Choose the character you will play.
Choose the character you will play. *Indicates large speaking role
Check out these tips from PBS Teachers Lounge for teaching kindness in the classroom.
ART BY DAVE CLEGG
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The Elephants and the Mice
Kindness can have unexpected results.
By Spencer Kayden, based on an ancient fable from India
From the February 2021 Issue
Learning Objective: As students read this charming Indian fable about unlikely animal allies, they will identify two themes: Kindness can be powerful, and even small creatures are capable of big things.
Characters
Storytellers 1, 2, and 3 (S1, S2, S3)
THE MICE
Uma
Bina, Uma’s daughter
Mohan, Uma’s neighbor
All Mice, to be read by a group
*Storytellers 1, 2, and 3 (S1, S2, S3)
The Mice:
*Uma
Rohit, Uma’s son
Bina, Uma’s daughter
*Mohan, Uma’s neighbor
Chandra, Uma’s friend
All Mice, to be read by a group
The Elephants:
Kumar, Guard Mitali's son, a young elephant
Guard Mitali, the king’s guard
King Rama, king of the elephants
The Elephants:
*Rama, the king
*Mitali, the king’s guard
*Kumar, Mitali’s son
Scene 1
S1: Long ago, in India, there was a village of happy mice.
S2: Uma and her daughter Bina come out of their home in the ground.
Uma: Don’t forget your lunch!
Bina: Crickets, yum!
S3: Suddenly, a great rumbling sound is heard.
All Mice: Earthquake!
Uma: It’s not an earthquake! It’s elephants! Bina, run!
S1: The ground trembles and cracks open. Some mice fall in.
All Mice: Aaaaaaah! Help!
S2: The elephants thunder through the village.
S3: Then all goes quiet.
S1: Long ago, in India, there was a village of mice.
S2: The village was a lively place, with mice scurrying to school, to work, and to market.
S3: Our story begins on a sunny morning as Uma and her children come out of their burrow.
Uma: Don’t forget your lunches.
S1: Uma hands them each a tiny sack.
Rohit: Crickets, yum!
Bina: Thank you, Mummy!
S2: The children scamper down the road.
S3: Uma waves to her neighbor Mohan.
Uma: Good morning, Mohan.
Mohan (grumpy): What’s good about it?
Uma: We are healthy. We have food and shelter. Life is good.
S1: Suddenly, a great rumbling sound is heard.
S2: The ground beneath them starts to tremble.
All Mice (scattering): Earthquake! Take cover!
S3: Uma runs after her children.
Uma: Bina! Rohit!
S1: The rumble gets louder. Uma sees huge figures crashing through the bushes.
Uma: It’s not an earthquake! It’s elephants!
S2: As the elephants charge toward them, cracks appear in the ground. Mice fall in.
All Mice: Aaaaaaah! Help!
S3: Other mice get trampled as the elephants stomp through the village and disappear.
S1: Then all goes quiet.
Scene 2
S1: Uma and Bina look around the crushed village with their neighbor, Mohan.
Bina: The elephants never bothered us before. Why now?
Mohan: Because they are horrible.
S2: The mice hear rumbling again.
Bina: They’re back!
S3: Uma shouts up at the elephants.
Uma: EXCUSE ME!
S1: A small elephant named Kumar stops.
Kumar: Yes?
Uma: Why are you here?
Kumar: Our water hole dried up. Now we need to get to the lake.
Mohan: You hurt mice! You wrecked our homes!
Kumar: We didn’t mean to hurt anyone.
Uma: Could you go around our village instead?
Kumar: Go the long way? I could ask, but nobody listens to a little elephant like me.
S2: The next day, the mice gather in the marketplace.
Uma: Chandra, how is your foot?
Chandra: It’s just a sprain. I’ll be OK.
Mohan: How many mice did we lose yesterday?
Uma: At least 20. And many more were hurt.
Chandra: The elephants never bothered us before. Why now?
Mohan: Because they are horrible creatures.
S3: They hear rumbling again.
Mohan: The elephants are back!
Uma: I’m going to find out what’s going on.
Mohan: You better let me handle this.
S1: Uma and Mohan run toward the road as the elephants come from the other direction.
S2: Mohan shouts up to them.
Mohan: Hey! Hey, you!
S3: The elephants don’t hear and keep going.
S1: Uma climbs onto the roof of a hut. She rolls up a large leaf to use as a megaphone.
Uma (shouting): Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!
S2: A small elephant stops.
Kumar: Yes?
Uma: Why are you coming through here?
Kumar: Our water hole dried up. Now we must drink from the lake nearby.
Mohan (shouting): You wrecked our homes!
Uma: Many mice were killed.
Kumar: Whoops. We didn’t see you.
Mohan: Whoops? That’s all you have to say?
Kumar: We didn’t mean to hurt anyone.
Uma: Perhaps you could go around our village instead of through it.
Kumar: I’m sorry, but do you think thirsty elephants are going to take the long way? Besides, they won’t listen to a puny elephant like me.
S3: Kumar trots off.
ART BY DAVE CLEGG
Scene 3
S2: Weeks later, the mice call a meeting.
Mohan: The elephants continue to destroy our village.
Bina: I’m scared.
All Mice: What should we do?
Mohan: Let’s get revenge! We’ll go to their kingdom and chew up their pillows.
Uma: Or we could go talk to them.
Mohan: Elephants listen only to force.
Uma: Kindness is stronger than force. Come with me and see.
S1: Weeks later, the mice call a meeting to talk.
Mohan: The elephants continue to destroy our village.
Chandra: More mice get hurt every time they come through.
Bina: I’m scared! It’s not safe here anymore!
Rohit: What are we going to do?
Mohan: Let’s get revenge. We’ll go to their kingdom and chew up all their pillows.
Uma: That doesn’t solve anything. Though you’ve given me an idea.
Mohan: What?
Uma: I will reason with the elephant king.
Mohan: Asking nicely won’t get you anywhere. Elephants only listen to force.
Uma: I think kindness will get you a lot further than force.
Mohan: We’ll see. I’m coming with you.
Uma (sighing): If you insist.
Bina: Be careful, Mummy!
Rohit: Come back soon!
Uma: I will, my dears. Don’t worry.
Scene 4
S3: Uma and Mohan arrive in a grand city.
S1: They slip in under the palace doors.
S2: Suddenly, two huge shadows fall over them.
Guard Mitali: Look at this, Kumar. Mice in the palace!
Mohan: We demand to speak with your king.
Guard Mitali: King Rama doesn’t waste his time with pests.
Kumar: Wait, you’re the mice from the village.
Uma: Please. It is a matter of life and death.
Kumar: Come on, Father. Let’s hear what they have to say.
S2: Uma and Mohan are in the forest.
Mohan: I can’t believe you tricked that snake that almost ate us.
Uma: Everyone likes to show what they’re good at. I simply asked if he could tie himself into a really tight knot.
Mohan: Then he got stuck and we escaped!
S3: They emerge from the forest to see a majestic city.
S1: In the distance is an ornate building with a large dome.
Uma: That must be the palace!
S2: They run toward it and slip in through the space under the doors.
S3: They are awed by the colorful tile floors and painted columns.
S1: Suddenly, huge shadows fall over them.
Mitali: What’s this? Mice in our palace?
Kumar (whispering): Maybe they’re spies.
Mitali: Oh, Kumar, my son, if only your body were as big as your imagination.
S2: Mitali scoops the mice up with his trunk.
Mohan: We demand to speak with your king.
Mitali: King Rama doesn’t waste his time with vermin like you.
Kumar: Wait, you’re the mice from the village.
Uma: Please take us to your king. It is a matter of life and death.
Scene 5
S3: King Rama sits on his throne.
Guard Mitali: Your Majesty, these pests would like your help.
King Rama: Me? Help mice?
Mohan: Yes! You are ruining our lives!
Guard Mitali: Careful. I could crush you with my toenail.
Uma: King, your path to the lake comes through our village.
Mohan: Our homes are being ruined!
King Rama: We need water. What can we do?
Uma: Could you take a different path to the lake?
King Rama: That would add miles to our journey.
Uma: Put yourself in our tiny feet.
King Rama: How so?
Uma: Picture an animal thousands of times larger than an elephant.
Kumar: Wow, that’s humongous.
Uma: Now imagine a group of them crashing through your kingdom.
Mohan: Imagine your friends and neighbors are in danger of being crushed.
King Rama: That is horrible.
Uma: It happens to us again and again.
S1: The king thinks about this.
Uma: I once heard that the best quality a leader can have is compassion.
Guard Mitali (suspiciously): What’s that?
Uma: It’s when you care about those who are suffering and want to help.
S2: The king smiles.
King Rama: We will take a different route.
Uma: Thank you! I hope we can help you someday.
Guard Mitali (muttering): Ha! Little mice helping elephants. Good joke!
S3: King Rama sits on a plush velvet throne.
Mitali (suspiciously): Your Majesty, these mice say they have a terrible problem. They claim only you can help.
Rama: Me? Help mice?
Mohan: It’s the least you could do since you elephants ruined our lives.
Mitali: Watch yourself. I could crush you with my toenail.
Rama: What is the problem?
Uma: When elephants come through our village on their way to the lake, our homes are destroyed and mice are killed.
Rama: We need water. What else can we do?
Uma: We simply ask that the elephants take a different route to the lake.
Mitali: That would add miles to our journey.
Uma: I don’t think you realize what an impact your actions are having on our lives. Put yourself in our tiny feet.
Kumar: What do you mean?
Uma: Picture an animal thousands of times larger than an elephant.
Kumar: That would be quite a huge animal.
Uma: Now imagine a herd of them comes crashing through your kingdom. Your friends and neighbors are crushed at random.
Rama: That is not a pleasant thought.
Uma: Yet it happens to us again and again.
S1: The king ponders this.
Uma: My mother always told me that the best quality a leader can have is compassion.
S2: The king smiles at Uma.
Rama: I will order the elephants to take a different route.
Uma: Thank you! I hope we can repay your kindness and help you someday.
Rama (chuckling): Mice helping elephants. That’s a good joke.
ART BY DAVE CLEGG
Scene 6
S3: The mouse village is rebuilt.
S1: The elephants take a different route.
S2: Everything is peaceful, until . . .
S3: One day, deep in the forest, King Rama steps in a trap.
King Rama: I’m stuck! Tied to a tree!
S1: Guard Mitali approaches, but traps are everywhere.
S2: Soon, all the elephants are tied up.
S3: Kumar catches up to them.
Kumar: Dad! King Rama!
Guard Mitali: Stay back, son! These are hunters’ traps.
King Rama: The hunters will return soon, and then we are doomed.
Guard Mitali: Kumar, you must help us out of here!
S1: Kumar looks around, searching for a way to help.
S2: Suddenly, Kumar takes off running.
Guard Mitali: Kumar! Don’t leave us! Come back!
S3: Many months later, the mice are living happily in their rebuilt village.
S1: The elephants take a different route to the water hole.
S2: Everything is peaceful, until . . .
S3: One day, King Rama and a group of elephants are walking through the forest.
S1: Rama steps in a trap, and a heavy rope cinches his leg.
S2: He tries to pull his leg free.
Rama: I’m tied to a tree!
S3: His guards carefully walk forward, but there are traps everywhere.
S1: Soon, all the elephants are tied to trees.
Mitali: Whenever I tug, the rope gets tighter!
S2: Kumar catches up and is shocked to see all the other elephants bound by thick ropes.
Kumar: Dad! King Rama! What happened?
Mitali: What does it look like? These are hunters’ traps.
Rama: Imagine me, a king, trapped!
Mitali: Our freedom gone forever.
Rama: Kumar, you must get us out of here before the hunters return!
S3: Kumar looks around, searching for a way to help.
Mitali: Don’t just stand there. Do something!
S1: Suddenly, Kumar takes off running.
Mitali: Kumar! Don’t leave us! Come back!
Scene 7
S3: Kumar arrives in the mouse village.
Kumar (breathless): King Rama! My dad! Trapped! Ropes! Help!
Mohan: You want our help? After all the trouble you caused?
Uma: Of course we will help you.
Uma (shouting): The elephants need us!
S1: As mice come running, Kumar bends down to his knees.
Kumar: Climb on.
S2: The mice hop onto his back.
Mohan (annoyed): Uma, why are you so nice?
Uma: Just like the sun melts ice, kindness melts bad feelings.
Mohan (muttering): I’ll have to try it sometime.
S2: Kumar runs to the mouse village. When he gets near, he slows down to a walk so he doesn’t rumble the ground.
S3: Uma and Mohan see him.
Kumar (breathless): King Rama and others are trapped by hunters’ ropes.
Mohan: So? I haven’t forgotten all the trouble you elephants caused us.
Uma: And I haven’t forgotten how your king helped save so many of our lives.
Kumar: Can you help us?
Uma: Most definitely.
S1: Uma whistles and all the mice come running.
Uma: The elephants need our help!
S2: Kumar bends down to his knees.
Kumar: Everyone climb on.
S3: The mice scamper onto his back.
Mohan (annoyed): Uma, why are you always so nice?
Uma: Just like the sun melts ice, kindness makes bad feelings soften and slip away.
Mohan: I’ll have to try it sometime.
Scene 8
S3: Kumar races back through the forest with the mice on his back.
Guard Mitali: My son, I thought you’d run away!
Kumar: Never. I went to get friends.
Uma: Mice, slide down and start chewing!
Guard Mitali: Kumar, your body may be small, but your brain and heart are gigantic.
Kumar: Thank you, Father.
S1: Soon, the elephants are free.
Guard Mitali: Thank you, dear mice!
Mohan: Turns out we’re not so useless after all.
Uma: That’s Mohan’s way of saying, “You’re welcome.”
Mohan: I’m still learning about this whole kindness thing.
Guard Mitali: Me too, little mouse.
King Rama: Starting today, let us always choose kindness. You never know when you will need friends . . . no matter their size.
S1: Kumar sprints through the forest with the mice clinging to his back.
Rohit: Wheeeeee!
Mohan: I think I might be sick!
S2: Kumar skids to a stop when he sees the trapped elephants.
Mitali: Kumar! I thought you’d run away.
Kumar: Never. I went to get friends.
Uma: Mice, slide down and start chewing!
S3: The mice gnaw at the ropes like they haven’t eaten in months.
Mitali: I’m sorry I doubted you, Kumar. Your body might be small, but your brain and your heart are giant.
Kumar: Thank you, Father.
S1: Soon, all the elephants are free.
Rama: Thank you, dear mice. Thank you!
Mohan: Turns out we’re not so useless after all.
Uma: That’s Mohan’s way of saying, “You’re welcome, King Rama.”
Mohan: I’m still learning about this whole kindness thing.
Rama: Me too, little mouse. Let today remind us to always choose kindness. For your compassion may be rewarded in unexpected ways.
THINK AND WRITE
Write a conversation between Guard Mitali and Mohan. Using details from the play, have the characters discuss what they learned about compassion and choosing kindness.
THINK AND WRITE
Write a conversation between Guard Mitali and Mohan. Using details from the play, have the characters discuss what they learned about compassion and choosing kindness.
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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Kindness in the Classroom
Learn About Ancient India
The story of the elephants and the mice dates all the way back to around 200 B.C. and is part of an ancient Indian collection of fables called the Panchatantra. But civilization in India began thousands of years before that! Explore life in Ancient India and the Indus Valley civilization with these interactive pages from DK Find Out and BBC.
From the Storyworks 3 Archives
Have your students read the Storyworks 3 version Aesop’s fable "The Lion and the Mouse" and compare and contrast it with the play they just read. One moral of the fable is that kindness is never wasted. Challenge your students to connect that moral to The Elephants and the Mice—and to their own lives.
More About the Article
Content-Area Connections
Literary Genre: fable
Social-Emotional Learning: self-management (taking initiative); social awareness (others’ perspectives, demonstrating empathy); relationship skills (communicating, positive relationships, conflict resolution, group leadership); responsible decision-making (identifying solutions, consequences of action, promoting well-being)
Key Skills
theme, text features, vocabulary, fluency, compare and contrast, cause and effect, key idea, point of view, inference, plot, supporting details, interpreting text, narrative writing
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. PREPARING TO READ
Set a Purpose for Reading/Explore Text Features (10 minutes)
Look at pages 22-23 with the class. Point out the labels “Play” and “Read-aloud play.” Then read the title and subtitle with students. Ask them to describe the illustration.
Tell students that this play is based on a fable from India, a country in South Asia. (Make sure they know what a fable is: a short story that typically features animal characters and provides a moral.) Point out India on a map. [https://geology.com/world/india-satellite-image.shtml]
Explain that the story is similar to Aesop’s fable “The Lion and the Mouse,” which is from ancient Greece. Explain that fables often spread from culture to culture, with details changing but the big ideas staying the same.
Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 22 and the Think and Write box on page 27. Remind students to keep in mind the Think and Read prompt as they read the play.
Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)
While the play does not include definitions of vocabulary words with the text, a Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) online previews seven challenging words. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, in which audio and images help students with pronunciation and comprehension.
- Vocabulary words: rumbling, trembles, thunder, revenge, pests, humongous, compassion
2. FOCUS ON FLUENCY
Bridging Decoding and Comprehension
Storyworks 3 plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.
- Remind students that the stage directions tell a reader or actor how to say a line or perform an action in the play. Direct students to page 25. Point to the word suspiciously in column 3. Read the dialogue aloud with appropriate expression or actions. Ask students to repeat after you.
3. CLOSE READING
- Before reading: Point out the Characters box on page 23. Remind students that this is a list of all the characters in the play. How many storytellers are there? How many elephants?
First read: Assign parts and read the play as a class. (If you’re meeting in a virtual classroom, have students write the name of the character they’re portraying on a piece of paper to tape or pin to their shirts—or help them change their display name to their character name. This will make it easier for everyone to follow along.)
Second read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading Questions (available in your Resources tab). Discuss them as a class, rereading lines or scenes as necessary.
Pair each student with a partner to discuss the Critical-Thinking Questions. Then ask pairs to share their answers with the class.
- Alternatively, assign all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck, which contains the questions—along with other activities from this lesson plan and a link to the play. Find it in your Resources tab.
First read: Assign parts and read the play as a class. (If you’re meeting in a virtual classroom, have students write the name of the character they’re portraying on a piece of paper to tape or pin to their shirts—or help them change their display name to their character name. This will make it easier for everyone to follow along.)
Second read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading Questions (available in your Resources tab). Discuss them as a class, rereading lines or scenes as necessary.
Pair each student with a partner to discuss the Critical-Thinking Questions. Then ask pairs to share their answers with the class.
Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)
At the beginning of Scene 1, what is life like in the mouse village? How does this change by the end of the scene? (compare and contrast) At first, life in the mouse village seems pleasant. The mice that live there are described as “happy.” But by the end of the scene, the village becomes loud, dangerous, and confusing. Elephants stomp through the village, and mice fall into cracks in the ground created by the elephants.
Based on Scenes 2 and 3, what problem are the elephants causing the mice? How is Uma’s suggestion for solving this problem different from Mohan’s? (compare and contrast) The elephants continue to stomp through the mouse village on their way to the lake, wrecking the mice’s homes. Mohan suggests getting revenge by chewing the elephants’ pillows. He claims that “elephants listen only to force.” But Uma suggests talking to the elephants. She says that “kindness is stronger than force.”
Read Scene 4. How does Kumar help the mice? (key idea) Kumar recognizes the mice from the village. He convinces his father to listen to what the mice have to say.
Read Scene 5. Why does King Rama change his mind and decide to tell the elephants to take a different path to the lake? (key idea/point of view) Uma tells King Rama to imagine what it is like to be threatened by much larger creatures. The king is able to see the situation from the mice’s point of view. Uma also tells the king that “the best quality a leader can have is compassion.” Her words help change King Rama’s mind about telling the elephants to go around the mouse village.
Why does Guard Mitali laugh at the idea of mice helping elephants? (inference) Guard Mitali laughs because he does not think tiny mice would ever be able to help big, powerful elephants.
What happens to King Rama and the other elephants in Scene 6? (plot) The king and other elephants (except for Kumar) get caught in traps left by hunters. Kumar looks for a way to help, then runs off.
Read Scene 7. Why do you think Kumar goes to the mouse village for help? (inference) Kumar probably remembers Uma’s words, that she hoped the mice could one day help the elephants.
- In Scene 7, what does Uma mean when she says “Just like the sun melts ice, kindness melts bad feelings”? (interpreting text/supporting details) Uma means that being nice can help improve someone’s bad mood.
Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)
At the end of the play, King Rama says, “Starting today, let us always choose kindness.” Why do you think he says this? (theme) King Rama says to always choose kindness because he sees the power that kind actions can have. He decides to be kind to Uma and the mice when he chooses to have the elephants walk around their village. Then Uma and the mice are kind to him and the other elephants when they save the elephants from the hunters’ traps.
- King Rama also says that “you never know when you will need friends . . . no matter their size.” What events in the play show the truth of King Rama’s words? (theme/supporting details) Despite their very different sizes, each group of animals helps the other at different times: The big elephants take the long way around the mouse village, and the small mice help free the trapped elephants. Also, Kumar was the smallest of the elephants, but still he’s able to be a big help to the other elephants by getting the mice to come help chew apart the hunters’ traps.
4. SEL FOCUS
Choosing Kindness
Even though King Rama is speaking to the elephants and the mice when he says “Starting today, let us always choose kindness,” his words have something important to say to us as well. Ask: What does it mean to “choose kindness”? What are some ways that you can “choose kindness” in your life?
5. SKILL BUILDING AND WRITING
Featured Skill: Theme
Distribute the Theme Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.
Ask students to write a response to the prompt in the Think and Write box at the end of the play.
GREAT IDEAS FOR REMOTE LEARNING
Our new Learning Journey Slide Deck (available in your Resources tab) is designed to make your life easier. Have students move through at their own pace or assign smaller chunks for different days. You can also customize the slideshow to your liking.
Gather a small group in your remote classroom for a virtual play reading. Share the play on your screen and assign parts. (Students can read more than one part, depending on the size of the group.) Then read the play aloud together. Encourage students to be expressive as they read! Repeat with other groups until all students have had a chance to participate.
Our new Learning Journey Slide Deck (available in your Resources tab) is designed to make your life easier. Have students move through at their own pace or assign smaller chunks for different days. You can also customize the slideshow to your liking.
Gather a small group in your remote classroom for a virtual play reading. Share the play on your screen and assign parts. (Students can read more than one part, depending on the size of the group.) Then read the play aloud together. Encourage students to be expressive as they read! Repeat with other groups until all students have had a chance to participate.
Differentiate and Customize
For Struggling Readers
Read the play aloud as students follow. Have them pay attention to punctuation marks and underline stage directions. Discuss any they don’t understand. Then assign roles and have students read Scene 7 aloud to practice fluency and expression.
For ELL Students
Read the play together as a group, pausing after each scene to summarize what happened. Then go through the play’s illustrations and prompt students to describe the action in each one. Have them draw one new illustration for the play. Ask them to include a one-line caption.
For Advanced Readers
Invite students to read the March/April 2019 play, The Lion and the Mouse. Then have them write a short essay comparing and contrasting the two versions of the fable.
For School or at Home
Ask students to create a three-panel comic strip based on a favorite scene from the play. They should make up their own dialogue for each of the characters and write it in dialogue bubbles. Remind them to include a title for their comic strips.
Text-to-Speech