Classroom story circle with the Thirsty Crow

Before you start

This lesson takes about 20 minutes with a group sitting in a circle on the floor or on chairs. You need a copy of the Thirsty Crow story to read or retell, a printed Thirsty Crow activity sheet for each child, crayons or pencils, and a few pebbles and a clear jar of water if you want the optional demonstration. The sheet is made for ages 4 to 7. For younger children, keep to the story and the talking, and for older ones, add the extension at the end.

Step 1: Make the circle (1 minute)

Ask the children to sit so everyone can see each other. Put the pitcher, or a jar, in the middle. Keep the rules short: one voice at a time, and any idea is welcome.

Step 2: Warm up with a question (1 minute)

Ask, “Have you ever been really thirsty on a hot day?” Let two or three children answer. This gives them a feeling to hold on to when the crow arrives.

Step 3: Tell the story (5 minutes)

Tell it rather than read it, if you can, in your own words. In short: a crow, tired and thirsty in a hot summer, finds a clay pitcher with water far below the neck. He cannot reach it, tip it or break it. He stops and thinks, then drops pebbles in one at a time until the water rises and he can drink.

Pause once, before the crow has his idea, and ask, “What could he do?” Then finish the story.

Step 4: Act it out (2 minutes)

Choose one child to be the crow and let the others be the pebbles, dropping one at a time as you count. Or let everyone mime picking up a pebble and dropping it into the pitcher.

Step 5: Talk it through (4 minutes)

Ask a few open questions, one at a time, and wait for answers:

• Why could the crow not reach the water at first?
• What did he try before he found the idea that worked?
• How did the crow feel when the water rose?
• Tell me about a time something felt too hard until you tried a different way.

Several answers can be right. The one we use on the site is that patience and clever thinking can solve a problem that looks impossible.

Step 6: The activity sheet (7 minutes)

Hand out the sheet. Children colour the crow and pitcher, count the pebbles in each row and write the number, then work out how many more pebbles the crow needs.

For you, the answers are: the pebble rows hold 4, 6 and 9 pebbles. The crow needs 10 pebbles and has dropped 6, so 4 more are needed.

Optional: the pebbles-and-water demonstration

Fill a clear jar part-way with water and mark the level. Ask the children to guess how many pebbles it will take to raise the water to a new mark, then drop them in one at a time while the group counts. Keep the jar on a tray and have an adult handle it.

Where the story comes from

Many people assume the Thirsty Crow belongs to the Panchatantra. It is usually traced to The Crow and the Pitcher, a fable credited to Aesop of ancient Greece, though it has been told in India for generations. Versions differ from teller to teller.

Extend the lesson

Next time, read the Monkey and the Crocodile with its story-order sheet. A four-week plan is on the for teachers page. For a quiet warm-up before the story, try our listening games for kids.

Questions

How long does the story circle take?

About 20 minutes: 1 to make the circle, 1 to warm up, 5 to tell the story, 2 to act it out, 4 to talk and 7 for the activity sheet. You can stop after the talk if time is short.

What ages is the Thirsty Crow story circle for?

The activity sheet is made for ages 4 to 7. Younger children can act out the story, and older children can discuss where the tale comes from and what it means.

Do I need to print the activity sheet?

No. It helps, but you can draw the pitcher and pebbles on the board and count aloud instead. If you do print it, choose A4, scale 100 percent, with headers and footers switched off.

What is the moral of the Thirsty Crow?

Patience and clever thinking can solve a problem that looks impossible. The crow did not give up; he had an idea and kept trying, one pebble at a time.