The Ant and the Cricket

The Ant and the Cricket Adapted from Aesop
1.
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter had come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh! What will become,” says the cricket, ”of me?”
2.
At last, by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold,
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
3.
Says the ant to the cricket, “I’m your servant and friend,
But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend.
But tell me, dear cricket, did you lay nothing by
When the weather was warm?” Quoth the cricket, “Not I!
My heart was so light
That I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
“You sang, sir, you say?
Go then,” says the ant, “and dance winter away!”
4.
Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,
And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.
Folks call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true:
Some crickets have four legs, and some have but two.
Aesop was a Greek storyteller who lived around 550 BCE (Before the Common Era).

[The term BC is short for "Before Christ". Historical dates before the birth of Christ become smaller as they approach the theoretical but non-existent Year Zero. Historical dates after the birth of Christ are classified as AD, short for the Latin phrase Anno Domini, or "in the year of our Lord". Contrary to popular belief, AD does not stand for "After Death". Modern scholars believe the actual birth of Christ would fall around 7 to 4 BC, which renders the actual year of 1 AD relatively meaningless historically.
The Gregorian solar calendar that counts days as the basic unit of time, grouping them into years of 365 or 366 days. It is also divided into twelve months of irregular length.]

He told fables. Fables are talking-animal stories that usually end with a moral. These life lessons help us think about life’s problems and how we can face them.

Verse 1 Make a check____usage __________________tense _______
NOUNS singular/plural subject/object verb present/past infinitive

1. a cricket √ √ began √ to begin
2. months √ √
3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________

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11. ____________________________________________________________________










Verse 2 Make a check____usage __________________tense _______
NOUNS singular/plural subject/object verb present/past infinitive

1. ____________________________________________________________________

2..__________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________

10. ____________________________________________________________________

11. ____________________________________________________________________

12. ____________________________________________________________________

13. ____________________________________________________________________

Verse 3 Make a check____usage __________________tense _______
NOUNS singular/plural subject/object verb present/past infinitive

1. ____________________________________________________________________

2..__________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________

10. ____________________________________________________________________

11. ____________________________________________________________________

12. ____________________________________________________________________
Verse 4 Make a check____usage __________________tense _______
NOUNS singular/plural subject/object verb present/past infinitive

1. ____________________________________________________________________

2..__________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________


Verse 1 Verse 2
Infinitives
1. 4.
2. 5.
3. 6.

Verse 1 subject verb object (of verb) (of prep) (of infinitive) possessive
PRONOUNS
1. he √ found
2. His √
3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________
Verse 2 subject verb object (of verb) (of prep) (of infinitive) possessive
PRONOUNS

1. ____________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5, ____________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________

7.____________________________________________________________________
Verse 3 subject verb object (of verb) (of prep) (of infinitive) possessive
PRONOUNS
1. ____________________________________________________________________

2..__________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________
Verse 4 subject verb object (of verb) (of prep) (of infinitive) possessive
PRONOUNS
1. ____________________________________________________________________

2..__________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________




descriptive ADJECTIVES tell about nouns
Verse 1
1. a silly young cricket
2. ____________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5, ____________________________________________________________________
descriptive ADJECTIVES tell about nouns
Verse 2
1. ____________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________
descriptive ADJECTIVES tell about nouns
Verse 3
1. ____________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________
descriptive ADJECTIVES tell about nouns
Verse 4
1. ____________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________











Some rhymes are perfect rhymes, like sing and spring.
Others are “almost rhymes” like home and come.

What are the rhymes in each of the verses of this story-poem?
VERSE 1
1. food rhymes with _____________
2. see rhymes with _____________ and __________________


VERSE 2
1. bold rhymes with _____________
2. ant rhymes with _____________
3. rain rhymes with _____________
4. borrow rhymes with _____________ and ___________________

VERSE 3
1. friend rhymes with _____________
2. by rhymes with _____________
3. light rhymes with _____________
4. gay rhymes with _____________ and ___________________

VERSE 4
1. wicket rhymes with _____________
2. true rhymes with _____________


Work with a partner to rewrite the story in simple sentences, verse by vers.e
VERSE 1
___________________________________________________________________


VERSE 21
.___________________________________________________________________


VERSE 3
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VERSE 4
.___________________________________________________________________



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