1. pets
2. birds

Name ______________________________
Sayings We Share: Proverbs and Fables
Compiled By Norma Tong Lee
Illustrated by Krystyna Stasiak
Prediction
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Author’s Purpose
inform
persuade
entertain
Sayings We Share
Focus Skills:
•To identify the problem/conflict and its resolution in
a story
•To read and understand proverbs and fables
•To use object pronouns correctly
Genre
Fables- short stories that teach a lesson
Proverbs- sayings that give advice or teach a lesson
Summary
The sayings and fables in this selection represent oral
traditions from Vietnam, Africa, ancient Greece, the
United States and elsewhere. The wisdom found in
this literature has survived generations, contributing to
the growth and survival of cultures all over the world.
Similar messages are found throughout despite their
place of origination.
Reading Strategy
Make and Confirm Predictions
Good readers use story clues and what they know to
make predictions. Then they read on to see if their
predictions are correct.
Page
Compare and contrast the first pair of proverbs.
392
Working persistently,
ants can fill the nest with
food.
One beaver can fell a
hundred trees.
What pair of sayings have the same message as the
saying, “Choose your friends wisely”?
Why do proverbs talk about ants and
beavers instead of just saying “If you
work long and hard you will get a lot
done”?
Page
394
Which Vietnamese proverb on pages 392-393 has almost
the same message as “He who lies down with dogs shall
rise up with fleas”?
Which two proverbs have almost the same meaning as the
proverb “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do
today?
What is the meaning of
“A penny saved is a
penny earned”?
Choose a
proverb from this
selection and tell
how someone
might use its
wisdom.
Page
What advice would you give to the hare if he has
to run another race?
396
What is one
situation in
real life that
is like the
one in the
story.
Page
398
How do the animals act when the rooster crows
loud enough to bring the sun up?
Why isn’t the rooster sad about the farm
animals’ complaining?
Page
400
What
message
is the
author
trying to
get
across?
Page
402
Give an example of how you could use
this moral in your life.
Think and Respond
1.
How are the proverbs and fables in this selection alike?
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2.
Why is it important to read the headings and titles on these
pages?
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3.
Which of the proverbs or fables do you think teaches the
most important lesson. Explain
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4.
Say this moral in your own words: Working persistently,
ants can fill the nest with food.
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Use the graphic organizer to answer the following questions.
1.
According to this selection, who do you learn
much about life from?
2.
What is another name for common sayings?
3.
What are oral traditions?
4.
Proverbs from around the world may use different
words. What is the same about these proverbs?
5.
What is the American saying that is similar to the
Vietnamese proverb Even with two hands, one
cannot catch two fish at one time.
6.
What is the moral of a story?
7.
What does the rooster teach us?
8.
What does the proverb He who lays down with
dogs shall rise up with fleas mean?
9.
Why does the lazy mouse go hungry?
10. What fable is “slow and steady wins the race” the
moral for?
11. When were Aesop’s fables written?
12. What type of story is this selection most like?
13. How are fables and proverbs alike?
14. How are the dog and the wolf in the French fable
different?