Fables, using Benjamin Franklin's Saying as Morals

Written by the

Second Grade in April and May, 2008

Mrs. Rivera’s Class

Listen to the Doctor

Once there was a man named Steve who worked at a chocolate factory.  He couldn’t get out of bed in the morning because he stayed up late every night watching T.V.  In addition, he became very fat and then caught the flu because he didn’t eat properly.  His friend Herman was a very successful doctor who went to see his patients early in the morning.  Herman went to bed every night at 8:00. He ate green vegetables and other good things even though he hated them.  Steve called his friend, Dr. Herman, to his house.  Dr. Herman told Steve that he needed to change the way he lived or he wouldn’t live a long, healthy life.

Moral:

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

 Stewart’s First Job

Once there was a man named Stewart.  He was looking for a job but nobody would hire him.  He went into McDonald’s for lunch.  He mentioned that he needed a job.  They said that he had to take a test to see if he would be good for the job. Stewart didn’t want to take the test and so he just wrote down anything.  He failed the test and didn’t get the job.  He went to another McDonald’s and retook the test.  He put more effort into his answers this time and he PASSED.  He was very happy and started his job the next day.

Moral:

No gains without pains.

Carl’s Bad Week

Once there was man named Carl who had a wonderful wife named Michelle.  She did all of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry in their home.  Carl was lying in bed doing NOTHING while Michelle did everything!  But the problem was that Carl did not appreciate his wife.  He started changing his clothes ten times a day and Michelle had MORE work to do. Michelle yelled at Carl.  She told him, “Get up out of bed and do the laundry!  It’s mostly yours!”  So, Carl listened to his wife and started doing the laundry and appreciating his wife.  His health got better and better each day because he got out of bed to help, stopped watching so much T.V. and started eating better food. And he owed it all to Michelle.

Moral:

A good Wife & Health, is a Man's best Wealth.

Ms. Keane's Class

Zack’s Secret

Zack, the athlete, had a secret. He had a funny birthmark on his behind.   He told his girlfriend, Susie, who told her best friend all about it.  Susie’s friend told EVERYONE, so Zack dumped Susie. And he learned--

Moral:

Three may keep a Secret, if two of them are dead.

                                                Jackie’s Dream

Jackie Rob wanted to be a professional baseball player.  When he was fourteen he started working out with heavy weights which made him STRONG.  He practiced grounding, fielding, and batting every day.  Jackie got better every day.    One day he got a call from the Staten Island Yankees, one of the local minor league teams.  After he got the call, he ran right to the gym to work out. He played for two years in the minors and then he got a call from the New York Yankees.  He made so much  money that he was able to hire a servant.

Moral: No gains without pains.

Ms. Mariani’s Class

The Soccer Game

One day a lion organized a soccer game.  He was the highest scorer

 of his team. But during the game, Zebra, who was on the other

 team, tackled him and broke his nose.  However, lion kept playing and made three more goals and he said,

Moral:  No gains without pains.

The Lost Bat

Jake was getting ready to play baseball.  He needed his bat, mitt, and ball. He found his mitt and ball but couldn’t find his bat.  He really needed his bat but since he couldn’t find it, he used a wooden stick.   When he hit the ball, the stick cracked in half.  And he realized. . .

Moral:  When the Well's dry, we know the Worth of Water.

The Big Secret

Dan was a great hockey player.  There was a secret to his success that he had never told anyone.   He met Declan, another great hockey player from another team, and shared his secret, which was that he could make the hockey puck change direction at any time and swerve toward the goal.

Declan told Dan’s secret and the players on Dan’s team wouldn’t leave him alone.  They all wanted to know how he did it.  He wouldn’t tell his teammates his technique, so the team told their coach to replace Dan on the line.  And Dan learned. . .

Moral: 

Three may keep a Secret, if two of them are dead.

Mrs. Napolitano's Class

The Game and the Tickets

One day Brendan’s dad got two tickets for a Yankees vs, Mets game.  Brendan’s dad told him not to tell anyone, but Brendan told his best friend, John.  John asked Brendan if he could go to the game with them, but Brendan had to tell his friend, no, because he and his dad didn’t have three tickets.  John began to argue with his friend, Brendan.  Brendan punched John in the face.  John tried to steal the tickets from Brendan’s dad, but he got caught.  All of this happened because Brendan told his secret.

Moral:

Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.

The Football Injury

One day Nick was playing football.  He twisted his ankle and  couldn’t play for a month.  His friend, Athena, came over to  his house and asked him if he wanted to play baseball.  But instead of telling her about his ankle, he told her that she was too mean to play with.  Athena slammed the door to Nick’s house, said that she hated Nick and never talked to him again.

Moral:  A Slip of the Foot you may soon recover:
But a Slip of the Tongue you may never get over.

The Bad Kids

Ryan and John  were bad!  They broke windows, put thumbtacks on the teacher’s chair, and  stole stuff from the hardware store.  One day they saw two new boys in the park, Matthew and Naoki.  Matt and Ni were good boys who didn’t get into trouble.  They helped older people to cross the streets,  took care of animals who were injured, gave money to charity, and stopped being bad.  Ryan and John changed their ways because of who they were hanging out with.   They started to help all people and things.

Moral:  A good Example is the best sermon.

Mrs. Carter’s Class

The Lady Who Ruined Her Life

Once there was a woman named Lucy.  She loved donuts.  Every day she bought three donuts and a coffee, and took them to her office to share with her friends.  She used her credit card every single time she bought them.  She maxed out her credit card.  She ruined her life.  It took many years for her to pay off her card.

Moral:

Beware of little expenses; a little leak may sink a great ship.

Bob, the Potato Man

Once there was a man named Bob who got fired from his job.  His wife worked while he stayed home.  He sat around on his couch all day, watching T.V.  He was such a couch potato that he wouldn’t exercise and got really fat.  He went to bed at 2 A.M. and woke up at 12:30 P.M.  The only foods he ate were melted chocolate, ice cream, cupcakes, and pie. 

One day his wife told him that he wasn’t healthy anymore.  He joined Weight Watchers and started eating healthy.  He got a new job and started going to bed at 8:37 P.M.  He felt MUCH better and then he realized. . .

Moral:

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.