Box, birthday, sister, duck

My ____________ got a yellow ____________ in a ____________ for her ____________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- kitty, brother, birthday

My ____________ got a white ____________ for his ____________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- horse, party

I got a ____________ at my ____________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- hill, grass, house

I let him eat ____________ on the ____________ at my ____________.

----------- A Little Cat Story -----------

Mother, father, home, garden

My ____________ and ____________ have a big ____________ at ____________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cat, garden, morning

One ____________, the ____________ ran in our ____________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- door, time, house, cat

This ________, I opened the ________ and let the ________ come in the ________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- floor, cat, chair

The __________ ran on the clean __________ and jumped up on the __________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- top, cat, table

The __________ jumped on __________ of the __________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- fish, water

He saw my __________ in the __________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- eye, table, feet

I said, "Get your ________ off of the ________. I need to keep an ________ on you." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- bread, cat

I gave the __________ some __________. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cat, way

I said, "Come this __________," and I put the __________ out. Top of Page

"The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts"

The birds and the beasts were preparing to have war against each other. The birds asked the bat to join them. "But I am a beast," said the bat. The beasts asked the bat to join them. "But I am a bird," said the bat. The birds and beasts decided to use conflict resolution skills. There was no fight. All of them were happy and they had parties. The bat tried to join the birds at their party. They pecked at him and made him fly away. The bat tried to join the beasts at their party, but they tried to bite him. He flew away fast. Then he said,

"He that is neither one thing nor the other has no friends."

"The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"Belling the Cat"

All of the mice gathered for a meeting. They needed to find a way to deal with their great enemy, the cat. They talked and talked. Finally, a young mouse said, "I have a great idea! I know all of you will love my idea. The cat is sly and tricky, right?" "Yes!" all of them agreed. "We need to know when she is coming so we can hide, right?" "Yes!" all of them agreed. "Let's tie a bell on the cat! That way, we will always know when she is coming!" said the young mouse. "Yes! Yes!" all of them shouted and clapped. Then an old mouse said, "That sounds good. It is easier said than done. Who will bell the cat?" Everyone was quiet. They shook their heads. Then the old mouse said,

"It is easy to make impossible suggestions."

"Belling the Cat"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"The Belly and the Members"

Some members of the body said, "We do all of the work and the belly gets all of the food!" They decided to go on strike to force the belly to do his fair share of the work. For two days, the legs did not walk to get food; the hands did not pick up any food; the mouth did not open to get food; and the teeth had no work to do. The members began to feel weak. The hands could hardly move. The mouth felt very dry. The teeth hurt. The Legs were not able to hold up the body. They learned that the belly was just as important as the rest of them in his own quiet way.

All members need to work together for the common good.

"The Belly and the Members"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"The Bundle of Sticks"

An old man was about to die. He wanted to be sure his sons remembered an important lesson. He asked each of them to try to break a large bundle of sticks which was tied together. None of them could break it. Then he told them to untie the bundle and try to break each stick separately. They did this easily. He said to remember that their family was like these sticks.

United, we stand. Divided, we fall.

"The Bundle of Sticks"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey"

A man and boy were walking beside their donkey on the way to market. They passed a man who said, "Look dummy, don't you know that donkeys are for riding!" So the man put the boy on the donkey. Soon they passed some men who said, "See that lazy boy! He lets his father walk while he rides!" So the man rode and let the boy walk. Soon they passed two women. One said to the other, "Shame on that lazy man. He makes his poor son walk while he rides!" So the man let the boy ride with him. "That should please everyone," said the man. Soon they passed people in town. One man said, "You should be ashamed of yourself for having two big people ride that poor little donkey!" So the man and boy got off of the donkey. They sat down and talked for a long time about what to do. They decided to tie the donkey's legs to a pole and to carry him. The donkey didn't like this at all. He kicked and brayed. Everyone laughed and jeered at the man and the boy. As they crossed a bridge, the donkey got one leg free. He kicked the boy who dropped his end of the pole. The donkey fell into the river.

You just can't please everyone.

"The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"The Tortoise and the Birds"

The tortoise wanted to live far away in a new land. He knew the eagle could take him there quickly although eagles were enemies of tortoises. He thought he would be safe if he asked a young eagle and if he offered great reward. A young eagle agreed to take him and not to hurt him. They flew near a crow who said, "You have a good meal there." The eagle said, "I don't want to eat him. His shell is too hard." The crow said, "See the rocks far below us. They can break the shell." The young eagle said, "I hadn't thought about that." He dropped the tortoise. The eagle and the crow had a good meal.

Enemies are not to be trusted.

"The Tortoise and the Birds"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

The wolf devised a clever plan for getting his meals. He found a sheep skin and put it over his back. Without the shepherd and his dogs noticing, he walked among the sheep. Each day a sheep or a lamb would follow him away from the herd. He ate many tasty lamb chops before the dogs caught him.

We can be fooled by what we think we see.

"The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"The Wolf and the Lamb"

A wolf noticed a lamb drinking just downstream. He thought she would be an easy supper. If he could trick her, he would not even have to run after her. Then he called out, ""We can drink from the same stream, friend, but you are making my water muddy." The lamb said, "Nay, master wolf. If your water is muddy, I can't be the cause if it. You see, the water goes past you then it comes to me." The wolf changed the subject. He must make the lamb feel bad and helpless. He said, "Why did you call me bad names this time last year?" The lamb said, "That could not have been me. I am only six months old." Then the wolf said, "I don't care. If it was not you, it was your father!" He pounced upon the poor lamb, but the shepherd's dogs arrived in time to save her.

Any excuse will serve a tyrant or a bully.

"The Wolf and the Lamb"

An Aesop's Fable as Told by _________________________________

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Resources: Lesson Plans with Fables from Learning Abilities Books; A Funny Dolch Word Book #2 and A Funny Dolch Word Book #3 This lesson plan may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other rights are reserved. (Lesson plan and fables Copyright 2002 Betsy B. Lee)

"The Fox and the Grapes"

A thirsty fox saw juicy grapes. They were on a vine which was on a high limb. The sun had ripened them nicely. "Those look great!" said the fox. He jumped and jumped to get them. He missed them each time. Then he said, "Forget it! Who wants those lousy grapes. They are likely to be sour anyway."

It is easy to hate what you can't have.

Lesson Plans: for Dolch Sight Word Books

Introduction and Plans for A Funny Dolch Word Book #1: Stories, Poems, Word Searches A Funny Dolch Word Book #2: Stories, Poems, Fables, Word Searches A Funny Dolch Word Book #3: Stories, Fables, Word Searches from Learning Abilities Books   http://www.learningbooks.net    Return to the Dolch Page of the Catalog

Introduction Ninety-five to 100% of the words in each of these stories and poems are Dolch sight words. Goal Build a solid foundation of Dolch sight words by helping students quickly recognize Dolch sight words on cards and in unfamiliar text. Need There is a need to recognize Dolch words "on sight" or instantly in order for reading to flow smoothly and in order to know words which can't be sounded out correctly. Fifty to 75% or more of the words in all children's books are Dolch words. Assessment Free Dolch flash cards and free Dolch fables online can be timed in short pre-training and post-training sessions to note improvements although a more relaxed, informal assessment is recommended. Especially with younger children, test anxiety can interfere with performance. Formal testing considers the word failed if it isn't recognized in 4 seconds. If formal testing is done, it is imperative that the child is not aware of successes and failures during testing. Such awareness can negatively influence the outcome. See the article on Testing (Improve Standardized, Multiple-choice Test Scores). Procedure Print the free Dolch flash cards for each level and for the nouns. Select the words which are introduced in each story from the lists below. If students are beginning readers or struggling readers, use activities in Similarities Differences Training Program (Reading Readiness and Basic Reading Skills) and Creating Short Sentences. Select the flash cards for the words in the first story. Words in each story are listed on this website page and in each book. Give students time to become comfortable with the words using the flash cards slowly. Afterwards, increase the speed. (It is like learning to walk well before trying to run.) Practice the selected group of words by creating short sentences with the flash cards. Let them read aloud the story which introduces the words which have been studied. Before introducing the next story, have them practice the current story until they read it well. If the story has a moral, have students tell about it. Ask comprehension questions about stories and poems. Ask them to compare the situations to things they have seen or done. When you use the two books of fables, remind them that fables were originally created for adults and children. Let them draw a picture about something in the story. Creativity is encouraged by letting them form their own mental images rather than depend on an illustrator's presentation. Encourage them to read with feeling. (This might be after the first or second reading.) Let them be dramatic and silly. Share a few laughs. After success with the first group of words, work on a story which introduces more new words. After children are familiar with the words, reinforce recognition with the word search puzzles in each book and on this website.