Fountas-Pinnell Level MFolktaleSelection SummaryCoyote is tired of being tricked by Rabbit so he decides to teach Rabbit a lesson. When Coyote traps Rabbit in a canyon, Rabbit offers to show Coyote his tricks. With the fi nal trick, Rabbit escapes and leaves Coyote stranded in the canyon.
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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Folktale
Text Structure • Third-person narrative • Problem stated on fi rst page
Content • Desert environment• Rivalry between animal characters• Explanation for animal behaviors
Themes and Ideas • Trickery and one-upsmanship• Trust• Beware of those who play tricks.
Language and Literary Features
• Setting important to plot• Conversational language• Well-known trickster characters (Coyote, Rabbit)
Sentence Complexity • Variety in sentence length• Both dependent and independent clauses
stream – a small, narrow body of water that may fl ow into or out of a river, p. 5
swift – moves very fast, p. 3
tangled – mixed together with something else, p. 10
tumbling – falling and turning over and over, p. 13
Coyote and Rabbit by Roy Lewis
Build BackgroundHelp children think about coyotes and rabbits and share what they know about these animals. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: In a contest to fi nd out who was smarter, do you think a coyote or a rabbit would win? Why? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell children that this story is a folktale, a story that is often told by people of a country or a culture.
Introduce the TextGuide children through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:
Page 3: Explain that this story is about two folktale characters named Coyote and Rabbit. Coyote wants to outsmart Rabbit. Suggested language: Turn to page 3. This picture shows Coyote. Coyote’s problem is that he is swift and clever but Rabbit is always a bit swifter and more clever than he is. So Coyote wants to teach Rabbit a lesson.
Pages 4–5: Direct attention to the illustrations, and explain the situation. Coyote hears Crow and Hawk talking about what happened during a big storm. A rock fell into the canyon, blocking its opening. Look at the picture on page 5. A canyon is a deep, narrow valley. Because the rock has blocked the opening, the stream of water that fl owed through the canyon is now empty. There is no more water in it. This gives Coyote an idea for a plan to trick Rabbit.
Page 7: Look at the picture. Coyote’s plan to trap Rabbit in the canyon seems to have worked. Rabbit sees that there is no way to escape. How do you think Rabbit feels about being trapped in the canyon
Page 9: Direct attention to the illustration. Why do you think Coyote and Rabbit are shaking paws?
Now turn back to the beginning of the story and read to fi nd out what happens to Rabbit and Coyote.
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ReadHave children read Coyote and Rabbit silently while you listen to individual children read. Support their problem solving and fl uency as needed.
Remind children to use the Visualize Strategy , to picture what is happening in the story as they read.
Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite children to share their personal responses to the folktale. Suggested language: Which character in the tale did you like best? Why?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help children understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• Coyote wants to teach Rabbit a lesson.
• Coyote traps Rabbit in the canyon.
• Rabbit promises to teach Coyote his tricks if Coyote will let him go.
• They leave the canyon to practice the last trick, and Rabbit makes Coyote fall back into the canyon.
• Those who play tricks cannot always be trusted.
• You cannot win if you try to trick someone who is more clever.
• The purpose of a folktale is to tell an entertaining story that may teach lessons about a culture.
• Coyote and Rabbit are trickster characters who appear in other tales.
• The story is told from Coyote’s point of view, as the author tells Coyote’s thoughts, but not Rabbit’s.
Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite children to choose a passage from the text to read aloud. Remind them
that they should use punctuation as a guide for making their voice rise (at the end of questions) and fall (at the end of statements).
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the children’s reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind children to go back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind children that when they come to a new word they can look for smaller words within it that they know. For example, in the word canyon on page 4, they can read the smaller word can, then canyon. Continue with these examples from the story: light, lightning; cape, escape; off, offer; use, refuse.
Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave children complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 24.8.
RespondingHave children complete the activities at the back of the book. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension SkillCause and Effect
Target Comprehension Skill Remind children that they can think about how one
event (the cause) in a story makes another event (the effect) happen and why. Model the skill, using this Think Aloud:
Think Aloud
At the end of the story, Coyote trips over Rabbit. What does that cause to happen? It makes Coyote fall into the canyon. The cause is Coyote trips over Rabbit. The effect is Coyote falls into the canyon.
Practice the SkillHave children think of another story in which one event in the story causes another event to happen.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave children write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use what they know and their own experience to think about what happens in the story.
Assessment Prompts• On page 12, what does the word practice mean?
• Rabbit can best be described as __________________________________________.
English Language DevelopmentReading Support Make sure the text matches the child’s reading level. Language and content should be accessible with regular teaching support.
Vocabulary Point out that some words in the English language have come from other languages. In this story, the words coyote and canyon have their basis in Spanish words; coyote comes from coyótl and canyon comes from cañon.
Oral Language DevelopmentCheck children’s comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches their English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the child.
Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: Who is this story about?
Speaker 2: Coyote and Rabbit
Speaker 1: Are Coyote and Rabbit friends?
Speaker 2: no
Speaker 1: Where does Coyote trap Rabbit?
Speaker 2: in the canyon
Speaker 1: What does Rabbit promise Coyote?
Speaker 2: He promises Coyote he will teach him his tricks.
Speaker 1: How does Rabbit trick Coyote at the end of the story?
Speaker 2: He trips Coyote and makes him fall into the canyon.
Read directions to children.
Think About ItRead and answer the questions.
1. What causes the rock to fall into the canyon?
2. How does the conversation between Crow and Hawk
on pages 4 and 5 help you picture what the canyon
is like?
3. Do you think it is fair for Rabbit to trick Coyote?
Why or why not?
Making Connections Half-Chicken and Coyote and Rabbit are both stories about animals. How are they the same? How are they different?
