The Little Gray Pony

112 Colonial Towns and Townspeople 9 | The Little Gray Pony

 Lesson Objectives

Core Content Objectives

Students will:

 Identify reasons why people who lived in the country traveled to

town

 Describe the different kinds of tradespeople in a colonial town

 Identify, and associate with the appropriate trade, the tools used

by colonial tradespeople

 Explain the necessity of heating objects before a blacksmith can

shape them

Language Arts Objectives

The following language arts objectives are addressed in this

lesson. Objectives aligning with the Common Core State

Standards are noted with the corresponding standard in

parentheses. Refer to the Alignment Chart for additional standards

that are addressed in all lessons in this domain.

Students will:

 With prompting and support, retell the story “The Little Gray

Pony,” including the characters, setting, and plot, and events of

the story in proper sequence (using narrative words ﬁ rst, next,

later, and ﬁ nally)

(RL.K.2)

 With prompting and support, identify the characters, setting,

and plot in their retelling of the story “The Little Gray Pony”

(RL.K.3)

 Listen to a variety of texts, including  ctional stories such as

“The Little Gray Pony”

(RL.K.5)

The Little Gray Pony

Colonial Towns and Townspeople 9 | The Little Gray Pony 113

 Demonstrate understanding of frequently occuring verbs and

adjectives, such as merry and downcast, by relating them to

their opposites (antonyms)

(L.K.5b)

Core Vocabulary

coal, n. A black, soft stone that, when burned, creates heat

Example: Old-fashioned trains used to burn coal to run their engines.

Variation(s): coals

downcast, adj. Sad

Example: I was feeling downcast because I was moving away from all

of my friends.

Variation(s): none

haste, n. A rush or hurry

Example: I scribbled the rest of my picture in haste, instead of carefully

coloring it, because it was time to go home.

Variation(s): none

merry, adj. Happy and jolly

Example: I loved the music so much that I sang along in a merry voice.

Variation(s): merrier, merriest

miner, n. A tradesperson who digs into the ground for valuable minerals,

like coal or gold

Example: The miner struck something hard under the dirt with his

pickax.

Variation(s): miners

At a Glance

Exercise Materials Minutes

Introducing the Read-Aloud

Essential Background Information

or Terms

Purpose for Listening

Presenting the Read-Aloud

The Little Gray Pony

Discussing the Read-Aloud

Comprehension Questions

Word Work:

Merry and Downcast



Complete Remainder of the Lesson Later in the Day

Extensions

Image Review

On Stage

114 Colonial Towns and Townspeople 9A | The Little Gray Pony

Introducing the Read-Aloud 10 minutes

Essential Background Information or Terms

Review the previous read-aloud about the blacksmith, highlighting

the tools that were essential to the blacksmith’s trade. Review the

role of the forge, and the importance of  re in heating the metal.

Ask, “You might start a  re with a match, but what else do you put

in the  replace to keep the  re burning?” (Answers may vary.)

Tell students that one way to make  re burn for a long time is to

use coal. Show students image 8A-3 (hot coals). Explain that when

coal is lit, it burns for a long time.

Purpose for Listening

Tell students to listen to a  ctional story about a tradesperson who

provides coal.

The Little Gray Pony

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Presenting the Read-Aloud 10 minutes

The Little Gray Pony

 Show image 9A-1: Man happily riding his pony along the road

There was once a man who owned a little gray pony.

Every morning when the dewdrops

were still hanging on the

pink clover

in the meadows, and the birds were singing their

morning song, the man would jump on his pony and ride away,

clippety, clippety, clap!

The pony’s four small hoofs played the jolliest tune on the

smooth pike road, the pony’s head was always high in the air, and

the pony’s two little ears were always pricked up; for he was a

merry gray pony, and loved to go clippety, clippety, clap!

The man rode to town and to country,

to church and to market,

uphill and downhill; and one day he heard something fall with a

clang on a stone in the road. Looking back, he saw a horseshoe

lying there. And when he saw it, he cried out:

“What shall I do? What shall I do?

If my little gray pony has lost a shoe?”

 Show image 9A-2: Man behind the pony

Then down he jumped, in a great hurry, and looked at one of

the pony’s forefeet; but nothing was wrong.

He lifted the other

forefoot, but the shoe was still there. He examined one of the

hindfeet,

and began to think that he was mistaken; but when he

looked at the last foot, he cried again:

“What shall I do? What shall I do?

My little gray pony has lost a shoe!”

3 What do you think merry means?

4 What is the country?

1 or little drops of water

2 a type of  ower

5 forefeet are the horse’s front feet

6 What do you suppose hindfeet are?

(back feet)

7 Why is the man upset that one of

the pony’s horseshoes has fallen

o ? What does a horseshoe do?

[Explain that with one shoe o the

pony can start to limp and become

lame.]

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 Show image 9A-3: Man talking to blacksmith

Then he made haste

to go to the blacksmith, and when he

saw the smith, he called out to him:

“Blacksmith! Blacksmith! I’ve come to you;

My little gray pony has lost a shoe!”

But the blacksmith answered and said:

“How can I shoe your pony’s feet,

Without some coal, the iron to heat?”

The man was downcast when he heard this;

but he left his

little gray pony in the blacksmith’s care, while he hurried here and

there to buy the coal.

 Show image 9A-4: Man talking to storekeeper

First of all he went to the store; and when he got there, he said:

“Storekeeper! Storekeeper! I’ve come to you;

My little gray pony has lost a shoe!

And I want some coal, the iron to heat,

That the blacksmith may shoe my pony’s feet.”

But the storekeeper answered and said:

“Now, I have apples and candy to sell,

And more nice things than I can tell;

But I’ve no coal, the iron to heat,

That the blacksmith may shoe your pony’s feet.”

Then the man went away sighing, and saying:

“What shall I do? What shall I do?

My little gray pony has lost a shoe!”

 Show image 9A-5: Man talking to farmer

By and by he met a farmer coming to town with a wagon full of

good things;

and he said:

“Farmer! Farmer! I’ve come to you;

8 or hurried

9 [Use di erent voices for the man

and the people he talks to, to

distinguish the characters from

each other and the narration.]

10 To shoe means to put the horseshoe

on the horse. Coal is a soft, black

stone that, when burned, gives o

a steady, lasting heat.

11 What do you think downcast

means?

12 Where would you go to buy

something?

13 Why might the farmer be coming

to town?

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My little gray pony has lost a shoe!

And I want some coal, the iron to heat,

That the blacksmith may shoe my pony’s feet.”

Then the farmer answered the man and said:

“I’ve bushels of corn and hay and wheat,

Something for you and your pony to eat;

But I’ve no coal, the iron to heat,

That the blacksmith may shoe your pony’s feet.”

So the farmer drove away and left the man standing in the road,

sighing and saying:

“What shall I do? What shall I do?

My little gray pony has lost a shoe!”

 Show image 9A-6: Man talking to miller

In the farmer’s wagon, full of good things, he saw corn, which

made him think of the mill, so he hastened there, and called to the

dusty miller:

“Miller! Miller! I’ve come to you;

My little gray pony has lost a shoe,

And I want some coal, the iron to heat,

That the blacksmith may shoe my pony’s feet.”

The miller came to the door in surprise, and when he heard

what was needed, he said:

“I have wheels that go round and round,

And stones to turn till the grain is ground;

But I’ve no coal, the iron to heat,

That the blacksmith may shoe your pony’s feet.”

 Show image 9A-7: Man on rock, and woman approaching

Then the man turned away sorrowfully

and sat down on a

rock near the roadside, sighing and saying:

“What shall I do? What shall I do?

15 Do you think the miller will have

coal? What would the miller have?

16 or sadly

14 Do you think the farmer will have

coal?

118 Colonial Towns and Townspeople 9A | The Little Gray Pony

My little gray pony has lost a shoe!”

After a while a very old woman came down the road, driving a

 ock of geese to market, and when she came near the man, she

stopped to ask him his trouble. He told her all about it, and when

she had heard it all, she laughed till her geese joined in with a

cackle;

and she said:

“If you would know where the coal is found,

You must go to the miner, who works in the ground.”

 Show image 9A-8: Man talking to miner

Then the man sprang to his feet, and, thanking the old woman,

he ran to the miner.

Now the miner had been working and looking

for coal many a long day down in the mine, under the ground,

where it was so dark that he had to wear a lamp on the front of his

cap to light him at his work! He had plenty of black coal ready and

gave great lumps of it to the man, who took them in haste to the

blacksmith.

 Show image 9A-9: Man smiles as blacksmith hammers horseshoes

The blacksmith lit his great red  re, and hammered out four,

 ne, new shoes with a cling! and a clang! and fastened

them on

with a rap! and a tap! Then away rode the man on his little gray

pony, clippety, clippety, clap!

Discussing the Read-Aloud 15 minutes

Comprehension Questions 10 minutes

1. Inferential Why does the pony make a clippety, clippety, clap

sound when it walks?

(Its horseshoes are hitting against the

surface of the road.)

2. Inferential Where and why did the man go when he noticed

his pony was missing a shoe?

(to the blacksmith, because

blacksmiths make horseshoes; horseshoes protect the pony’s

hooves.)

3. Literal Why couldn’t the blacksmith make the pony a new

horseshoe?

(He had no coal to make a  re.)

17 She’s laughing because she knows

who has the coal. Do you have any

ideas?

18 What is haste?

19 Remember, fastened means to

attach, so he put them on.

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4. Evaluative Why did the man leave his pony at the blacksmith’s

shop instead of riding him when he went to go  nd coal?

(He

didn’t want to take the pony with him, because the pony might

hurt its hoof by walking without a horseshoe.)

5. Evaluative What do you think might happen to a pony or horse

if it continued to walk without a horseshoe?

(Its hoof would

get sore; the pony might start to limp, or injure its leg.)

6. Literal Which tradesperson did he meet when he went to the store?

(storekeeper) What did the storekeeper have? (apples and candy)

7. Inferential Which tradesperson did he meet on the road?

(farmer) What did the farmer have? (corn, hay, and wheat)

8. Inferential Which tradesperson did he meet next? (miller) What

did the miller have?

( our)

9. Inferential Which tradesperson did the old woman tell the man he

needed to  nd?

(miner) What did the miner give the man? (coal)

10.

Evaluative The little gray pony only lost one shoe. Why do you

think the blacksmith made him four new ones instead of just

one?

(Answers may vary but might include that he might injure

his leg or hoof if he wasn’t balanced.)

[Please continue to model the Think Pair Share process for students,

as necessary, and scaffold students in their use of the process.]

I am going to ask a question. I will give you a minute to think about

the question, and then I will ask you to turn to your neighbor and

discuss the question. Finally, I will call on several of you to share

what you discussed with your partner.

11.

Evaluative Think Pair Share: Remember, the miner gave the

man coal when no one else could. We heard in the last read-

aloud that the blacksmith was one of the the most important

tradespeople in town, but if he needs coal to do his job, do

you think that the miner would be the most important? [Lead

the students in a discussion of how each job is unique and

important depending on the need or the situation.] Which trade

would you have liked to do and why?

(Answers may vary.)

12. After hearing today’s read-aloud and questions and answers,

do you have any remaining questions? [If time permits, you may

120 Colonial Towns and Townspeople 9A | The Little Gray Pony

wish to allow for individual, group, or class research of the text

and/or other resources to answer these remaining questions.]

Word Work: Merry and Downcast 5 minutes

1. In the read-aloud you heard, “The pony’s four small hoofs

played the jolliest tune on the smooth pike road, the pony’s

head was always high in the air, and the pony’s two little ears

were always pricked up; for he was a merry gray pony, and

loved to go clippety, clippety, clap!”

2. Say the word merry with me.

3. Merry is another word for happy.

4. Monique was merry on her birthday and celebrated the

special day with all of her friends.

5. Tell me about a time when you or someone you know was

merry. Use the word merry when you tell about it. (Ask two

or three students. If necessary, guide and/or rephrase the

students’ responses: “I was merry when . . . ”)

6. What is the word we’ve been talking about?

Use an Antonyms activity for follow-up. Directions: The opposite of

merry is downcast, or sad. If you think the event I describe would

make you merry, say, “That would make me feel merry.” If you

think the event I describe would make you downcast, say, “That

would make me feel downcast.”

1. Your ice cream cone melted and you had to throw it away.

(That would make me feel downcast.)

2. Your mom said you could go to a friend’s house. (That would

make me feel merry.)

3. Your cat was sick. (That would make me feel downcast.)

4. You got a new bicycle. (That would make me feel merry.)

5. You read a great book. (That would make me feel merry.)

6. You spilled paint on your favorite shirt. (That would make me

feel downcast.)

Complete Remainder of the Lesson Later in the Day

Colonial Towns and Townspeople 9B | The Little Gray Pony 121

Extensions 15 minutes

Image Review

One by one, show images 9A-1 through 9A-9. Ask students to

explain what is happening in each picture. Help them to create a

continuous narrative retelling the story. As the students discuss

each image, remember to repeat and expand upon each response

using richer and more complex language, including, if possible,

any read-aloud vocabulary. Also, encourage the use of temporal

vocabulary to help in introducing and sequencing events: ﬁ rst,

then, next, later, ﬁ nally, etc.

Encourage students to use literary language (characters, setting,

plot, etc.) as they retell the story. During the  rst retelling, support

students’ performance with detailed completion prompts: “First,

the man went to see the .” In subsequent retellings, have

the students take on greater responsibility for structuring the

narrative.

On Stage

Tell students that they are g o i n g t o a c t o u t The Little Gray

Pony. Tell them that you will be the narrator and they will be the

characters in the story. Explain that the narrator is someone who

tells a story. Ask them what characters are needed. (the man,

the blacksmith, the storekeeper, the farmer, the miller, the miner)

Decide who will be the various characters. Have several men,

blacksmiths, storekeepers, farmers, millers, and miners so that all

students get to participate. Remind the various characters what

they will need to say, and talk about gestures that they may use.

For example, the charcters may shake their heads when saying,

“But I’ve no coal, the iron to heat.” Reread the read-aloud for

students to dramatize.

The Little Gray Pony