Garde 1 - Read-Aloud Supplemental Guide

140 Fables and Stories: Supplemental Guide 8A | The Crowded, Noisy House

Discussing the Read-Aloud 10 minutes

Comprehension Questions

If students have difficulty responding to questions, reread pertinent

lines of the story and/or refer to the images. Ask students to answer

in complete sentences by having them restate the question in their

responses. Model answers using complete sentences as necessary.

1. Literal What is the title of this folktale?
   
   
   • The title of this folktale is “The Crowded, Noisy House” or “It Could
     Always Be Worse.”
   
   
   
   


2. Literal What problem does the Jewish man have at the beginning of
   the story?
   
   
   • The problem is that the children cry and fight, the wife screams a lot, and
     the mother-in-law kvetches about everything.
   
   
   
   


3. Literal Who does the Jewish man go to for advice?
   
   
   • The Jewish man goes to the rabbi for advice.
   
   
   
   


4. Literal What advice does the rabbi give the man?
   
   
   • The rabbi tells the man to bring animals to live with them in the house.
   
   
   
   


5. Inferential Does bringing animals to live with the family solve the
   Jewish man’s problem?
   [Have students point to this scene on Response Card 8.]
   
   
   • No, bringing animals to live with the family does not solve the problem.
     Why not?
   
   
   • The animals made the house even more crowded and noisy.
   
   
   
   


6. Evaluative Personification is when animals act like people. Is there
   personification in this story?
   
   
   • No, there is no personification in this story.
     How do you know?
   
   
   • The animals act like animals: the goat butts her head against things; the
     cow eats clothing; and the goose honks and poops on the floor. None of
     the animals talk or act like people in this story.
   
   
   
   


7. Literal Near the end of the story, what advice does the rabbi give the
   Jewish man?
   
   
   • The rabbi tells the man to take the animals out of the house.