September 2023

noun

jobs that need to be completed

Tyler's dad helps him with important tasks, like making his bed.

noun

someone who teaches people or animals

A trainer gives a dolphin a treat as a reward for learning new tricks.

adjective

full of energy or excitement

My pet hamster is very energetic.

adjective

having a hard time paying attention

Eliot was distracted because he kept thinking about summer vacation.

noun

an event to mark a special time

Some schools have a ceremony for students graduating elementary school.

● Service dogs are specially trained dogs that help people in many different ways.

● Some service dogs are trained to help people with dangerous allergies by finding certain types of food. Other service dogs guide people who have trouble seeing or hearing.

● Oliver wanted to find a service dog that could help people who use wheelchairs.

● Canine Companions is a special place that works with kids and adults with disabilities. It matches them with service dogs that can help them.

● Canine Companions was founded in 1975.

● Canine Companions matched its first service dog a year later, in 1976. Since then, more than 7,000 service dogs have been paired with people who need them!

● No! Not everyone who visits Canine Companions ends up getting matched with a service dog. 

● A service dog and a person must show that they are able to work together as a team before they are matched together.

● Service dogs and people need to learn to work as a team. They spend a week training together.

● The service dogs learn exactly how the person needs help and how to best support that person.

● The person, meanwhile, learns how to keep the service dog focused on the job, making sure it’s not distracted by other people, animals, or interesting smells.

● Sometimes none of the dogs are a good match for a person. In that case, the person needs to wait until the right dog is available.

● Oliver wanted Ziti to be his service dog. But could the pair prove that they were the right match?

● Read the story to find out!

verb

run suddenly and quickly

I saw the deer bolt after it got scared.

verb

fall while turning over

The wooden blocks tumble to the table.

noun

a feeling of shock or great fear

Sally and Ari watched the scary movie scene in horror.

verb

says with surprise or excitement

Matilda exclaims that there's an ice cream party in the cafeteria.

adverb

thankfully

Students gratefully give their teacher gifts.

noun

an animal that eats only plants

A giraffe is a very tall herbivore.

adjective

very strong or ready to fight

Although it's small, the wolverine is a fierce animal.

noun

an animal that eats mostly meat

A lion is a powerful carnivore.

noun

animals that are killed by other animals for food

Insects like spiders are prey for many lizards.

noun

dull thing or event

With nothing to do, Ellen thought the rainy afternoon was a huge bore.

verb

lie back and rest

Sophia loved to recline in the sun.

verb

chewing noisily

A group of cows are munching grass in the field.

adjective

very angry

Zeb was furious when his older sister broke his favorite toy.

verb

stomp away in anger

Craig decided to storm off after getting in an argument with his boss.

verb

shake with fear or excitement

I watched the kitten tremble at the vet.

● A fable is a short story that teaches a moral, or lesson. The moral is usually about how to treat others with kindness and respect.

● The characters in fables are often animals. 

● In these fables, animals act like humans. They can think, talk, and do many other things that animals can’t actually do in real life. They cook and clean and live in homes like humans.

● No! Fables have changed a lot over time. 

● For hundreds of years, fables were passed down only through storytelling. They were never written down. 

● This meant that each story usually changed a little bit every time it was told. These changes are an important part of the storytelling tradition. 

● The editors of Storyworks 3 changed some details from the original story for this play. But even though details change, the moral always remains the same.

● This issue’s play, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is based on a fable from Aesop (EE-sahp). 

● No one knows for sure who Aesop was. Many believe he was a storyteller who lived long ago in ancient Greece.

● Aesop is said to have written hundreds of fables when he was alive. 

● Many of those fables have now been translated into many languages and written down around the world.

● You’ve probably heard of one of Aesop’s fables, even if you didn’t know it was his! Many famous books and T.V. shows are based on Aesop’s fables.

● One of Aesop’s most famous fables is “The Hare and the Tortoise.” It teaches a famous lesson: Slow and steady wins the race!

● There are several other Storyworks 3 plays based on fables by Aesop. You can check out “The Horse and the Donkey,” “The Ants and the Grasshoppers,” or “The Lion and the Mouse” to see other examples!