Performance Task

in
English
Stories and its Elements

Submitted by:
Ador A. Caseres
Submitted to:
Niña D. Dacara
 The Boy Who Cried Wolf
There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the
hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a
great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the
sheep!"
The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the
wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they
found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.
"Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's
no wolf!" They went grumbling back down the hill.
Later, the boy sang out again, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the
sheep!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up
the hill to help him drive the wolf away.
When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your
frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't
cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!"
But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down
the hill once more.
Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he
leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!"
But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so
they didn't come.
At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't
returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to
find the boy. They found him weeping.
"There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out,
"Wolf!" Why didn't you come?"
An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the
village.
"We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said,
putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes a liar...even
when he is telling the truth!"
 The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Title: The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Characters:
The Shepherd Boy: A playful boy who watches over the
sheep.
The Villagers: The people from the village who try to help.
The Wolf: The real danger to the sheep.
An Old Man: A kind villager who gives advice.
Plot:
Beginning: A shepherd boy feels bored while watching his
sheep. For fun, he shouts, "Wolf! Wolf!" The villagers run to
help, but there’s no wolf. The boy laughs, and the villagers get
mad.
Middle: The boy plays the same trick again, shouting, "Wolf!
Wolf!" The villagers rush to help, but again, there’s no wolf.
They warn him not to lie anymore.
Climax: One day, a real wolf comes. The boy cries for help, but
the villagers don’t believe him this time.
Ending: The wolf scatters the sheep, and the boy is left crying.
The villagers find him sad and tell him, "If you keep lying, no
one will believe you when you tell the truth."
Setting:
A grassy hill near a quiet village.
Moral Lesson:
Always tell the truth, because if you lie, people won’t trust you
when you really need help.
 The City Mouse and the
Country Mouse
There once was a mouse who liked his country house until his
cousin came for a visit.
"In the city where I live," his cousin said, "we dine on cheese and
fish and bread. Each night my dinner is brought to me. I eat
whatever I choose. While you, country cousin, work your paws
to the bone for humble crumbs in this humble home. I'm used
to finery. To each his own, I see!"
Upon hearing this, the country mouse looked again at his plain
brown house. Suddenly he wasn't satisfied anymore. "Why
should I hunt and scrape for food to store?" he said. "Cousin, I'm
coming to the city with you!"
Off they went into the fine town house of the plump and
prosperous city mouse.
"Shhh! The people are in the parlor," the city mouse said. "Let's
sneak into the kitchen for some cheese and bread."
The city mouse gave his wide-eyed country cousin a grand tour
of the leftover food on the table. "It's the easy life," the city
mouse said, and he smiled as he bit into a piece of bread.
Just as they were both about to bite into a chunk of cheddar
cheese, in came the CAT!
"Run! Run!" said the city mouse. "The cat's in the house!"
As the country mouse scampered for his life out of the window,
he said, "Cousin, I'm going back to the country! You never told
me that a CAT lives here! Thank you, but I'll take my humble
crumbs in comfort over all of your finery with fear!"
 The City Mouse and the
Country Mouse
Title: The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
Characters:
Country Mouse – A simple and hardworking mouse who
lives in a small home.
City Mouse – A rich and proud mouse who lives in a big
house.
The Cat – A dangerous animal that chases the mice.
Plot:
Beginning: The Country Mouse is happy in his small home
until his City Mouse cousin visits and brags about his rich
and easy life in the city.
Middle: The Country Mouse decides to go with his cousin to
the city. He is amazed by the delicious food in the big house.
Climax: Just as they are about to eat, a big cat appears! The
Country Mouse runs for his life.
Ending: The Country Mouse decides to go back home,
realizing he would rather have a simple, safe life than a
fancy but dangerous one.
Setting:
A small house in the countryside and a big house in the city.
Moral Lesson:
It is better to live a simple and safe life than a rich and
dangerous one.
 Everyone Agrees to Peace

A sly fox tried to trick a rooster into coming down from his
perch.
"Brother Bird," the fox said, "come down and have a friendly
chat!"
"No," said the rooster, "I'm sure you'd eat me."
"Oh, I wouldn't," said the crafty fox, "Haven't you heard?
Everyone has agreed to live in peace."
"Is that so?" said rooster, who was just as crafty.
Stretching his neck, the rooster pretended to look at
something far off in the distance.
"What are you looking at?" asked the fox curiously.
"Oh...Just a pack of hungry fox hounds headed right this
way."
Upon hearing this, the fox trembled in his tracks and ran off.
"Come back!" crowed the rooster, "Why are you running
away? I thought you said that everyone has agreed to live in
peace."
"Well, perhaps those hungry hounds haven't heard about it
yet," said the fox, and he bounded away.
 Everyone Agrees to Peace

Title: Everyone Agrees to Peace

Characters:
Rooster – A smart and cautious bird.
Fox – A sneaky and tricky animal trying to fool the
rooster.
Fox Hounds – The dogs that scare the fox away.
Plot:
Beginning: The sly fox tries to trick the rooster by asking
him to come down for a "friendly chat."
Middle: The rooster knows the fox is lying and comes up
with a plan. He pretends to see fox hounds coming.
Climax: The fox gets scared and starts to run away.
Ending: The rooster laughs and reminds the fox about
"living in peace," but the fox is too afraid and runs away
for good.
Setting:
A tree where the rooster is perched, in the countryside.
Moral Lesson:
Clever thinking can outsmart trickery, and it's always best
to be cautious around those who try to deceive you.
 The Fox and the Crow
There once was a big black crow sitting high up in the trees.
In his beak he had a nice, round cheese.
Along came a fox, as clever as they come, "Mmmm," he
thought. "I'd like to have a bite of that cheese. It will be easy
to get some...."
"Oh crow," called fox, "if your voice is half as beautiful as
those fine feathers I see, it would please my ears to hear you
sing a little melody!"
Well, crow had never heard anyone say such a
complimentary thing. So, he opened up his beak and he
began to squawk and sing.
Down fell the cheese into the waiting mouth of the fox
below.
"Oh no!" squawked the crow, "you've stolen my dinner!"
"Not at all!" said the fox, licking his lips. "It was a fair enough
trade! Vain crow, with your head up in the trees! You got the
compliments, and I got the cheese!"
 The Fox and the Crow
Title: The Fox and the Crow
Characters:
Crow – A proud bird who is tricked by flattery.
Fox – A clever animal who uses compliments to get what
he wants.
Plot:
Beginning: A crow sits high in a tree with a piece of cheese
in his beak. A sneaky fox sees the cheese and wants it.
Middle: The fox flatters the crow by saying he has
beautiful feathers and must have a lovely singing voice.
The crow, feeling proud, opens his beak to sing.
Climax: As the crow sings, the cheese falls, and the fox
grabs it.
Ending: The fox eats the cheese and tells the crow that his
vanity caused him to lose his dinner.
Setting:
A tree in the forest.
Moral Lesson:
Don't let flattery fool you, or you might lose something
important.
 The Honest Woodcutter

"Woe is me!" a poor woodcutter cried when he dropped his ax

into a deep pond. A friendly water spirit appeared before him
with a silver ax and asked, "Is this yours?"
"No," the woodcutter said.
The spirit returned with a golden ax.
"Is this yours?" she asked.
"No," said the woodcutter.
Then the spirit appeared with his plain wooden ax.
"That one is mine!" said the woodcutter happily.
"You've been so honest," said the spirit, "take the gold and
silver ax too!"
On the way home the woodcutter met a rich merchant. When
the merchant heard the woodcutter's tale, he ran to the pond
and dropped HIS wooden ax in.
"Woe is me!" he cried.
The spirit appeared with a silver ax.
"That one is mine!" the merchant said quickly.
"You know it is not," said the spirit, and disappeared.
The rich man's wooden ax stayed on the bottom of the deep
pond.
 The Honest Woodcutter
Title: The Honest Woodcutter
Characters:
Woodcutter – A poor but honest man.
Water Spirit – A magical being who rewards honesty.
Merchant – A rich but greedy man who tries to cheat.
Plot:
Beginning: A poor woodcutter accidentally drops his ax
into a deep pond and is visited by a kind water spirit who
offers him a silver and golden ax.
Middle: The woodcutter honestly says the fancy axes
aren’t his and happily claims his plain wooden ax. The
spirit rewards his honesty by giving him all three axes.
Climax: A greedy merchant hears the story, drops his ax
on purpose, and tries to claim the silver ax dishonestly.
Ending: The spirit punishes the merchant by keeping his
wooden ax, leaving him with nothing.
Setting:
A deep pond in the forest.
Moral Lesson:
Honesty is always rewarded, but greed and dishonesty can
leave you with nothing.