We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.
How Boots Befooled the King
- Howard Pyle
In this folktale, a wise king offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to whomever can make a fool out of him.Pair “How Boots Befooled the King” with “The Crow and the Pitcher.” Ask students to compare and contrast the main characters in each text. How are the Crow and Boots similar? How are they different? How does their cleverness lead to their individual success?
The Ants and the Grasshopper
- 620-560 BCE
In this fable of Aesop, a grasshopper asks some hard-working ants for help as winter approaches.Pair “The Ants and the Grasshopper” with “The Crow and the Pitcher.” Ask students to compare and contrast the theme(s) in each text. What could the Grasshopper learn from the Crow?
The Rose That Grew from Concrete
- Tupac Shakur
In Tupac Shakur’s “The Rose That Grew from Concrete,” the speaker describes a flower that grew in an unlikely place.Pair “The Crow and the Pitcher” with “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” and ask students to discuss how both texts explore how success is possible despite obstacles. What similar traits help the crow and the rose to succeed? How do they approach adversity differently?
The Little Red Hen
- Florence White Williams
In the classic folktale “The Little Red Hen,” Mrs. Hen works hard despite those around her and is rewarded for her effort in the end.Pair “The Crow and the Pitcher” with “The Little Red Hen” and ask students to compare the characters of Mrs. Hen and the Crow. How do both characters respond to challenges? How do the themes of these texts compare?
Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push
- Walter Dean Myers
In Walter Dean Myers’ short story “Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push,” a boy must change his approach to basketball when he loses the ability to walk.Pair “The Crow and the Pitcher” with “Sometimes a Dream Needs a Push” and ask students to discuss how both texts explore overcoming obstacles. How does the crow’s struggle to reach the water compare to Chris’ struggle to play basketball? How do both characters find solutions to their problems? What similar message do students think the texts are trying to impart on them?
Stop the Hungry Giant Fish
- Pam Calvert
In Pam Calvert’s short story “Stop the Hungry Giant Fish: Based on a Legend from the Island of Guam” a village must come together to save their island from being eaten by a fish.Pair “The Crow and the Pitcher” with “Stop the Hungry Giant Fish: Based on a Legend from the Island of Guam” and ask students to compare how both tales are about using ideas to solve a problem. How does the crow use its wisdom to overcome its challenge? How does the crow’s idea compare to both the men’s approach to dealing with the giant fish in Calvert’s story, and then to the women and maiden’s approach?
Noticing Mistakes Boosts Learning
- Alison Pearce Stevens
In the informational text “Noticing Mistakes Boosts Learning” Alison Pearce Stevens discusses a study that shows the benefits of noticing your mistakes.Pair “The Crow and the Pitcher” with “Noticing Mistakes Boosts Learning” and ask students to compare the main ideas of the two texts. How does the crow learn from his mistakes and eventually succeed in his efforts? How do students think the crow’s actions would be different if he ignored his mistakes instead of learning from them?