Theme

Read the following fable by Aesop.

The Fox and the Stork

There once was a clever fox who loved playing tricks. He invited his friend the stork over for dinner one day. When dinner was served, the poor bird saw that the meal was soup served in a flat dish. Try as she might, the stork could not drink the soup with her long, thin beak.

"I'm sorry you aren't enjoying the dinner," the fox said, laughing to himself over his trick.

"Oh, it's no problem at all," the stork said, acting very polite. "You must join me for dinner next time."

Soon the stork invited the fox to her house for dinner. The fox had worked hard all day and was very hungry. But when the stork brought out the food, the fox got a surprise. The dinner was served in tall, narrow jars. With her long beak, the stork had no trouble gobbling up the tasty food. The fox's mouth did not fit in the jar, so he went home hungry.

What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?

• Even though people are different, they can still be friends.

• Expect others to treat you the way you treat them.

• Storks cannot drink from flat dishes.

• Working all day makes you hungry.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following fable by Aesop.

Why the Bat Flies at Night

Once upon a time, there was a war between the animals of the air and the animals of the land. The eagle would hunt and eat the rabbit. The owl was never safe from the fox.

The bat had wings like the flying animals, but it had teeth like the land animals. Unsure which side to join, the bat joined whichever side was winning. When the air animals were ahead, the bat fought along with the air animals. When the land animals won a battle, the bat joined them.

After many years, both sides decided to end the war. There was peace across the earth. But the animals could not forget what the bat had done. Both the air animals and the land animals felt tricked by the bat. They decided to drive the bat away.

And that is why the bat hides away during the day and goes out only at night.

What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?

• Bats are tricky creatures.

• People shouldn't go to war to settle differences.

• Eagles hunt and eat rabbits.

• People who aren't true to their friends will end up with no one.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.1

CCSS.RI.4.2

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following myth from the Yoruba people of West Africa.

Eshu's Hat

The god Eshu, who loved to play tricks, walked down the main road in a small village. He wore a hat that was red on one side and white on the other.

Two friends stood on opposite sides of the road. One saw the red side of the hat. The other saw the white side. Later, the two friends talked about the strange man in the hat.

"The hat was red," said the first friend.

"No, you are wrong. The hat was white," said the second friend.

"Do you think I'm lying?" asked the first friend. "The hat was as red as blood!"

"Do you think I'm blind?" cried the second friend. "The hat was as white as milk!"

The friends got into a fight, both believing they were right.

The tricky Eshu had been watching them. Laughing, he went up to the angry friends.

"Look, you fools!" he said. "My hat is red on one side and white on the other."

What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?

• You may lose friends if you lie to them.

• People can see things differently and both be right.

• Eshu tricked the two friends.

• Hats can be more than one color.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following Filipino folktale.

The Man with the Coconuts

One day a man gathered dozens of coconuts to sell in the village. He loaded all the coconuts onto his horse. On his way, he met a boy.

"How long do you think it will take for me to reach the village?" the man asked the boy.

The boy looked at the huge pile of coconuts packed on the horse.

"If you go slowly, you will arrive very soon," the boy said. "But if you go quickly, it will take you all day long."

"This boy doesn't make sense!" the man thought to himself. "I shouldn't listen to him."

The man hurried his horse along. Soon, though, the coconuts fell off the horse. The man had to stop and pick them up again.

He wanted to make up for lost time, so he made his horse go even faster. The coconuts fell off again, and once more the man had to gather them. It was late at night before he reached the village.

What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?

• The boy was too late when he arrived at the village.

• If you are lazy and waste time, you might not get to where you need to go.

• The boy packed the coconuts onto the horse.

• Sometimes rushing can make a task take longer than it needs to.

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CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following Greek myth.

Echo and Narcissus

Long ago there lived a handsome man named Narcissus who loved only himself. Echo, a goddess of the mountains, fell in love with him. She followed him everywhere, but he acted coldly and cruelly toward her. She was so sad that she faded away until nothing was left of her but her voice.

Soon after, Narcissus was out taking a walk in the forest. Thirsty, he decided to stop for a drink from a pool. As he leaned down to scoop up the cold water in his hands, he saw himself in the water. The face he saw was so beautiful that he fell in love with it. He could not look away, so he sat and stared at himself in the water. He could not bear to leave, not even to eat or drink.

For the rest of his life, Narcissus never left the pool.

What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?

• Being handsome is not always a good thing.

• Don't think too much of yourself.

• Narcissus was thirsty when he drank from the pool.

• Narcissus was punished for being cruel.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following Chinese folktale.

Lisheng and the Fox

Long ago in China there lived a man named Lisheng. He had just gotten married and wanted to please his new wife. More than anything, she wanted a coat made of fox fur. She asked Lisheng to buy her one, but the coat cost too much.

Lisheng came up with a plan. He would find a fox and make the coat himself. So he waited in the woods until a fox approached, and he grabbed it by the tail.

"My wife wants a fox coat. Could you give me your fur?" Lisheng said.

The fox replied, "I'll make a deal with you. Let go of my tail, and I'll take off my fur and give it to you."

Lisheng did as the fox asked, but the fox ran away, laughing. Lisheng had been tricked, and his wife never got a fox fur coat.

What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?

• Don't trust someone who has a good reason to lie to you.

• If you are kind to others, you will get what you want in the end.

• Lisheng shouldn't have grabbed the fox by its tail.

• Fox fur can be used to make a warm coat.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following Danish fairy tale.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Long ago there lived an emperor who loved to be admired.

One day two strangers came to town. They told the emperor they could make the most beautiful cloth in the world. The catch was that only wise people could see it. "Perfect," said the emperor. "This will show me who in my country is a fool."

The men pretended to work day and night weaving the cloth. Then they measured the emperor carefully for a new suit of clothes.

At last the weavers presented the emperor with his finished suit. He saw nothing but air. "Oh no," he thought. "Does this mean I am a fool?" He was too proud to let anyone know he couldn't see the cloth, so he pretended it was beautiful. He made plans to parade through town showing off his new suit.

By then the townspeople had heard that only wise people could see the clothing. As the emperor's coach moved through town, townspeople lined up to see him. They saw a man in his underwear, but no one wanted to say so.

Suddenly, a small child pointed and said, "The emperor has no clothes!" Soon the whole crowd began to laugh and shout, "The emperor has no clothes!"

What is the main theme or lesson of the fairy tale?

• If you pretend to be smarter than you are, you may end up looking foolish.

• Nobody wanted to tell the king the truth.

• You shouldn't brag about new clothing.

• Only wise people can tell what clothing is truly beautiful.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following legend from the Squamish people of Canada.

The Story of Wountie

One day a man went to the river to fish. He saw many fish in the river and hoped to catch enough to last through the winter. He thanked the spirits of the fish for feeding his family and cast his net into the river. When he pulled out the net, it was filled with enough fish for the year. He packed the fish in baskets.

The man was about to leave but then decided to try again. He cast his net into the river and waited. When he took it out, it was again filled with fish. He could not believe his luck.

"Why not try it one more time?" he thought. He cast the net into the river a third time. This time, though, when he took out the net, it was not filled with fish. It was filled with sticks and was torn to pieces. The fish he had packed away into baskets on shore also had turned into sticks.

The man looked up and saw Wountie, the spirit that protects the river. Wountie said, "You have broken the trust of the river. The river provides fish for everyone."

The fisherman went home to his family without any fish.

What is the main theme or lesson of the legend?

• If you have no luck at first, keep trying.

• Do not take more than you need.

• Wountie punished the man for taking the fish.

• You need to catch as many fish as you can before winter.

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CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following fable by Aesop.

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Once upon a time, there was a very hungry wolf. He liked nothing more than to feast on a nice, tasty sheep. But the wolf could never get to the sheep because the shepherd was always watching the flock.

One day the wolf saw a sheepskin lying near the field where the shepherd kept the sheep. This gave him an idea. He put on the sheepskin and walked into the field. The shepherd did not notice the wolf dressed up like a sheep. The wolf was able to lead a lamb away from the flock and eat it for dinner.

The next day the wolf went back for another meal. He put on the sheepskin and joined the flock. But the wolf was not the only one hungry this time. The shepherd was planning his dinner and needed a sheep for a stew. So he picked up his knife and went into the flock. The first sheep he came across was really the wolf, who ended up in the shepherd's pot that night.

What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?

• If you lie, people will stop trusting you.

• Being clever will get you what you want.

• Tricking others will only hurt you in the end.

• If you don't watch out, wolves will eat your sheep.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.1

CCSS.RL.4.2

Read the following folktale from the San people of southern Africa.

The Monkey's Fiddle

One day Uncle Orangutan gave Monkey two gifts: a fiddle and a bow and arrow. "This bow and arrow will make you a great hunter," Orangutan said. "With this fiddle, you can make anyone dance." Monkey thanked his uncle but wondered what use the fiddle would be.

Later, Monkey ran into Wolf, who had been hunting a deer. "I'll help you hunt with my bow and arrow," said Monkey. When they spotted the deer, Monkey aimed his arrow and hit the deer. Then Wolf wanted the bow and arrow for himself, so he tried to grab it.

Just then Jackal arrived. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Monkey stole my bow and arrow," Wolf lied.

"That's not true," said Monkey. "It's mine."

"Let's let the other animals decide," Jackal said. Monkey and Wolf each told the other animals his side. The animals decided Monkey was the thief and would be punished.

Monkey remembered his new fiddle. "May I play first?" he asked.

As he played, the other animals danced. He kept playing, and they kept dancing. They grew tired. "Please stop!" they cried. But Monkey would not stop playing until Wolf told the truth.

Finally, Wolf said, "I stole it!"

Monkey walked away with his two gifts.

What is the main theme or lesson of the folktale?

• You may not understand the true worth of something right away.

• If someone gives you a gift, they usually expect something in return

• Wolf tried to steal Monkey's bow and arrow.

• Monkey walked away with two gifts.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.2