illustration of a donkey, a horse, and a yellow bird
Art by Dave Clegg
Play,

The Horse and the Donkey

Will Harry learn a lesson from this classic fable? 

By Adapted By Sari Bodi and Karen Trott | Art by Dave Clegg
From the September 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will identify the theme of the fable The Horse and the Donkey.

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose & Levels of Meaning
    Based on one of Aesop’s fables, the play illustrates the importance of sharing work and helping out.
  • Structure
    The play has five scenes. The first and last scenes occur in the present. The middle three scenes are a retelling of a story that takes place long ago.
  • Language
    The language is mostly simple and straightforward. The play includes a character named Washerman, a man whose job is to do everyone’s laundry.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required.
Guided Reading Level: N
DRA Level: 28-30
Featured Skill: Theme,
Other Key Skills: theme, text features, vocabulary, plot, key details, character traits, visual literacy, compare and contrast, explanatory writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RL.1, RL.2, RL.3, RL.4, RL.5, RL.7, R.4, W.2, SL.1, L.1
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a, 6c, 6e, 6f, 6g, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7f, 7g, 8a, 8b, 8c, 9a, 9c, 10c, 12b

Presentation View
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Think and Read: Big Idea

As you read, try to identify the moral, or lesson, of the play.

Characters

Choose the character you will play.

*Indicates a larger speaking role

*Narrators (N1, N2, N3)

Daisy 

Harry  

Grandpa

Villager 

Child

*Washerman

*Donkey

*Horse

Songbird

Scene 1

Harry's House

N1: After school, Daisy and Harry sit around Harry’s kitchen table.

N2: Harry puts his head down and pretends to snore.

Daisy: Harry, our project is due tomorrow!

Harry (sitting up): What’s it about again?

Daisy: Comparing two animals. How are they alike? How are they different?

Harry: That sounds hard.

Daisy: What about chickens and ducks?

Harry: Quack! Quack! Cluck! Cluck! OK, project done! 

N1: Harry’s grandpa walks into the kitchen.

Grandpa: Who’s ready for a snack break?

Harry: Me!

Daisy: What? We haven’t even started yet!

Harry: Daisy, can you work on it while I eat? 

Daisy: Me? What about you? This is your project too.

Grandpa: Harry, come on, work with your friend. 

Harry: But Daisy is better at projects than I am.

Daisy: That’s not fair. 

Grandpa: Well, kids, I have the perfect story for you.

Art by Dave Clegg

Scene 2

A village, many years ago

Grandpa: Imagine a village long ago—

N2: —before washing machines and dryers.

N1: Back then, people took laundry to the river.

N2: They pounded the clothes clean using rocks and soap.

Villager: Washing clothes takes all day. 

Child: We don’t have time to do it.

Villager: So we pay Washerman to do it for us.

Child: Look, there he is!

Washerman (singing): Washing Day! Bring me your laundry—it’s Washing Day!

Villager: Here, sir. Sorry about all the blueberry stains. I was making a pie for my family.

Child (shyly): Oh, sir, sorry about all the grass stains. I was rolling down a hill.

Washerman (smiling): Don’t worry. I can clean anything!

N1: Washerman tosses the dirty clothes onto the back of his donkey.

Donkey: Hee-haw!

N2: Then Washerman climbs onto his horse.

Washerman: Giddyup! To the river we go!

Horse: Neigh! We’re off!

N1: A songbird lands on the back of Donkey, who trudges along. 

Songbird (sweetly): Poor Donkey, you have so much work to do.

Donkey (shrugging): I carry the laundry, and Horse carries Washerman.  

Songbird: But Washerman is not as heavy as the laundry. Horse has less work.

Art by Dave Clegg

"Poor Donkey, you have too much to carry."

Scene 3

The road to the river

N2: Donkey and Horse make many trips collecting laundry.

N1: But one day, a big storm comes. It rains for days and days. 

N2: Washerman isn’t able to come pick up laundry for weeks. 

N1: At last, the sun is out. 

Villager: Look! Here comes Washerman! 

Child: Oh, sir, we missed you!

Villager: We have so many wet and dirty clothes.

Child: Even my stuffed animals are muddy!

N2: Washerman puts all of the clothes and stuffed animals onto Donkey’s back.  

Donkey: Hee-haw! This is heavy. I’m worried it’s more than I can carry. 

N1: But Donkey keeps trying. He lifts one hoof just a bit and then the other.

N2: He inches ahead slowly. Washerman walks by his side. 

N1: Suddenly, Donkey stops.

Washerman: Don’t stop now. We still have a long way to go!

N2: Songbird flies next to Donkey.

Songbird: Poor Donkey, you have too much to carry. Are you too tired to go on?

Donkey (huffing): Yes! Hee-haw! Horse, can you help me carry the laundry, please?

Horse: Neigh! I carry people not laundry. 

Donkey: But Washerman is not riding you now. 

Horse: Yes, and it feels so good. I like having a break. You’re better at working than I am anyway.

N1: Songbird lands on Horse’s neck.

Songbird: Horse, Donkey needs your help. 

Horse (laughing): Nah. I don’t want to help. I’d rather relax and eat some tasty grass.

Scene 4

The road to the river

N2: They continue on their way. Donkey struggles, then stops.

N1: He tries to take one more step.

N2: But he falls and lands in the mud with all the clothes on top of him.

Donkey (panting): I . . . cannot . . . move! 

Washerman: Horse! Come here, now! 

N1: Washerman piles all the laundry onto Horse’s back.

Washerman: Horse, take all of this to the river.

Horse (shaking): But . . . I . . . I can’t! 

N2: Horse takes one step and then cries out.

Horse: Ow, my back! This is too heavy!

N1: Songbird flutters around Horse. 

Songbird: So now you see how hard it is to do all the work by yourself! 

Horse: I sure do. Poor Donkey had too much work to do by himself. 

N2: Horse turns to Donkey.

Horse: I’m sorry I wasn’t willing to help you earlier.

Donkey: It’s OK. Let’s try working together now. I’ll take half the laundry.

N1: Together, Horse and Donkey carry the laundry to the river.

Horse: Neigh! Donkey, thanks for helping me. 

Donkey: Hee-haw! It feels so much better to share the work.

Horse: And once we’re done, I’ll show you a spot where we can share some grass.

N2: Songbird flies between them.

Songbird: Tweet-tweet! Now you’re a real team.

Art by Dave Clegg

"Tweet-tweet! Now you’re a real team."

Scene 5

Harry’s house

N1: Back at the kitchen table, Grandpa turns to Daisy and Harry.

Grandpa: Well, what did you think of my story?

Daisy: It sure was nice of Donkey to offer to help Horse . . . 

Harry: . . . even though Horse didn’t want to help Donkey.

Grandpa: And what happened when they shared the work?

Harry: It was better for both of them to work together.

N2: Grandpa gives Harry a little nudge.

Harry: Sorry I wasn’t willing to help earlier, Daisy. I wasn’t being fair.

Daisy: Thanks for saying you’re sorry. I feel better now.

Harry: Let’s work together. Then we can share the snack. Hey, why don’t we compare a horse and a donkey?

Daisy: Yes! They’re alike because they both have four hooves.

Harry: But they sure do sound different. Neigh! 

Daisy: Hee-haw!

N1: Outside the window, a songbird watches.

Songbird: It feels good to share work. I hope they share those crackers with me! 

Art by Dave Clegg

"I hope they share those crackers with me!"

Think and Write

Think about the events in the play. What lesson do Harry and Horse learn? Answer in a well-organized paragraph.

Slideshows (1)
Audio ()
Activities (6)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
Audio ()
Activities (6) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Can't Miss Teaching Extras

Looking for another read-aloud play based on a fable? Our October/November 2021 play The Ants and the Grasshoppers also explores the benefits of working together. The Elephants and the Mice is a fun and fabulous Indian fable about kindness.

To give your students more practice identifying the moral of a story, direct them to the very entertaining play Chicken Little in the May/June 2021 issue.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading/Preview Text Features 

  • Look at page 24 with the class. Tell students that this play is based on a fable written long ago. It’s attributed to an ancient Greek storyteller named Aesop. (Make sure students know what a fable is: a short story that typically features animal characters and has a lesson, called a moral.)
  • Instruct students to study the title, illustrations, and subtitle on pages 24-25. Ask them to describe the illustrations and predict what the play will be about.
  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 25 and the Think and Write box on page 29.

Introduce Vocabulary

  • The play does not include definitions of vocabulary words with the text, but a Vocabulary Skill Builder online previews six challenging words (laundry, trudges, huffing, relax, flutters, and nudge). You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow.

2. Close Reading

  • 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. Point out the words sitting up in column 1 on page 25. Read the dialogue aloud with appropriate expressions or actions.
  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. (Alternatively, assign all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck.)

Close-Reading Questions 

  • Read Scene 1. How does Harry respond when Daisy asks him to work on their school project? (plot) When Daisy asks Harry to work on their school project, he refuses to help her. He says the project sounds hard. Harry wants Daisy to work on it alone while he has a snack.
  • Read Scene 2. Why does Donkey end up doing more work for Washerman than Horse does? (key details) Donkey carries the laundry on his back, but Horse carries Washerman only. Because the heavy laundry weighs more than Washerman, Donkey does more work.
  • Read Scene 3. What do you find out about Horse from the way he treats Donkey? (character traits) You find out that Horse is selfish and uncaring. When Donkey asks for help carrying the heavy clothes, Horse refuses. Horse would rather relax and eat tasty grass than help.
  • What part of the story does the picture on pages 26-27 show you? (text features, visual literacy) The picture shows what happens in Scene 3. Donkey is carrying the heavy load of laundry. He looks like he is tired and having a hard time. Horse is carrying nothing and looks happy. Songbird feels bad for Donkey and says, “Poor Donkey, you have too much to carry.”
  • What important lesson does Horse learn in Scene 4? (theme) Horse learns how important it is to work with Donkey as a team. He understands it’s better to share work than to struggle alone.
  • In Scene 5, what important lesson does Harry learn from Grandpa’s story? (theme) Harry learns that it’s better to work together. He understands that he wasn’t being fair when he asked Daisy to do all the work on their project by herself.

Critical-Thinking Question 

  • In what ways are Harry and Horse alike? (compare and contrast) In the first scene, Harry refuses to help Daisy with their project. Similarly, at the beginning of Grandpa’s story, Horse refuses to help Donkey carry the heavy laundry. Both Harry and Horse change at the end of the play. Horse apologizes to Donkey for not helping him. Donkey offers to help Horse carry the laundry, and they work together as a team. In the last scene, Harry apologizes to Daisy for being unfair and not helping her. He wants them to work together on their school project.

Class Discussion: Focus on Teamwork

  • In this play, Harry and Horse both learn an important lesson about working as a team. Ask your students to think of other times when teamwork is important. They might come up with examples from school, home, or in the community. Ask students to brainstorm guidelines for working as a team (for example, share the work fairly), and list them on the board. Students’ ideas may come from the play or their own experiences.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Theme

  • Distribute or digitally assign the Theme Skill Builder.

  • Ask students to write a response to the Think and Write prompt on page 29.

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

Build fluency and boost confidence with unison reading. Choose a scene, preview any challenging words, then assign students two or three of the characters to read aloud together while you take on the other roles.

For Multilingual Learners

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

Have students read a different read-aloud play, based on another of Aesop’s fables, from our October/November 2021 issue. The Ants and the Grasshoppers also offers a lesson on balancing work. Ask students to compare and contrast that play with The Horse and the Donkey, including the differences (if any) in their themes.

Text-to-Speech