• Model: Read the second Prove It! question on theComprehension Question Card. Say: I will show youhow I answer a Prove It! question. The question isreally a statement that says, “You can tell from theinformation in the second paragraph on page 16 thatearly in the winter, Wolf . . .” This statement asks meto draw a conclusion. I know because the statementis unfinished. What other information in the questiondo you think will help me? (Allow student responses.)Yes, I need to go to the second paragraph on page16 to find clues that tell about Wolf. The text saysWolf enjoyed his long walks. He liked to run fastthrough the trees, jump in the snow, and do as hepleased. I have found evidence to draw a conclusion.I can conclude that Wolf was having fun and washappy early in the winter.

• Guide Practice: Use the Comprehension Power ToolFlip Chart to help you develop other Prove It!questions and support students’ text-dependentcomprehension strategies.

What problems do Country Mouse and the youngmouse face, and how do they solve them?Where has the author used idioms in the two fables?How do these idioms help you better understand thecharacters or visualize the action?



• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer LookCloser! questions. The answer to a Look Closer!question is in the book. You have to look in morethan one place, though. You find the different partsof the answer. Then you put the parts together toanswer the question.

• Model: Read the Look Closer! question on theComprehension Question Card. Say: I will show youhow I answer a Look Closer! question. The questionsays, “What will happen after a mouse places a bellaround the neck of the cat?” This question asks meto identify a sequence or series of events that willfollow an action. I know because the question hasthe clue word after. Now I need to look for otherimportant information in the question. These wordstell me what to look for in the book. Whatinformation do you think will help me? (Allowstudent responses.) Yes, I’m looking for what willhappen after a bell is placed around the cat’s neck.Now I will look in the book. On page 13, I read thatthe mice will hear the cat coming and they will runaway. This is the order of events. I have found theanswer in the book. I looked in several sentences tofind the answer.

• Guide Practice: Use the Comprehension Power ToolFlip Chart to help you develop other Look Closer!questions to use with students.

Focus on Vocabulary: Description• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the

“Focus on Words” activity on page 15 using BLM 3which they started on Day 2. Have groups of studentsshare their findings.

Day 3 (cont.)

Setting Character Description Plot

A forestand afarm inwinter

Wolf playful;enterprising;hungry; sad;values freedom

1. Wolf enjoys earlywinter, but he soongrows very hungrybecause he can’t find orcatch any food.2. Wolf hears Dog andmeets with him.3. Dog offers Wolf a jobhe’d enjoy.4. Wolf declines the jobwhen he learns he has towear a collar and bechained at night.

Dog helpful;accepting; wellfed

Page Word Description Meaning

12 dreadful “His heart was filled withdoom and gloom . . .”[Bridges: “His heart filled withdoom and gloom.”]

terrible; very bad

13 sly Young mouse is described asclever and sneaky and “Hewanted to be the next king.”

displayingcleverness

13 foe “We will always hear ourenemy coming.”[Bridges: “We will always hearour enemy the cat coming.”

an enemy

14 courageous “But you seem brave.” brave

Day 4


a house,a nice day

young mouse eager; thinkshe’s clever;cowardly

1. A cat is now in the house,warns the mouse king.2. The mice discuss ways tobefriend the cat, then realizethey must protect oneanother.3. A young mouse comes upwith a cat-warning system—abell for the cat’s neck.4. But no mouse is braveenough to put the bell onthe cat’s neck.

mouse king concerned; wise;patient

Before ReadingSummarize and Make Connections Across Texts• Engage students in a discussion about the three

fables in this book. Invite a different student tosummarize each fable. Encourage other studentsto add their ideas and details.

• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of thebook. Say: Good readers think about how literaryworks are related. We know, for example, that all ofthese fables share certain features. They all have amoral. They all have animal characters. What else dothey have in common? (Allow time for responses.)Today we will think about the characters in all threefables. We’ll think about how the characters are alikeand different and what we can learn from them.

• Ask students to work individually or in small groupsto complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).Then bring students together to share and synthesizetheir ideas.

Set a Purpose for Rereading• Have students turn to page 16. Say: Until now, wehave been thinking about fables from theperspective of the reader. Learning the features offables has helped us be critical readers. Now we aregoing to put on a different hat. We are going toreread “The Dog and the Wolf” to think like writers.We’ll pay attention to the annotations in themargins. These annotations will help us understandwhat the author did and why she did it.

Focus on Vocabulary: Description• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the

“Focus on Words” activity on page 21 using BLM 3.Have groups of students share their findings.

• Transfer Through Oral Language: Invite pairs ofstudents to act out the scene in which each targetword is used. They should make up their owndialogue using the word, and use gestures and facialexpressions to portray the feelings and behavior ofthe characters.

Reflect and Review• Ask and discuss the following questions:What new words have you added to your vocabularythis week? Which is your favorite?Which of the fable characters you’ve met do youidentify with the most and why?How can you use descriptions or idioms as a writer?

Fluency: Read with Dramatic Expression• You may wish to have students reread the fable with

a partner during independent reading time. Havethem focus on reading with appropriate expression.Ask students to use what they know about Dog andWolf to convey the personality of each character intheir reading. Encourage them to experiment withthe dialogue on pages 19–20.

• Read step 2 with students. Say: In the three fableswe read, one character had a flaw. The othercharacter helped show that flaw. For example, theyoung mouse talked about being brave and doinga heroic deed. The king mouse explained thattaking action and doing something is often muchharder than talking about it. Who could ourcharacters be? Let’s make a list of characters whocould help us communicate our moral. Rememberthat often the characters in a fable are animals.(Allow time for responses. Write down students’ideas on chart paper.)

• Read step 3 with students. Say: Before you’reready to write a fable, you need a setting andplot. “The Dog and the Wolf” took place in aforest and river. This was a perfect setting for theplot. The Wolf was looking for food in differentplaces. When you write your fable, think aboutwhat setting is right for your characters. Whatplot, or actions, will help you act out the moral ofyour fable? Choose one of the morals and someof the characters the class has brainstormed, andwork as a group to construct a possible settingand plot.

Build Comprehension: Make Judgments• Explain:When authors write, they usually makejudgments about their characters. In these fables,Aesop not only made judgments about how hischaracters should act, but also how people ingeneral should and shouldn’t behave. Readersknow this because Aesop ended each fable with amoral, or lesson. As readers, we pay attention tothe judgments an author makes so that we canevaluate whether or not we agree with theauthor’s judgment. Readers can form their ownjudgments about an author’s judgment.

• Model: The moral of “The Dog and the Wolf”is that it is better to be free even if there areproblems and difficulties that go with freedom.Aesop was making a judgment about Wolf andDog’s behavior. Based on the moral, he judgedWolf to be the “better” character because hechose freedom, even though it meant hardship.Once I understand the author’s judgment, I candecide if I have the same judgment. In this case, Ido. When I think about how Dog was chained upevery night, I can’t help but think that Wolf wasbetter off even if he is hungry in the winter.

• Guide Practice: Invite students to work insmall groups to identify the author’s judgmentsabout characters in one of the other fables inthe book. Then challenge them to make theirown judgments about the characters. Do theyagree with the author? Do they have a differentjudgment? Ask each group to share and supporttheir ideas with examples from the fable.

Reread “The Dog and the Wolf”• Place students in groups of three or four based on

their reading levels. Ask students to reread the fablesilently or to whisper-read, and to pay attention tothe annotations.

After ReadingAnalyze the Mentor Text• Read and discuss the mentor annotations with the

whole group.



• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer TakeIt Apart! questions. The answer to a Take It Apart!question is not stated in the book. You must thinklike the author to figure out the answer.

• Model: Read the second Take It Apart! question onthe Comprehension Question Card. Say: Thisquestion says, “The author uses description to tellabout Wolf as winter went on. Find this on page 17.”This question asks me to find words that describeWolf later in the winter. I know because the questionsays, “The author uses description to tell aboutWolf.” What information do you think will help me?(Allow student responses.) Yes, I need to find cluesthat tell about Wolf and show what he did later inthe winter. I need to look on page 17. The text says“Wolf was a sorry sight. He was crying, and howling,and almost starving.” [Bridges: “Wolf was a sorrysight. He cried. He howled. . . . And now he was veryhungry.”] I have found the evidence to support adescription of Wolf in winter.

• Guide Practice: Use the Comprehension Power ToolFlip Chart to develop other Take It Apart! questions.

Analyze the Writer’s Craft• Ask students to turn to page 22. Explain: In the nextfew days, you will have the opportunity to write yourown fable. First, let’s think about how the authorwrote “The Dog and the Wolf.” When she developedthis fable, she followed certain steps. You can followthese same steps to write your own fable.

• Read step 1 with students. Say:When you write yourfable, the first thing you’ll do is decide on a moral, orlesson, that you want to communicate. Let’s turnback to pages 10, 14, and 20, and reread the moralsof the stories we read. Write morals on chart paper.What lesson would you like to teach someone else?For example, I might write a fable to teach peoplethat it’s important to be kind. What other lessonscould we teach? (Allow time for responses. Writedown students’ ideas on chart paper.)

9THREE FABLES FROM AESOPTHREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC8 ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Day 5

FableTown Mouseand CountryMouse

Bellingthe Cat

The Dog andthe Wolf

Character #1 Town Mouse young mouse Dog

Character #2 Country Mouse mouse king Wolf

What isCharacter #1like?

Town Mouse:snobbish; reckless

young mouse:eager; thinkshe’s clever;cowardly

Dog: helpful;accepting; well fed

How isCharacter #2differentfromCharacter#1?

Country Mouse:hard worker;proud; impressedby the food in thecity; cautious

mouse king:concerned;wise; patient

Wolf: playful;enterprising;hungry; sad; valuesfreedom

How doesthe fableend?

Country Mouseruns back to thecountry becausehe doesn’t wantto be chased by acat every night.

The youngmouse decidesto NOT be thebrave mousewho will putthe bell on thecat.

Wolf turns downthe job to huntgame, preferringto be free, even ifhe is hungry.


16 hibernating “They were asleepfor the season intheir burrows orcaves.”[Bridges: “Theyslept in theirburrows or cavesduring winter.”]

sleeping or restingthrough the winter

17 darted “They wentswiftly this wayand that way.”

moved suddenly orrapidly

18 game “He helped hismaster hunt . . .Wolf could trackany animal in theforest.”[Bridges: “Wolfcould find anyanimal in theforest.”]

animals (such as deer orrabbits) that are huntedor taken in hunting

19 accustomed “I am used to it.You will growaccustomed to it,too.”

adapted to existingconditions

Write a Fable• Use this suggested daily schedule to guide students

through the steps of process writing. Allowapproximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As studentswork independently, circulate around the room andmonitor student progress. Conference with individualstudents to discuss their ideas and help them moveforward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencingstrategies, and assessment rubrics in Using GenreModels to Teach Writing for additional support.

• Before students begin planning their fable, pass outcopies of BLM 5 (Fable Checklist). Review thecharacteristics and conventions of writing that willbe assessed. Tell students that they will use thischecklist when they complete their fable drafts.

• This daily plan incorporates the generally acceptedsix traits of writing as they pertain to fables.

Days 6–7: Plan• Ask students to use BLM 6 (Fable Planning Guide) to

brainstorm the moral, characters, setting, and plotfor their fable.

• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of aFable” web on page 3, and to the steps in “TheWriter’s Craft” on pages 22–23 of the book.

• Confer with individual students and focus on theirideas. Did students begin their fable with a moral inmind? Did students support the moral through thecharacter and plot?

Days 8–9: Draft• Tell students they will be using their completed Fable

Planning Guide to begin drafting their fables.• Say: Remember that when writers draft their fables,they focus on getting their ideas on paper. Theycan cross things out. They can make mistakes inspelling. What’s important is to focus on developingyour characters, the setting, and the plot. You willhave an opportunity to make corrections andimprovements later.

• Conference with students as they complete theirdrafts. Use the Fable Checklist to draw students’attention to characteristics of the fable genre thatthey may have overlooked. Focus on how studentshave organized their ideas and the voice of thewriter. Did students introduce characters at thebeginning of the fable? Did they set up a problemand then show a resolution? Does the fable have astrong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?

• Pair students for peer conferencing.

Days 10–11: Edit and Revise• Based on your observations of students’ writing,

select appropriate mini-lessons from Using GenreModels to Teach Writing.

• Remind students to use the Fable Checklist as theyedit and revise their fables independently.

Days 6–15• Conference with students focusing on sentence

fluency, word choice, and conventions. Did studentsinclude both long and short sentences? Do thesentences read smoothly? Have students usedinteresting words and phrases? Did they use examplesof idiom? Did they use appropriate spelling,punctuation, and grammar?

• You may want students to continue their editing andrevision at home.

Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations• Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their

fables.• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with one

or more drawings that depict specific actions in theirfables.

• Conference with students regarding their publishingplans and deadlines.

Days 14–15: Publish and Share• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop theirworks. You have worked very hard. And one of thegreat joys of writing is when you can share it withothers. Authors do this in many ways. They publishtheir books so that people can buy them. They maketheir work available on the Internet. They holdreadings. We can share our writing, too.

• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharingstudents’ work:Make a class display of students’ completed fables.Hold a class reading in which students can read theirfables to one another and/or to parents.Create a binder of all the fables and loan it to thelibrary so that other students can read them.

• Create a binder of all the fables for your classroomlibrary.

THREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC10

Days 6–15

©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLCTHREE FABLES FROM AESOP BLM 1

Name _________________________________________________ Date ___________________

IdiomDirections: Read each sentence. Underline the words that

show an idiom. On the blank line, write themeaning of each idiom.

1. When Mom saw Katie sobbing, she said, “I’m all ears.”

___________________________________________________

2. Mr. Tompkins would need a month of Sundays to finishthe 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

___________________________________________________

3. Those shoes with wheels are all the rage now.

___________________________________________________

4. The new video game system would cost Joeya pretty penny.

___________________________________________________

5. With a book report due and a math test next week,Jamal had a long row to hoe.

___________________________________________________

In the space below, write your own sentence using an idiom.

THREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Analyze Story ElementsName _________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Directions: Use the chart below to analyze story elements.


1.

2.

3.

4.

Name _________________________________________________ Date ___________________

Focus on DescriptionsDirections: Reread each fable. Use context clues to find

descriptions of each word, then write down itsmeaning.


Town Mouseand CountryMouse

7 superior

7 determined

8 delectable

9 squeamish

Bellingthe Cat

12 dreadful

13 sly

13 foe

14 courageous

The Dog andthe Wolf

16 hibernating

17 darted

18 game

19 accustomed

THREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBLM 2 BLM 3

Make Connections Across TextsName _________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Directions: Use the chart to answer the questions below.

FableTown Mouse andCountry Mouse

Belling the CatThe Dog andthe Wolf

Character #1

Character #2

What isCharacter #1like?

How isCharacter #2different fromCharacter #1?

How does thefable end?

1. Which characters in all three fables are alike? How arethese characters alike?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How are the fable endings alike? How are they different?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

THREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBLM 4 THREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBLM 5

Features of the Genre Checklist YES NO

1. My fable is short. � �2. My fable has a strong lead. � �3. My fable has a setting with time and place. � �4. The main characters are animals. � �5. The main character has a flaw. � �6. The other character does not have a flaw. � �7. I tell the problem at the beginning of the fable. � �8. I have 3 to 5 events in my fable. � �9. I have a solution to the problem in the fable. � �10. The character with a flaw learns a lesson. � �11. I state the moral at the end of the fable. � �12. I used figurative language in my story. � �

Quality Writing Checklist YES NO

I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences � �• sentence fragments � �• subject/verb agreement � �• correct verb tense � �• punctuation � �• capitalization � �• spelling � �• indented paragraphs � �

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Fable Checklist

Title _______________________________________________________________________________

Fable Planning Guide

Name _________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own fable.

1. Decide on a moral.

2. Brainstorm characters.

3. Brainstorm setting and plot.

Setting

Problem

Events

Solution

Characters Description,Feelings, Traits Flaw/Asset Examples

Character #1:

_______________

Character #2:

_______________

THREE FABLES FROM AESOP ©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBLM 6

readingobjectives town mouse and country mouse belling the

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