134 Fables and Stories: Supplemental Guide 8A | The Crowded, Noisy House
Introducing the Read-Aloud 15 minutes
Folktale Review
- Remind students that a folktale is a made-up story from a long,
long time ago. Folktales were first passed down orally—by word of
mouth—from person to person, and then some were written down
and put into a book for many people to enjoy. - Ask students: “Are folktales real or make-believe?” Folktales are
make-believe. Remind students that folktales are one kind of fiction. - Remind students that they heard a folktale from Spain. Using their
sequence of the story, have students retell the story, “The Little Half-
Chick (Medio Pollito)” to their partner or with home-language peers. - Remind students of the lesson Medio Pollito learned or should have
learned. (“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Medio Pollito should have been kind and helped the water, fire, and
wind.)
Introducing “The Crowded, Noisy House”
Picture Walk- Tell students that the folktale they will hear is called “The Crowded,
Noisy House.” It is a Jewish folktale. This folktale also has the title, “It
Could Always Be Worse.” - Tell students that you will take a picture walk through this story
together. Explain that a picture walk is when they look at the pictures
from the story to become familiar with the story, see the characters of
the story, and make predictions about what might happen in the story.
Show image 8A-1: Man and rabbi talking - Tell students that this is the beginning of the story.
- Point to two of the characters in the story—the Jewish man and
the rabbi. Mention that the Jewish man is talking to the rabbi and
asking the rabbi for help.
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