A Folk Tale
A magic pearl brings a boy and his
mother good luck. But the pearl has
more power than they know.
CONNECT TO YOUR LIFE
• Guess what the story is about.
• Have you ever found something valuable by
accident?
• Tell a partner what happened afterwards.
Key to the Folk Tale
• Purpose: to teach a lesson about life
 moral value.
• Can explain why certain things
happen
• Ex: Malin Kundang
Tangkuban Perahu
Building Background
• Dragon are common in both European &
Chinese folklore.
• In China  dragons are seen as beneficent
creatures, bring luck & prosperity, bring rain in
summer & spring
• In Europe  evil, fire-breathing beasts
• Usually slain by knights/other hero
Vocabulary Preview
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•
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Drought noun time of little of no rain
Scorched adjective burned of the surface
Craved verb needed very badly; past tense
Pierced verb touched deeply; past tense
Flourished verb grew very well; past tense
Open WB p. 14
COMPOUND WORD
• two words joined to make a new word with
different meaning.
• Written as one word.
• tea + pot  teapot
• sun + light  sunlight
• cow + boy  cowboy
• foot + ball  football
Hyphenated compound
• compound words, joined by hyphens (-)
• Separate the word & look at the meaning of
each word.
• cloud-breathing dragon: able to breathe out
clouds
• good-natured friend: having good attitude
• life-giving rain: able to help people or animal
lives
Open WB p.13
st
1
CHUNK
Page 26, line 1-19
VOCABULARY
• Cloud-breathing dragons= able to
breathe out clouds
• Good-natured boy= having good
attitude
• He toiled = worked hard from dawn
till dusk = from early morning until
night
• …selling it for fuel or fodder= food for
animals
PLOT
CLIMAX
RISING ACTION
INTRODUCTION
FALLING
ACTION &
CONCLUSION
PLOT: what happens in the story
• Introduction: introduce main characters,
setting. Beginnings of the problem
• Rising action: The characters make efforts to
solve the problem
• Climax: the turning point of the story
• Falling action & conclusion: the writer brings
the story to a close
LITERATURE: PLOT
• What is the time & place of the
story?
• Who are the main characters?
• What are the main problems
introduced in the PLOT?
COMPREHENSION
• What does Xiao Sheng do all day?
nd
2
CHUNK
Page 26-27, line 20-47
VOCABULARY
• Xiao Sheng sang to lift his spirit = to make
someone happier
• Rain-bringing dragon = able to help people or
animal lives
• Wisp of cloud = a small thin line of cloud
• Grass that was not shriveled = decaying & dead
• Crest of the highest hill = the top part of the hill
• gazed = look at something for a long time
COMPREHENSION
• REREAD: Why is Xiao Sheng
worried?
• What good luck has Xiao Sheng
had?
• What do you think will happen
when he moves the grass?
(predicting)
rd
3
CHUNK
Page 27-29, line 48-100
VOCABULARY
• Transplanting = moving a plant to another
place
• Rose-colored
• Near-empty
• Withered = dried up
• Dashed off= run quickly
• Brimming with rice = full with rice
• Gleaming pearl = white & shiny
LITERATURE
• Rising Action happens after the
INTRODUCTION.
• Name two Rising Actions on pages 28 & 29.
COMPREHENSION
• REREAD: Why do you think the rice has
multiplied?
• In what way does the pearl change the lives of
the boy & his mother?
th
4
CHUNK
Page 29-30, line 101-138
VOCABULARY
• …not blind to their fortune
• Drought-stricken = affected by drought
• “What have we here!” he bellowed = to shout
in a loud voice
• He snatched it = take something away by force
• The ruffian = violent man lunged = to attack
toward the boy.
• He popped = put something quickly the pearl
into his mouth.
• The old woman began to wail = to cry
COMPREHENSION
• REREAD: If you are the villager, how would you
have felt?
• What problem has the pearl caused?
th
5
CHUNK
Page 30-32, line 139-180
VOCABULARY
• An intense heat seared through him=burned
• He craved more water = need badly
• Lightning crackled = make a lot of short, dry,
sharp sound
• The villagers clutched one another = to try
very hard to hold something
• Gaping the blackness overhead= to look in
great surprise (gape)
• Clasped him tightly = to hold someone firmly
VOCABULARY
• The scales of a fish rippled along his back = to
cause to move
• The antlers of a deer appeared = horns with
part like branches
• His hands became the talons of a hawk = a
sharp nail on a foot of a bird
• He felt the twisting & coiling of a serpent’s tail
= snake
LITERATURE
• Mention two or three events in the rising
action on page 31
th
6
CHUNK
Page 33-35, line 181-236
VOCABULARY
…sent then billowing into the sky = spreading
Beneficent dragon = helping people & doing good
act
His mother clung to his legs = try hard to keep
something
Again and again she flung herself = to move
His mother’s cries pierced his heart = touched
deeply
Sculpting the banks with his last farewell = to form
into particular shape
They tossed a few grains of rice = to throw
VOCABULARY
• A bright orange carp splashed its tail right at
her feet
• She knew these to be glimpses of her son = to
see someone for a very short time
• When the water lapped the shore= to hit
gently
• Tinkling sound = a light ringing sound
• The jingling of golden coins = ringing sound
LITERATURE
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•
•
•
Point out the CLIMAX in the story
Name two FALLING-ACTION events
What is the CONCLUSION?
What life lessons do you think this folk tale
might be trying to teach?
COMPREHENSION
• In your own words, describe how the boy
changes
• Why do you think no rain ever falls over the
land owned by the two wicked men?
THINK IT THROUGH  HW
• How does the dragon end the drought?
• How does the boy show his mother that
he still cares for her?
• What powers does the pearl seem to
have?
• Do you think that in this story all the good
people are rewarded and all the bad ones
punished? Why or why not?