HOW CHARACTERS RESPOND TO

CHALLENGES
RL5.2
The Monkey and the Cookies What was the monkeys
challenge?
A monkey put his hand into
a jar of cookies. He grabbed
as many cookies as he could
hold, but when he tried to
pull out his hand, he was How did the monkey respond to
prevented from doing so by the challenge?
the neck of the cookie jar.
Unwilling to lose the cookies,
and yet unable to withdraw
his hand, he burst into tears.
What does this tell you about the
monkey?
 adapted from The Crow and the Pitcher
A Crow, half-dead with thirst, What was the crows challenge?
came upon a water pitcher.
But when the Crow put its
beak into the opening of the
pitcher, very little water was left
in it, and he could not reach far
How did the crow respond to the
enough down to drink. 3. Then a
challenge?
thought came to him, and he
took a small rock and dropped it
into the pitcher.
Then he took another rock
and dropped it into the pitcher.
After some time, he saw the What does this tell you about the
crow?
water rise, and was able to
quench his thirst and save his
life.
 Practice Makes Perfect What was Camerons
Maybe this time Ill make the team, challenge?
thought Cameron. Basketball tryouts
were next week and Cameron
was planning to go. Last year, she
wasnt chosen because she was the
shortest girl in her class.
Every Saturday she practiced at the How did she respond to the
park. She said to herself, I might be challenge?
short, but watch me shoot. On
the morning of the tryouts, Cameron
was the first girl to arrive. Coach
Lopez was surprised to see her.
The coach blew her whistle. Lets try
some free throws. Maddie went first.
Three times she shot the ball. What does this tell you about
Three times she missed. Cameron?
Then it was Camerons turn. She
stood on the free throw line, took a
deep breath, and shot. The ball sank
into the basket. She sank another
basket. And another after that! Coach
Lopez was quiet.
At the end of the morning, Coach
Lopez said, Youve made the team,
Cameron! Cameron wasnt
surprised at all.
 The Ants and the Crickets retold
When the summer sun beat down on
the backs of the ants, the crickets stood
in the shade playing music. Why are What was the ants challenge?
you working so hard? the crickets asked
the ants.Come sing a song with us!
The ants, however, were focused on
their task. They were carrying grain to
their holes. We cannot sing, crickets,
the ants replied. When the weather
turns cold, there will be nothing to eat. How did the ants respond to the challenge?
We will need food to keep us alive. The
ants continued working in the hot sun,
while the crickets laughed and sang in
the summer shade.
Months later, winter arrived. The
crickets looked for food everywhere, but
they could find none. They went to the What does this tell you about the ants?
ants for help. Please share food with us.
We are starving! the crickets cried. Ah,
yes! I remember you, one ant replied.
What were you doing throughout the
summer, while we were carrying the
grain? We were singing! they replied.
 adapted Beauty and the Beast
from
Once upon a time, a merchant had
finished his business and he set off for
home. Remembering his promise to his
daughter Beauty, he picked a rose.
Instantly, out of the rose garden, sprang a
horrible beast. Theft of my favorite
flowers! I shall put you to death for this
slight! Trembling with fear, the merchant
fell on his knees.
Forgive me! I'll do anything you say!
The rose wasn't for me, it was for my
daughter. I promised to bring her back a
rose from my journey! I shall spare your
life, but on one condition, that you bring
me your daughter! The terror-stricken
merchant, faced with certain death if he
did not obey, promised that he would do
so. When he reached home in tears,
Beauty put his mind at rest immediately.
Dear father, I'd do anything for you!
Don't worry, you'll be able to keep your
promise and save your life! So Beauty
was led to the castle.
In the beginning, Beauty was
frightened of the Beast, and shuddered at
the sight of it. Then she found that, in
spite of the monster's awful head, her
horror of it was gradually fading as time
went by. She had one of the finest rooms
in the Castle, and sat for hours,
embroidering in front of the fire. And the
Beast would sit, for hours on end, only a
short distance away, silently gazing at her.
Then it started to say a few kind words, till
in the end, Beauty was amazed to discover
that she was actually enjoying its
conversation. The days passed, and
Beauty and the Beast became good
friends.
What was Beautys challenge?
How did she respond to the challenge?
What does this tell you about Beauty?
 A Legend of the Iroquois
Long ago, the Earth was covered in darkness. None of the creatures living there
knew what daylight looked like.
One day, all of the animals of the forest gathered together in a clearing. They
wondered if it would be better to remain in darkness, or if it would be better to also
have light. The most powerful animal in the forest was the bear; Bear argued for
remaining in darkness.
He said that the creatures of the forest would be able to sleep better in darkness.
Most of the other animals were afraid, so they agreed with Bear. Raccoon said that
he did not mind the darkness because he was so smart that he could find plenty of
food in the dark. Wolf was easy to please because she could howl in darkness. But
one animal did stand up to Bear. Chipmunk, the smallest of the animals, argued that
it would be better to have both light and dark. Chipmunk was very clever. As Bear
continued to argue for darkness, she made many good arguments for light. Bear grew
tired of talking, but Chipmunk chattered on and on, as if she had all of the energy in
the world. As the other animals dropped off to sleep, one by one, Chipmunk kept
arguing. Finally, the first sunrise appeared.
Chipmunk began to dance from rock to rock. Bear became angry because he
didn't get his way. He roared loudly and ran after Chipmunk. He chased Chipmunk
all the way down the mountain.
Bear was fast, and he reached out his giant paw to grab Chipmunk.
Chipmunk got away, but not before Bear managed to scratch her back with his long
claws. And that is why, to this day, you can see stripes on Chipmunk's back!
 What was the chipmunks challenge?

How did the chipmunk respond to the challenge?

What does this tell you about the chipmunk?