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Lexia Reading Core5LEXIA LESSONS

GRADE 2 | Comprehension Compare/Contrast Stories (Supplemental)

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Direct Instruction Today we’ll be reading stories that are very old. They were passed down over time from

storyteller to storyteller before they were written down. The two stories come from different parts of the world, but you’ll see that they are alike in many ways.

Display the first story, the fable “The Milkmaid and Her Pail.” Have students read aloud the title and subtitle. Encourage students to tell what they know of Aesop’s fables. They may be familiar with “The Tortoise and the Hare,” and “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” for example.

A fable is a short story that teaches a lesson. A man named Aesop was a storyteller who was famous for his fables. Aesop lived in ancient Greece more than 2,500 years ago, so these fables are very, very old.

Read the story aloud while students follow along.

After reading, ask questions to draw attention to the central message, key details, and story structure. Questions to ask:

Reread the first paragraph. One detail in that paragraph is that the milkmaid has “a large pail of milk balanced on her head.” Why is that important to the story? (It’s important to know that because she moves her head at the end, and the pail falls down.)

What does the milkmaid imagine as she carries the pail of milk? Use time-order words like first, next, and then to tell about her thoughts. (She imagines what she’ll do with the milk. First, she’ll make cream from it. Next, she’ll make butter. Then she’ll sell the butter and buy eggs. After that, the eggs will hatch into chickens. Next, the chickens will lay more eggs that become chickens. After that, she’ll sell chickens and buy a beautiful dress. Then she’ll go to the fair in her dress and act as if she doesn’t care to know the young men who think she’s so lovely. At last, she’ll toss her head to show how proud she is.)

DescriptionSupplemental Lexia Lessons can be used for whole class, small group or individualized instruction to extend learning and enhance student skill development. This lesson is designed to help students identify likenesses and differences between two similar stories from different cultures. Students learn that folktales and fables are old stories that have been retold many times, and often change in the retelling. Comparing and contrasting two versions of the same story can sensitize students to variations in storytelling and also help them begin to appreciate that big ideas in literature are universal.

Teacher Tips

Students are introduced to each text in this lesson by following along as you read it aloud. Preview the texts to determine if your students are likely to be able to read them to you instead, with some support.

Preparation/Materials

• Copies of the two stories “The Milkmaid and Her Pail” and “The Daydream” (for display and for each student)

• Copies of the compare-contrast graphic organizer (for display and for each student)

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Read the statement of the moral at the end of the story. (“Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.”) What does that mean for the milkmaid? (She shouldn’t imagine getting money by selling chickens because she doesn’t have any chickens yet.)

If someone says to you, “Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched,” what do you think that saying means? (Just because you hope something will happen doesn’t mean that it will happen. It’s better to take one step at a time than to be thinking of the last step. Don’t count on a plan working out, because something might go wrong.)

Display the second story, the folktale, “The Daydream.”

We’ve just read a very old story about a milkmaid whose plans did not work out as she hoped. Now we’ll read another very old story about someone who makes a plan.

Have students read aloud the title and subtitle. Ask students to tell how a daydream is different from the kind of dream people have when sleeping. Then have students use their own words to explain what “a retelling of a tale from India” means.

Read the story aloud while students follow along.

After reading, ask questions to draw attention to the central message, key details, and story structure and to get students thinking about similarities and differences with the previously read fable. Questions to ask:

Reread the first two paragraphs of “The Daydream.” What details there remind you of what happens in “The Milkmaid and Her Pail”? (The worker carries a basket with pots of oil balanced on his head. Like the milkmaid, he's doing a job and balancing something on his head.)

What does the worker daydream about as he carries the pots of oil? Use time-order words like first, next, and then to tell about his thoughts. (He imagines what he’ll do with the copper coins he gets as payment. First, he’ll use one coin to buy food. He’ll use the other to buy chickens. Then he’ll sell the eggs that the chickens lay. After that, he’ll buy goats. After the goats make more goats, he’ll sell some and buy cows. Next, he’ll sell the calves that are born to the cows. After that, he’ll use that money to buy land. Next, he’ll get married and have children. Then, one evening, his children will tell him to wash his hands for dinner. Then, he’ll shake his head to tell them no.)

Reread the first sentence of the last paragraph. (The merchant was laughing too hard to be angry anymore.) Why is the merchant laughing? (The worker’s story made him laugh because it was so silly. The worker was acting as if he really did lose all the things that he never had.)

Are the endings of “The Milkmaid and Her Pail” and “The Daydream” alike or different? (Some students may note that the endings are alike, because in both stories the characters move their heads and drop the items that were going to lead to riches. Some students may note that the endings are different, because “The Daydream” tells what happens after the items fall; the worker tells a funny story that saves him from having to pay the merchant back for the lost oil.)

Guided PracticeDistribute copies of both texts, along with copies of the compare-contrast graphic organizer.

Now that we’ve read the two stories, we can sum up our ideas about how they are alike and different. We’ll write notes in this chart to show our ideas. Let’s start by writing the title of each text above the left and right sections.

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Model filling in the chart with the text titles. Have students write the titles in their own charts. Prompt students to reread in order to compare and contrast the texts. Ask for ideas in complete sentences, and show how to write key words and phrases as notes for students to copy. Suggested prompts follow.

We’ve read two stories that are alike in many ways. What are both stories mainly about? (Characters make big plans that don’t work out.)

What events are alike in both stories? (Characters carry things on their heads. They imagine how the thing they’re carrying will lead them to what they want. They get so caught up in their dreaming that they forget about what’s on their heads. They end up moving their heads and dropping the thing.)

Can you think of other things we should write in the “Both” section? Discuss students’ ideas and reasoning, and add any details that accurately describe both tales.

Now let’s look at the section for “The Milkmaid and Her Pail.” What are some things that are only in this story? (Sample responses: The main character is a milkmaid. She is carrying a pot of milk. She imagines how to turn milk into a beautiful dress. Her dream is to be able to show off in front of young men. The lesson is stated at the end.)

What should we write in the section for “The Daydream?" (Sample responses: The main character is a worker in India. He is carrying pots of oil. He imagines how to turn one copper coin into a happy life with land and a family. He thinks he really has lost all those things. Another character, a merchant, is also in the story.)

Independent ApplicationDisplay this prompt, and read it aloud with students:

Think about the main characters in “The Milkmaid and Her Pail” and “The Daydream.”

• What is one important way that both characters are alike?

• Use details from both stories to support your idea.

• Use complete sentences in your answer to the question.

Encourage students to use their own words to tell what they are being asked to do. Tell them to refer to the chart they just filled out, along with the two stories, to answer the question. Encourage students to answer as completely as they can. They may dictate their sentences or write them. Or you may provide a partly filled-out response for students to complete.

Sample response:

The main characters in “The Milkmaid and Her Pail” and “The Daydream” are alike because both get carried away by their wishes and do something foolish. The milkmaid dreams of changing a pot of milk into a beautiful dress by selling and buying butter, eggs, and chickens. The worker dreams of changing a copper coin into a happy life with land and a family by buying and selling chickens, eggs, goats, cows, and calves. The milkmaid foolishly tosses her head and loses her pot of milk. The worker foolishly shakes his head no and loses his chance to earn coins.

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Wrap-UpCheck students’ understanding.

What is the most important way that “The Milkmaid and Her Pail” and “The Daydream” are alike? (Both stories show characters who get caught up in their daydreaming about what they’ll get and end up losing the chance to get anything.)

Why is it interesting to read more than one version of the same story? Tell students that there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Encourage a variety of responses. (to notice how the stories are alike and different; to learn about the lessons that storytellers teach; to see how a story changes in different lands; to learn about characters from different places)

Use students’ responses to guide your choice of activities in the Adaptations section below.

Adaptations

For Students Who Need More Support

Option 1: Reread “The Milkmaid and Her Pail” together. Start by checking students’ understanding of the work that milkmaids used to do. As you read each paragraph, have students pantomime what the milkmaid is doing. At the end, have students show the milkmaid’s likely expression and explain why it fits the situation.

Option 2: Guide students in rereading both stories to make side-by-side comparisons of the plot. For example, have students underline the sequence of purchases the milkmaid imagines making. Then have them underline the sequence of purchases the worker imagines.

For Students Ready to Move On

Option 1: Assign one small group to look closely at “The Milkmaid and Her Pail.” Assign another small group to look closely at “The Daydream.” Tell them to show the story as a comic strip by dividing it into frames, each frame depicting an important part. Show students the comic-strip conventions of a thought bubble (bubbles rising to a cloud) to show what characters think or say to themselves, and a speech balloon (a tail rising to a balloon) to show a character’s spoken words. Each student may choose one frame to illustrate on a sheet of drawing paper. Then all the sheets may be combined in sequence.

Option 2: Choose another fable or fairy tale that has been retold and reinterpreted multiple times. Guide students to locate two or three picture-book versions in the school or public library. Give each student time to read the books and think about (a) the most important ways the books are alike and (b) the most important differences. Afterward, make a group list of similarities and differences, using students’ observations and suggestions.



Reproducible page 1

The Milkmaid and Her Pail 1

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The Milkmaid and Her Pail

a retelling of Aesop's fable

Onedaylongago,afarmer'sdaughterfinishedherchoreofmilkingthecows.Shewasreturninghomewithalargepailofmilkbalancedonherhead.Thatwasthewaymilkmaidscarriedtheirpailsbackinthosetimes.

Asthemilkmaidwalkedalong,ideasfloatedintohermind."Themilkinthispailwillgivemecream,"shethought."Fromthecream,Iwillmakebutter.ThenI'lltakethebuttertothemarkettosell."

Themilkmaidpicturedherselfsellingthebutteratthevillagemarketplace.Shetoldherself,"AfterI'vesoldthebutter,I'llhaveenoughmoneytobuyeggs.I'llbringhometheeggs, and they'll hatch

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The Milkmaid and Her Pail 2

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intochickens.Thechickenswilllaymoreeggs.SoonI'llhaveayardfilledwithchickens!"

Themilkmaidsmiledhappilyatthethoughtofallthosechickens."I'llsellsomeofthem,"shesaidtoherself."AndwiththemoneyIgetforthem,I'llbuyabeautifuldress."

Themilkmaidimaginedherselfwearingabeautifuldress."I'llgotothefairinmynewdress,"shethought."Andalltheyoungmenwillwonderwhothatlovelygirlis.ButI'llactasifIdon'tcaretoknowthematall.I'lljusttossmyheadandturnaway!"

Themilkmaidwascompletelycaughtupinherthoughts.Sheforgotaboutthepailofmilkshewasbalancing.Assheimaginedtossingherheadproudly,that'sexactlywhatshedid.Shemadeaquickmovewithherhead,andthepailtumbledoff.

Themilkspilledoutandontotheground.Andwiththat,allofthemilkmaid'splanscametoanend.

Themoralofthisfableis,"Donotcountyourchickensbeforetheyarehatched."

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The Daydream

a retelling of a tale from India

Alongtimeago,amerchantwasgoingtomarkettosellpotsofcookingoil.Thepotshadbeenplacedinaflatbasket.Themerchanthiredaworkertohelphim.Theworkerwasayoungman,andhisjobwastocarrythebasket.

Theworkerliftedthebasketandbalanceditonhishead.Walkingtothemarketplace,hebegantodaydream.

The Daydream 1

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"WhenIgettothemarket,themerchantwillpaymetwocoppercoins,"theworkersaidtohimself."I'llbuysomethingtoeatwithonecoin.Butwiththeother,I'llbuychickens.Thechickenswilllayeggs,andsoonI'llhaveeggstosell.Withthatmoney,I'llbuygoats.Andwhenthegoatsmakemoregoats,I'llsellsomeandbuycows.AndthenI'llselltheircalves!"

Theworkerknewwhathewoulddowiththemoneyhemadebysellingcalves.Hewouldbuyland!"I'llplantcropsonmyland,"hethought."AndI'llfindagoodwomantomarry.Andwe'llhavechildren."

Theworkersighedwithhappinessatthethoughtofhiswonderfulfamily."I'llworkhardinthefields,andwhenIcomehomeintheevening,I'llrest."

Theworker'sstepsslowedashepicturedthescene."AndasI'mresting,mychildrenwilltellmeitistimetowashmyhandsfordinner.AndI'llreply,'No,no,notyet,'andshakemyhead."

Andastheworkerthoughtaboutshakinghishead,hereallydidshakehishead.Atonce,thebasketfelltotheground,andallthepotsofoilcrackedlikeeggshells.

Theoilmerchantwasangry.Hespokeharshlytotheworker."YoumustpaymefiftycoppercoinsfortheoilIcannolongersell!"

The Daydream 2

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"ButIhavelostmuchmorethanthat!"theworkercried.

"Howcanthatbe?"askedthesurprisedmerchant.

Theworkertoldthewholestory.Hetoldwhathehadplannedtodowithhispaymentoftwocoppercoins.Hetoldwhythebaskethadfallen.Thenhesaid,"I'velostmychickensandeggsandgoatsandcowsandcalves.I'velostmyland.Andworstofall,Inowhavenofamily!"

Themerchantwaslaughingtoohardtobeangryanymore."Well,we'vebothlostalot,"hesaidtotheworker."Solet'ssaywe'reeven."Andthemerchantandtheworkerneverdidgotothemarketplace.

The Daydream 3

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Documents

Description - lexialearningresources.com · complete sentences, and show how to write key words and phrases as notes for students to copy. Suggested prompts follow. ... to refer to