These go great with the Lessons in Primary Language Lessons Part 1 & 2. Expand the lesson by having the student narrate written and oral, copy a snippet of the fable, think about the moral, draw or color and learn a bit about Aesop himself.

Aesop fables have been used for centuries to teach morals to children. They are short and to the point, so they make great pieces for narration in the younger grades.

Aesop Fable Sample

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection/ The Greedy Dog

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection Aesop Fable

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection Fable

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Questions

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Narration

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Narration

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection Aesop - Extra Sheet

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Vocabulary

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Copywork

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Drawing

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Notebooking Page

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Notebooking Page

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Notebooking Page

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Coloring Page

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - Coloring Page

‹

›

The Dog and His Reflection - About Aesop

Aesop Fables For Part 1 of Primary Language Lessons

These Aesop Fables go with Lessons 10, 17, 34-35, 60, 69, and 81.

Aesop Fable - The Dog in the Manger

The Dog in the Manger An Aesop fable teaching on selfishness.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Lion and the Fox

The Lion and the Fox An Aesop fable teaching on learning from others mistakes.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Cat and the Mice

The Cat and the Mice An Aesop fable teaching on learning from others mistakes.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Dog and His Reflection

The Dog and His Reflection An Aesop Fable teaching about greed.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Wind and the Sun

The Wind and the Sun An Aesop Fable teaching about being kind versus being harsh.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Fox and the Crow

The Fox and the Crow An Aesop Fable teaching on flattery.

Price: $2.00

Buy Them All For PLL Part 1 at 20% Off

Aesop Fables For Primary Language Lessons Part 1

Aesop Fables for PLL Part 1 20% off the individual prices

Price: $12.00

Price: $9.60

Aesop Fables For Part 2 of Primary Language Lessons

These Aesop Fables go with Lessons 11, 28, 40-41, and 48.

Aesop Fable - The Lion and the Mouse

The Lion and the Mouse An Aesop Fable on kindness.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Fox and The Grapes

The Fox and the Grapes Fable with copywork, vocabulary, etc.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Hare and the Tortoise

The Hare and the Tortoise An Aesop Fable on slow and ready wins the race.

Price: $2.00

Aesop Fable - The Fox and the Stork

The Fox and the Stork An Aesop Fable on treating others how you would want to be treated.

Price: $2.00

Buy Them All For PLL Part 2 at 20% Off

Aesop Fables For Primary Language Lessons Part 2

Aesop Fables for PLL Part 2 20% off the individual prices

Price: $8.00

Price: $6.40

Aesop Fables Bundle For Part 1 & 2 of Primary Language Lessons

Buy Both Sets For 25% Off

Aesop Fables Bundle

Aesop Fables Bundle All ten fables at 25% off.

Price: $20.00

Price: $15.00

Assignment:

• Read the selection with the student a few times.
• Then read it line by line and have the student write it down as you read.
• After they have finished, let them correct their work using their book. They can make the corrections on the same page or you can have them rewrite only the areas that need correcting.
• Go over and explain the corrections.

As Copywork:

• You can also have the student copy the selection instead of dictating it depending on their abilities.
• The next day, they then can write it from dictation.
• Continue as above with corrections.

Note: This lesson is also teaching that the first word in every sentence begins with a capital letter.

Resources:
Cloud Notebooking - Ruled (19)
Cloud Notebooking - Primary (20)
 

 
Simple Schooling All About Clouds is the perfect unit study for your 5-9 year old.

It includes many full color photos which illustrate the different types of clouds as well as a simple introduction to the water cycle and cloud formation.

 
A Little Science:

Cloud in a Bottle Experiment

Assignment:

• Copy the sentences and fill in the blanks referring to Lesson 7.

Assignment:

• Memorize the selection.
• Break up the selection into sections for easier memorizing.
• Continue with the next lessons as the student memorizes the poem.
• Go over what kind of letter I is always written.

Resources:
Robin Notebooking Page - Ruled Lines (35)
Robin Notebooking Page - Primary Lines (30)
American Robin Information (28)

Websites:
American Robin Migration Tracking – This website tracks the Robin’s migration from January to May. There is a lot of information on this website.

American Robin – Includes labeled coloring, coloring, mazes, and a toilet paper craft.

Color A Robin Online – You can print black and white or color the bird on the computer and then print. Scroll down to the Robin.

Photos of Robins – Some really nice pictures and information on Robins.

AMERICAN ROBIN

Male—Olive-gray above; head black; throat white streaked with black; bill yellow; feet dark; breast and under parts chestnut-brown; rump light; wings dark brown margined with lighter color; tail black with outer feathers tipped with white.

Female, similar but of a little lighter color.

The young have breast and under parts spotted with black.

Length, ten inches.

The Robin is one of the tamest and friendliest of birds, coming even into the heart of cities and towns in perfect confidence. Everybody loves him. We have fallen into the habit of calling him Robin Redbreast, but that name does not correctly describe him, for his breast is chestnut-brown. The true Redbreast is the Robin of England, a bird which is a third smaller than ours.

Robins are hardy birds and endure very cold weather. Some which have wintered no farther south than Virginia hurry north too early in March and often meet heavy snow storms. At such times they take refuge in barns and thick woods where, if the storm lasts very long, many starve to death. A moderate snow storm does not worry these harbingers of spring, for they can live two or three days on very little food. They are slow in leaving for the Southern States in the fall, often lingering until Thanksgiving time before the last of them depart from this vicinity.

The nest, made of mud and held together with dry grass, is usually located in a tree, from ten to thirty feet above the ground. Beams and ledges in open buildings and porches are sometimes selected as sites for nesting. The nest is about an inch in thickness and always well supported. The work of building it is shared by both birds whose union day of labor is sixteen hours long. The nest building is quickly done under such circumstances. The eggs, three to five, are greenish-blue, 1.00 x .80 inches.

The foundations of a nest were laid on the fire escape of the author’s school on Thursday morning, and on the following Monday, it was not only completed but it contained two eggs. Two more eggs were laid on the two following days. Then for the next fourteen days the patient female brooded her eggs. During twenty days after that both birds hurried back and forth several times an hour between that nest and nearby gardens bringing unnumbered worms to their babies. The nest building, the hatching and the feeding were done in the presence of hundreds of children who looked down daily into the nest. When at last, during an intermission, the parent birds coaxed their family to fly to the nearest tree, a thousand throats cheered the young travelers and bade them good-bye.

Possibly the Robins may take a ripe cherry or two from the farmer’s trees, but they more than repay the owner by the destruction of many noxious worms and insects. As you watch the old birds bringing food to their children, you wonder where they stow away all of it. Their little mouths are always open at the approach of either parent and their cry for more is almost constant. By a careful test made with a Robin when it was six weeks old, it was found to eat one and two-fifths times its own weight of earth-worms in a day.

In cities and towns as well as in the country, the worst enemies of the Robins are not bad boys but cats which climb the trees and get the little ones or watch and wait until they leave the nest and come to the ground. Then they catch and eat them. If Robins did not raise two broods of young a year, the cats would soon greatly reduce their numbers if they did not destroy the species.

A Robin’s Nest:

A robin builds its nest out of large spears of grass and lines it first with mud and then with soft grass.

How does the robin make the inside of the nest smooth before the soft grass is added? You can find out by watching a robin build a nest in spring.

In what part of a tree does a robin build its nest? Look at several robins’ nests and see if they are built equally well.

Have you ever heard the robins sing at daybreak? They are among the first of the birds to waken, and they sing in a loud chorus as if to call the rest.

Assignment:

• Read the selection with the student a few times.
• Then read it line by line and have the student write it down as you read.
• After they have finished, let them correct their work using their book. They can make the corrections on the same page or you can have them rewrite only the areas that need correcting.
• Go over and explain the corrections.

As Copywork:

• You can also have the student copy the selection instead of dictating it depending on their abilities.
• The next day, they then can write it from dictation.
• Continue as above with corrections.

Resources:
Moon Notebooking Page - Ruled Lines (62)
Moon Notebooking Page - Primary Lines (49)

Below is some information on squirrels that can be used with Lesson 1 and Lesson 2.

Downloads to use with lessons 1 and 2.
Squirrel Information & Furry (40)

This is a cute video of a squirrel and a cat.

Squirrel Crafts
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/forest-squirrels.htm

Other Resources:
Handbook of Nature Study
Squirrel study at Homeschoolshare – they have notebooking pages that you can use for the dictation on Lesson 2.

SQUIRRELS

Taken from “The Pet Book” By Anna Botsford Comstock

Formerly gray and black squirrels were as common throughout our country as is the red squirrel today, and even more so; but these larger species have been hunted to such an extent that we rarely see the gray squirrels except as protected creatures in parks; and the black squirrel has disappeared except in a few localities. The red squirrel has, because of its small size and greater cunning, escaped this sad fate.

The red squirrel is just a playful, natural-born rascal, but perhaps the most attractive rascal in the animal world. He is a great thief, and would much rather steal his food than to gather it, even though it caused him more effort. In fact, he enjoys strenuous effort always, especially in a bad cause. The chipmunk, white-footed mice, gray squirrels, and especially the blue-jays, are the victims of his thieving. He will spend a whole morning watching a blue jay or a chipmunk in order to discover where they hide their stores; but if one of them tries to steal his stores it is quite another matter, and he becomes so indignant that he scolds for an hour after.

The gray squirrel is not so quick mentally or physically as is his red cousin, neither is he so mischievous or suspicious. Although he lives in holes in trees he wishes plenty of room, and so hollows out a good sized nest which he beds down with leaves. Several may live together in such a nest. They also make nests in summer among the branches of trees; these they build of leaves and small branches in layers, roofed with leaves to protect from rain.

The squirrel has two pairs of gnawing teeth, which are long and strong, and he needs to gnaw hard substances with them constantly or they will grow so long that he cannot use them at all, and will starve to death. He is very clever about opening nuts so as to get all the meats. He usually opens a hickory nut by making two holes which tap the cavities which contain the meats. In walnuts, or butternuts, which have much harder shells, he makes four small holes, one opposite each quarter of the kernel.

The young are born in a protected nest, usually in the hollow of a tree. There are from four to six young in a litter and they appear in April.

——————————

Furry

His story as recorded in
THE PET NOTE-BOOK

*Furry was a baby red squirrel. One day in May his mother was moving him from one tree to another. He was clinging with his little arms around her neck and his body clasped tightly against her breast, when something frightened her and in a sudden movement, she dropped her heavy baby in the grass. Thus, I inherited him and entered upon the rather onerous duties of caring for a baby of whose needs I knew little; but I knew that every well-cared for baby should have a book detailing all that happens to it, therefore, I made a book for Furry, writing in it each day the things he did. If the children who have pets keep similar books, they will find them most interesting reading afterward, and they will surely enjoy the writing very much.

*From the Author’s “Handbook of Nature-Study” free at Google, or at Amazon.

May 18, 1902—The baby squirrel is just large enough to cuddle in one hand. He cuddles all right when once he is captured; but he is a terrible fighter, and when I attempt to take him in one hand, he scratches and bites and growls so that I have been obliged to name him Fury. I told him, however, if he improved in temper I would change his name to Furry.

May 19—Fury greets me when I open his box, with the most awe-inspiring little growls, which he evidently supposes will make me turn pale with fear. He has not cut his teeth yet, so he cannot bite very severely, but that isn’t his fault, for he tries hard enough. The Naturalist said cold milk would kill him, so I warmed the milk and put it in a teaspoon and placed it in front of his nose; he batted the spoon with both forepaws and tried to bite it, and thus got a taste of the milk, which he drank eagerly lapping it up like a kitten. When I hold him in one hand and cover him with the other, he turns contented little somersaults over and over.

May 20—Fury bit me only once to-day, when I took him out to feed him. He is cutting his teeth on my devoted fingers. I tried giving him grape-nuts soaked in milk, but he spat it out in disgust.

He always washes his face as soon as he is through eating.

May 21—Fury lies curled under his blanket all day. Evidently good little squirrels stay quietly in the nest, when the mother is not at home to give them permission to run around. When Fury sleeps, he rolls himself up in a little ball with his tail wrapped closely around him. The squirrel’s tail is his “furs,” which he wraps around him to keep his back warm when he sleeps in winter.

May 23—Every time I meet Uncle John he asks, “Is his name Fury or Furry now?” Uncle John is much interested in the good behavior of even little squirrels. As Fury has not bitten me hard for two days, I think I will call him Furry after this. He ate some bread soaked in milk to-day, holding it in his hands in real squirrel fashion. I let him run around the room and he liked it.

May 25—Furry got away from me this morning and I did not find him for an hour. Then I discovered him in a pasteboard box of drawing paper with the cover on. How did he squeeze through?

May 26—He holds the bowl of the spoon with both front paws while he drinks the milk. When I try to draw the spoon away, to fill it again after he has emptied it, he objects and hangs on to it with all his little might, and scolds as hard as ever he can. He is such a funny, unreasonable baby.

May 28—To-night I gave Furry a walnut meat. As soon as he smelled it he became greatly excited; he grasped the meat in his hands and ran off and hid under my elbow, growling like a kitten with its first mouse.

May 30—Since he tasted nuts he has lost interest in milk. The nut meats are too hard for his new teeth, so I mash them and soak them in water and now he eats them like a little piggy-wig with no manners at all. He loves to have me stroke his back while he is eating. He uses his thumbs and fingers in such a human way that I always call his front paws, hands. When his piece of nut is very small he holds it in one hand and clasps the other hand behind the one which holds the dainty morsel, so as to make it safe.

May 31—When he is sleepy, he scolds if I disturb him and turning over on his back, bats my hand with all of his soft little paws and pretends that he is going to bite.

June 4—Furry ranges around the room now to please himself. He is a little mischief; he tips over his cup of milk and has commenced gnawing off the wall paper behind the book-shelf to make him a nest. The paper is green and will probably make him sorry.

June 5—This morning Furry was hidden in a roll of paper. I put my hand over one end of the roll and then reached in with the other hand to get him; but he got me instead, because he ran up my sleeve and was much more contented to be there than I was to have him. I was glad enough when he left his hiding place and climbed to the top shelf of the bookcase, far beyond my reach.

June 6—I have not seen Furry for twenty-four hours, but he is here surely enough. Last night he tipped over the ink bottle and scattered nut shells over the floor. He prefers pecans to any other nuts.

June 7—I caught Furry to-day and he bit my finger so it bled. But afterwards, he cuddled in my hand for a long time and then climbed my shoulder and went hunting around in my hair and wanted to stay there and make a nest. When I took him away, he pulled out his two hands full of my devoted tresses. I’ll not employ him as a hairdresser.

June 9—Furry sleeps nights in the top drawer of my desk; he crawls in from behind. When I pull out the drawer he pops out and scares me nearly out of my wits; but he keeps his wits about him and gets away before I can catch him.

June 20—I keep the window open so Furry can run out and in and learn to take care of himself out of-doors.

August 20—Furry soon learned to take care of himself, though he often returns for nuts, which I keep for him in a bowl. He does not come very near me out-of-doors, but he often speaks to me in a friendly manner from a certain pitch pine tree near the house.

There are many blank leaves in Furry’s note-book. I wish that he could have written on these what he thought about me and my performances. It would certainly have been the most interesting book concerning squirrels in the world.

Resources for Primary Language Lessons

General Resources:
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock
Handbook of Nature Study, free download.

Animal Encyclopedia

Farm to Table and Tool Resources:
Bread Comes to Life: A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat by George Levenson
Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson
http://www2.kenyon.edu/projects/farmschool/addins/homepage.htm – go to farm school and learn to manage a farm.

These next three are from the UK, but are pretty good.
http://kids.direct.gov.uk/resource_areas/html/Places.aspx?id=4&overview=true
http://kids.direct.gov.uk/resource_areas/html/Slideshow/27
http://kids.direct.gov.uk/resource_areas/html/Game/9

My best advice for learning about tools of trade is to visit a local museum.  If a museum is not locally available, searching an online site is always good.  Anytime I am looking for museum artifacts, I always go with the Smithsonian site.  This one might be particularly helpful.

Roots/Stalks/Leaves/Flowers
http://www.kew.org/ksheets/pdfs/b3plant.pdf
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=157

Life Cycle/insects, birds, frogs, etc.
http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/elementary/lifecycles/
http://www.kidsbutterfly.org/life-cycle
http://www.ourclassweb.com/webquests_frogs_tasks.htm
http://www.tooter4kids.com/Frogs/life_cycle_of_frogs.htm
http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/elementary/lifecycles/chickens.htm
Spiders by Gail Gibbons
The Magic School Bus Spins A Web: A Book About Spiders by Joanna Cole

Fun Spider activities
http://www.littlegiraffes.com/spiders.html

Hummingbirds.net
http://www.hummingbirds.net/

Life Cycle of a Silk worm
http://www.suekayton.com/Silkworms/lifecycle.htm

There are a number of life cycle videos on youtube.  I would recommend the ones by gujo.com (please remember to preview these before allowing your kids to watch them).

Bees
http://www.countryrubes.com/images/The_Life_Cycle_of_a_Bee_updated_9_09.pdf

Prepostions
Rosie’sWalk by Pat Hutchins

Resources for Primary Language Lessons

General Resources:
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock
Handbook of Nature Study, free download.

Usborne Children’s Encyclopedia
Usborne Science Encyclopedia
Evan-Moor Giant Science Resource Book: Grades 1-6
Berenstain Bears’ Science and Nature Super Treasury
One Small Square: Woods by Donald Silver
Fun with Nature: Take Along Guide by Mel Boring

Pet Care
There are several pet care books for kids out there. You can probably find one of these at your library.

Moon
The Moon Seems to Change (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Franklyn M. Branley

Leaves
Why Do Leaves Change Color? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 2) by Betsy Maestro

Animals in Winter
Animals in Winter (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Henrietta Bancroft
Hibernation (Patterns in Nature series) by Margaret Hall
How and Why Animals Prepare for Winter by Elaine Pascoe
Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1) by Millicent C. Selsam

Clouds and Seasons
Clouds (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1) by Anne Rockwell
Sunshine Makes the Seasons (reillustrated) (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2) by Franklyn M. Branley

Assignment: Answer the questions in the book on frost.

Below is a cute poem titled,

“When the Frost is on the Punkin.”

When the frost is on the punkin’ and the fodder’s in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin’ turkey-cock,
And the clackin’ of the guineys, and the cluckin’ of the hens,
And the rooster’s hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it’s then’s the times a feller is a-feelin’ at his best,
With the risin’ sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.

They’s something kindo’ harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer’s over and the coolin’ fall is here
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossums on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin’-birds and buzzin’ of the bees;
But the air’s so appetizin’; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur’ that no painter has the colorin’ to mock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin’ of the tangled leaves, as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo’ lonesomelike, but still
A-preachin’ sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin’ like the tickin’ of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock!

Then your apples all is getherd, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the celler-floor in red and yeller heaps;
And your cider-makin’ ‘s over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and saussage, too! . . .
I don’t know how to tell it—but ef sich a thing could be
As the Angels wantin’ boardin’, and they’d call around on me—
I’d want to ‘commodate ‘em—all the whole indurin’ flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock!

When The Frost Is On The Punkin