Garde 1 - Read-Aloud Supplemental Guide

Fables and Stories: Supplemental Guide 2A | The Maid and the Milk Pail 41

Peggy the milkmaid was going to market. There she planned to sell

the fresh, sweet milk in the pail that she balanced on her head.

[Act this out. Have students point to the picture that shows this scene on
Response Card 2.]

As she went along, she began thinking about what she would do with

the money she would get for the milk. “I’ll buy the plumpest—the

roundest and fattest—chickens from Farmer Brown.”

[Say to students: “Tell your partner some things chickens produce, or make?”
(Chickens produce eggs, poultry, and more chickens.)]

She said, “They will lay eggs each morning. When those eggs hatch,

I’ll have more chickens. Then I’ll sell some of the chickens and some

of the eggs, and that will get me enough money to buy the blue dress

I’ve wanted, and some blue ribbon to match. Oh, I’ll look so lovely

that all the boys will want to dance with me at the fair, and all the girls

will be jealous. They will wish they looked as lovely as me in my blue

dress and blue ribbon.

But I don’t care; I’ll just toss my head at them, like this!”

She tossed back her head.

[Demonstrate an exaggerated toss of the head. Ask students what they think
will happen. Have students point to the picture that shows this scene on
Response Card 2.]

The pail flew off, and the milk spilled all over the road!

[Ask students: “How do you think Peggy feels now? Why?”]

So Peggy had to return home and tell her mother what had happened.

“Ah, my child,” said her mother. “Don’t count your chickens before

they’re hatched.”

What is the moral of this story?

[You may wish to have partner pairs discuss. Call on two volunteers to share
the moral of this story in their own words. Write their paraphrase under the
image of the fable.]

Moral: Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched—don’t count

on having everything turn out exactly as you plan, because you may

be disappointed.