LESSON 6 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Fox and Crow
by Grace Fahey
Fountas-Pinnell Level I
Fable
Selection Summary
Fox tricks Crow into dropping the cheese she has in her beak by
admiring her and asking her to sing. When crow begins to sing, she
drops the cheese. Too late, she realizes that Fox did not admire her
voice but just wanted her cheese.
Number of Words: 333
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Fable
• Narrative with multiple episodes and little repetition of similar episodes
• Plot proceeds in sequence to the end, with problem presented on second page of story:
Fox wanted Crow’s cheese.
• Using flattery to achieve a goal
• Animal names and typical behaviors: tricky Fox, Crow caws but can’t sing.
• Animals behave and talk like people but do not wear clothing.
• Moral lesson: Don’t trust those who flatter you lest they take advantage of you.
• Predictable characters
• Some largely repetitive language: Crow said nothing. Crow still said nothing. Crow smiled
but still said nothing.
• Text presents two points of view: Fox’s and Crow’s.
• Some long sentences (more than 10 words)
• Sentences with embedded clauses and phrases, and use of commas to set words
• Some split dialogue, all assigned: “Maybe you can’t hear me, Crow,” said Fox. “Maybe I
am too far away. I will come closer.”
• Wide variety of words to assign dialogue: called, said, thought, added, screeched
• Wide range of high-frequency words: high, food, ground, down, her, call, would
• Many words with inflectional ending –ed: dropped, wanted, decided, tried, smiled
• Illustrations support interpretation of Fox’s motives.
• The beginning of each paragraph is indented.
• Many sentences carry over two or three lines.
• Punctuation: commas, periods, exclamation points, question mark, quotation marks
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Fox and Crow
by Grace Fahey
Build Background
Read the title and author to children and talk with them about what the fox and crow are
doing in the cover illustration. Ask them why they think the fox is looking at the crow.
Encourage children to use their knowledge of foxes and crows to think about the story. To
prepare for reading, ask: How do foxes often act in stories? What might this fox do?
Introduce the Text
Guide children through the text, noting important ideas and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary. Here are some suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that in this story, Crow has something that Fox wants, and that Fox
will have to solve this problem.
Suggested language: Turn to page 2 and look at the illustration. What do you think
Crow is looking for?
Page 3: Remind children that they can use information in the pictures to help them
read. Now turn to page 3 and look at the picture. What does Crow have in her
beak? The author says: Fox was very hungry and very tricky. What does it mean to
be tricky? What do you think Fox will try to do?
Pages 4–5: Draw attention to the illustration on these two pages. Look at the
picture. Remember that Fox is tricky. The author writes: “Hello, Crow,” called Fox.
Crow said nothing. Say the word nothing. What letter would you expect to see first
in the word nothing? Find the word nothing and put your finger under it. Why do
you think Fox wants Crow to speak?
Pages 6–7: Look at this picture. Now the author writes: Fox said, “I admire the
beauty of your feathers and your tail.” Why do you think Fox is saying such nice
things to Crow? Do you think Fox really thinks that Crow’s feathers and tail are
beautiful? What do you think he is trying to get Crow to do?
Now go back to the beginning and read to find out if—and how—Fox solves his
problem.
Learn More Words
admire
Grade 1
beauty
2
Lesson 6: Fox and Crow
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Read
As children read, observe them carefully. Guide them as needed, using language that
supports their problem solving ability.
Respond to the Text
Personal Response
Ask children to share their personal responses to the story. Begin by asking what they
liked best about the story, or what they found most interesting.
Suggested language: Do you think Fox solved his problem in a funny way? Give examples
from the story to explain your thinking.
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, make sure children understand these teaching points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• Fox wanted Crow’s cheese.
• Don’t trust people who flatter
you, in case they are just trying
to take advantage of you or get
something that you have.
• The writer shows what the
characters are like by what they
do; for example, Fox is tricky,
because he tries new ways—
such as flattery—to get Crow to
drop the cheese.
• Fox was tricky, so he said
different things to her to try to
make her open her beak so she
would drop the cheese.
• Crow said nothing until Fox
admired her, and when she
opened her beak to sing, she
dropped the cheese.
• Fox solves his problem when he
tricks Crow into singing and she
drops the cheese.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Support
Fluency
Invite children to choose a passage from the text to present as a Readers’ Theater. Remind
them to notice and use punctuation to assist in identifying phrase units and sentence
structure.
Phonics and Word Work
Provide practice as needed with words and sounds, using one of the following activities:
• Word Endings Game Materials: index cards. Write these action words on index cards:
look, drop, grab, want, call, talk, smile, add, ask, start, screech. Give children a card,
and have them write two new words by adding the endings –ed and –ing to the word
on their card. Remind them to make spelling changes as needed, such as doubling the
final consonant before adding the ending.
• Build Words with –all Materials: index cards with –all. Give children a card and see
how many words they can write on it that end with –all.
Grade 1
3
Lesson 6: Fox and Crow
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Writing About Reading
Critical Thinking
Read the directions for children on BLM 6.8 and guide them in answering the questions.
Responding
Read aloud the questions at the back of the book and help children complete the activities.
Target Comprehension Skill
Understanding Characters
Tell children that they can understand
characters by thinking about what the characters say and do. Children can use these
details to understand what story characters are like. Model how to use details to
understand characters:
Think Aloud
I can understand what Fox is like by thinking about what he does and
what he says. When Fox tried something new and said, “Crow, you are
very pretty! I have never seen a more beautiful crow!” I understood that
Fox was very tricky. I understood that Fox would keep trying to get Crow
to speak so she would drop the cheese and Fox could get it.
Practice the Skill
Have children write two sentences to explain how something Crow said and did helped
them to understand what Crow was like.
Writing Prompt
Read aloud the following prompt. Have children draw and write their response, using the
writing prompt on page 6.
What lesson did Crow learn? Write a paragraph. Tell what Crow learned. Use details from
the book in your answer.
Grade 1
4
Lesson 6: Fox and Crow
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English Language Learners
Reading Support Give English learners a “preview” of the text by holding a brief
small-group discussion with them before reading the text with the entire group.
Oral Language Development
Check the children’s comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches their
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the child.
Beginning/ Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: Point to what Crow has in
her beak.
Speaker 1: What does Crow have in her
beak?
Speaker 1: Why did Fox want
Crow’s cheese?
Speaker 2: [Points to the cheese.]
Speaker 2: cheese
Speaker 2: Fox was very hungry.
Speaker 1: What does Fox want?
Speaker 1: What does Fox want?
Speaker 2: the cheese
Speaker 2: Fox wants the cheese.
Speaker 1: Why did Fox call out
to Crow?
Speaker 1: Does Crow talk to Fox when
he calls, “Hello, Crow”?
Speaker 1: What does Fox think Crow
will do is she calls back to him?
Speaker 2: no
Speaker 2: Crow will drop the cheese.
Speaker 2: He thought she would
call back. Then the cheese would
fall from her beak, and Fox would
eat it.
Lesson 6
BLACKLINE MASTER 6.8
Name
Think About It
Fox and Crow
Think About It
Write the word that completes each
sentence.
trick
1. Fox wants to
trick
help
Crow.
hurt
2. Crow learns not to trust what Fox
says
does
.
eats
says
Making Connections Think about another story
about a clever animal. Draw a picture of the
animal. Label your picture.
Read directions to children.
Think About It
10
Grade 1, Unit 2: Sharing Time
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Grade 1
5
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Lesson 6: Fox and Crow
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Name
Date
Fox and Crow
What lesson did Crow learn? Write a
paragraph. Tell what Crow learned. Use details
from the book in your answer.
Grade 1
6
Lesson 6: Fox and Crow
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Lesson 6
BLACKLINE MASTER 6.8
Name
Think About It
Fox and Crow
Think About It
Write the word that completes each
sentence.
Crow.
1. Fox wants to
trick
help
hurt
2. Crow learns not to trust what Fox
.
does
eats
says
Making Connections Think about another story
about a clever animal. Draw a picture of the
animal. Label your picture.
Grade 1
7
Lesson 6: Fox and Crow
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Student
Lesson 6
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 6.13
Fox and Crow • LEVEL I
page
8
Fox and Crow
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Self-Correction
Rate
Fox added, “Would you sing
for me? I would love to hear your
pretty voice!”
No one had ever asked Crow
to sing before. She felt happy and
proud. So she opened her mouth
and started a loud song.
9
“CAW! CAW!” she screeched.
When Crow began to sing,
the cheese fell from her beak.
That was just what Fox had been
waiting for! Fox grabbed the
cheese and ran away.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/70 × 100)
(# errors + #
Self-Corrections/
Self-Corrections)
%
1:
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 1
Behavior
Error
0
0
1
8
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
Word told
T
cat
cat

Error
1413306
Behavior
1
Lesson 6: Fox and Crow
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