Boy Who Cried Wolf
​
Once upon a time, there was a shepherd boy. (Who can tell me what a
shepherd is?) This shepherd boy was responsible (ooh! that’s a big word! what
does it mean to be responsible?) for his entire town’s sheep herd. This shepherd
boy was sitting against an apple tree on a hill, sooo bored as he watched over his
sheep. He was tired of being along and had very little imagination.
He said to himself, “I am soooo bored! What can I do for fun?”
Now, before I go further, let me tell you a bit about this shepherd boy. He
was lazy. He didn’t even want to think of trying to find something to do as he sat.
He could have hummed a merry tune or practiced his multiplication tables. He
could have drawn in the dirt with a stick. Oh, there were so many things this
shepherd boy could have done. But, he was too lazy to even try to think of them!
After several hours, the shepherd boy had what he thought of as a brilliant
plan. Yes, this would be the ticket! This amazing plan would fix his boredom!
The shepherd boy, taking in a huge gasp of air, cried out at the top of his
lungs, “Wolf! Wolf! There is a wolf attacking the sheep!”
The townspeople heard the shepherd boy’s cry and came running.
Heaving for breath and waving their pitchforks, they asked, “Where is this wolf?”
The shepherd boy, now having a ton of fun, rolled on the ground laughing.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! There is no wolf! But, look how silly you all look!”
The townspeople, quite upset, corrected the shepherd boy. “Don’t cry
‘wolf!’ when there is no wolf!,” they warned.
The shepherd boy replied with a chuckle, “Oh go on with ya! It was all in
good fun!”
The townspeople shook their heads and headed back to town.
Well, do you think the shepherd boy learned his lesson? Oh no!
Once again, a few days later, the shepherd boy grew bored. He was too
lazy to think of anything to entertain himself. He remembered his trick on the
townspeople and cried out, “Wolf! Wolf! There’s a wolf chasing the sheep!”
And, once again, the townspeople came running, waving their pitchforks.
The shepherd boy, finding this scene hysterical, again rolled on the ground and
laughed.
The townspeople, furious at this point, declared, “Don’t cry ‘wolf!” when
there is no wolf!”
The shepherd boy continued to roll around the ground as the townspeople
departed for town.
Well, wouldn’t you know but a few days later, the shepherd boy was
watching over the sheep again. And, can you guess what happened? Yes, a real
wolf sprung out of the woods! The sheep scattered this way and that for safety.
The shepherd boy, in a genuine panic, cried out, “Wolf! Wolf! There is a
wolf attacking the sheep!”
He jumped up and began crying even louder, “Wolf! Wolf!”
But, nothing. No townspeople came running, waving pitchforks.
Not knowing what to do, the shepherd boy did the best he could to protect
the sheep and rid the herd of the wolf.
Later that evening, the townspeople began to wonder where the shepherd
boy was. They marched up to the hill to find the shepherd boy frantically trying
to gather the sheep. Troubled by what they saw, they asked, “What ever
happened here today?’
The shepherd boy, plum tuckered out, collapsed against his tree and
accusingly pointed his finger at the crowd, “Why didn’t you come? I cried, ‘Wolf!’
Wolf!’ and none of you came to help! The sheep are scattered throughout the
woods!”
A wise old man, smiling to himself, answered the boy:
“No one believes a liar-even when he is telling the truth!”
Song: ​
The “T-R-U-T-H” (tune of The B-I-B-L-E)
The T-R-U-T-H-, yes truth is the way for me!
I stand firm and I tell the truth,
The T-R-U-T-H!
Fingerplay: ​
Shake Your Sillies Out
Do you think the shepherd boy would have gotten into such trouble
if he would have gotten up and moved? Let’s get our sillies out!
We’re gonna shake, shake, shake our sillies out! (wave hands &
shake body)
Shake, shake, shake our sillies out!
Shake, shake, shake our sillies out!
And wiggle our waggles away! (wiggle)
We’re gonna clap, clap, clap our crazies out! (clap)
Clap, clap, clap our crazies out!
Clap, clap, clap our crazies out!
And wiggle our waggles away! (wiggle)
We’re gonna jump, jump, jump our jiggles out! (jump in place)
Jump, jump, jump our jiggles out!
Jump, jump, jump our jiggles out!
And wiggle our waggles away! (wiggle)
We’re gonna yawn, yawn, yawn our sleepies out! (pretend to yawn!)
Yawn, yawn, yawn our sleepies out!
Yawn, yawn, yawn our sleepies out!
And wiggle our waggles away! (wiggle)
Craft Ideas:
Paper Plate Wolf: paper plate, glue, scissors, hole punch, brown or gray paint
and/or paper, markers
Wolf Puppet: paper bags, glue, scissors, markers or paint
Wolf & Boy Peg Dolls: peg dolls, markers or paint
Wolf Mask: paper plate, glue, scissors, brown or gray construction paper (could
use newspaper!, yarn (or dowel rod)
Wolf Headband: brown or gray paper, scissors, stapler, black marker
Puppets: ​
wolf puppet (see above)
Props: ​
puppet, mask, peg dolls, headband
Extras for Older Students:
1. Awesome printable discussion sheet for grades 3-7 from Scholastic
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=32391
2. Fable sequence sheet (draw or write beginning, middle, end + moral)
3. Emergency Dial 9-1-1 (coloring page-have older students make list on back
of situations to dial 911)
http://scatteredsquirrel.com/2013/01/hmb-important-information/
http://www.havefunteaching.com/worksheets/social-studies-worksheets/people-w
orksheets/911-worksheet-calling-911