The Swallow and the Other Birds: Moral and Lesson Plan

The farmer walked slowly up the field, throwing seed to the left and the right. Behind him hopped a swallow and a crowd of other birds, pecking at whatever they could find.

The swallow stopped and put her head on one side. "Watch out for that man," she said.

"Why?" chirped the others. "What is he doing?"

"That is hemp seed he is sowing. Pick up every seed, every single one, or you will be sorry." But the birds did not even look up. They had found a fat worm.

So the seed stayed in the ground, and the hemp grew. It grew as high as the hedge. Men cut it and twisted it into cord, and they knotted the cord into nets. Then one gray morning the nets were spread across that same field. Down came the birds, as they always did, and many of them were caught, their wings tangled in the very hemp they had left behind.

The swallow looked down from a high branch. "What did I tell you?" she said.

The moral

Stop a small danger before it grows into a big one.

One thing to talk aboutWhy do you think the other birds did not listen to the swallow?

Discussion questions

The birds had found a fat worm. Why is it hard to listen to a warning when what you want is right in front of you?
Do you think the swallow was right to say, "What did I tell you?" Why or why not?
What small problem in our class or school would be easier to fix now than later?

The Swallow and the Other Birds

Discussion questions

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Good night.