U S S port folio

skit

THE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN

NARRATOR
North Wind and Sun are discussing which of them is strongest.

NORTH WIND
I am stronger than you!

SUN
No, my friend, I am stronger than you.

NORTH WIND
Look, there is a traveler.
Whichever one of us can make him take off his coat
wins the argument.

SUN
Agreed. After you.

NARRATOR
Wind tries to affect the traveler.
He blows and howls with all his might.

TRAVELER
Good grief! It's a storm. I am very cold!

NARRATOR
The poor man pulls his coat more tightly around
his body to warm up.

NORTH WIND
Drat! It is not working! Now, it is your turn.

SUN
I will try.

NARRATOR
Sun shines with all his might.

TRAVELER
What strange weather! Now I am very hot.

NARRATOR
The traveler feels so warm that he takes off his coat.

NORTH WIND
Well Sun, you are stronger than I!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: Gentleness works better than force.
(Persuasion works better than force.)

THE BUNDLE OF STICKS

NARRATOR
A father who is about to die calls his children to him.s

FATHER
Come here, my children. I will give you my advice.

SONS
We are here, Father, and we are listening.

FATHER
Take this bundle of sticks.

OLDEST SON
Father, a bundle of sticks is not important.

FATHER
Break the bundle for me.

OLDEST SON
Yes, Father

NARRATOR
The boy tries to bend and break the bundle without success.

OLDEST SON
No way! It is impossible!

SECOND SON
Let me break the bundle!

YOUNGEST SON
Me too!

NARRATOR
The other sons try to break the bundle also.
No one can do it.

FATHER
All right then, undo the bundle and each of you take a single stick.

NARRATOR
Each son obeys the father.

FATHER
Now, break the sticks!

NARRATOR
Each boy easily snaps his stick.

SONS
Wow! That is so easy!

FATHER
Alone, you are weak. Together, my sons, you are powerful!

NARRATOR
Moral of the story: Together we are stronger.
(Unity gives strength)

THE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL

NARRATOR
One day, a young milkmaid goes to market.

MILKMAID
Great, I have a big bucket of fresh milk. It will be worth
a lot of money for me!

NARRATOR
While walking along, she dreams of what she might get.

MILKMAID
First, I buy some chickens from the Farmer.

FARMER
Here are some chickens, miss. They lay eggs every day.

MILKMAID
Then, I sell the eggs to the wife of the Mayor.

WIFE of the MAYOR
Here is the money for the fresh eggs, my little one.

MILKMAID
Next, I buy a new dress and a pretty hat.

DRESSMAKER
What colour for your dress, miss?

MILKMAID
Green, of course!

NARRATOR
The young girl continues to dream.

MILKMAID
I wear my new outfit.

YOUNG MEN
Wow! What a beautiful young girl!

MILKMAID
I ignore them.

YOUNG MEN
What is your name, my dear?

MILKMAID
I toss my head like this!

NARRATOR
The pail falls to the ground and the milk spills all over.

MILKMAID
Alas! I am no friends, no new clothes, no money, no eggs, no chickens and no milk.

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: Do not count your chickens
before they are hatched.

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

NARRATOR
One day, the Grasshopper meets the Ant.

GRASSHOPPER
What a beautiful day! I love to jump and sing.ss
He he he! Ho ho ho!

ANT
I carry wheat all day. I'm tired!

GRASSHOPPER
Why work? Sing with me!

ANT
I have to do this. it's for the winter!

GRASSHOPPER
That's a lot of work for nothing!

ANT
I must work now.

GRASSHOPPER
Boring!

NARRATOR
When winter comes. The ant is happy.

ANT
I have enough wheat. I can take it easy.

GRASSHOPPER
It's cold. Poor me! Nothing to eat, nothing to drink. Good-bye!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: He who prepares lives.
(Prepare for days of necessity.)

THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES

NARRATOR
A lark has her nest in a field of spring wheat.

LARK
Ah! My beautiful little babies are almost adults.
Their feathers are complete.

NARRATOR
Then the farmer arrives and looks over his field.

FARMER
The wheat is ready to gather. I must ask my neighbours to
help me with the harvest.

LITTLE BIRD #1
Mama! We must move!

LARK
Not yet, my son. His friends are not doing anything.

NARRATOR
A little later, the farmer comes again.

FARMER
The wheat is perfect.
Tomorrow I will do the harvest myself!

NARRATOR
Lark hears his words.

LARK
Now is the time for action, my little ones.

LITTLE BIRD #2
Why, Mama?

LARK
The farmer himself is doing the work!

LITTLE BIRD #3
Let's go!

The moral of the story: Depend on yourself more than on others.
(Self-help is the best help.)

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NARRATOR
One summer day, the Crow looks for something to drink.

CROW
It's hot! I'm thirsty! Aha! A pitcher of water!

NARRATOR
But there is only a little water in the pitcher.

CROW
My beak is too big! The pitcher is very narrow! Bah!

NARRATOR
Does Crow give up hope? No! He keeps trying.

CROW
Aha! I have a good idea!

NARRATOR
One after the other, Crow drops many stones into the pitcher.

CROW
One, two, three ...

NARRATOR
Plop, plop, plop. Little by little, the water rises in the pitcher.

CROW
I can drink as much as I want! Ah! It's cold and good!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: When you need something
you can find a way.

(Necessity is the mother of invention)

THE FROG AND THE OX

NARRATOR
At the side of a pond sit a small frog and a large bullfrog.

LITTLE FROG
Oh Daddy, there is a terrible monster! He is as big as a mountain.
He has two horns on his head, a long tail and hooves split in two!

NARRATOR
The bullfrog is very vain.

BULLFROG
Tsk, tsk, my child, it is only the farmer's ox.
He is a little bigger than I am.

LITTLE FROG
Oh, Daddy! He is huge!

BULLFROG
Watch! I can become as big as he is!

NARRATOR
Bullfrog breathes in a lot of air and puffs himself up.

BULLFROG
Is the ox as big as I am?

LITTLE FROG
Bigger than that, Daddy.

NARRATOR
Again, the bullfrog breathes in to puff himself up more,
and then asks the same question.

BULLFROG
Is the ox as big as I am?

LITTLE FROG
Bigger than that , Daddy.

NARRATOR
Once more the bullfrog breathes in and puffs himself
up as much as possible, and again he asks the question.

BULLFROG
Is the ox as big as I am?

NARRATOR
But at this moment, he bursts like a balloon stuck with a pin.

LITTLE FROG
Oh Daddy, you are all flat!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: Vanity will often destroy you.
(Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction.)

THE BAT, THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS

NARRATOR
The Birds and the Beasts are ready to start a terrible war.

BIRDS
Squawk! Squawk! Down with the Beasts!

BEASTS
Grrr! Grrr! Down with the Birds!

NARRATOR
Bat is not sure about which group to join.

BAT
What should I do?

BIRDS
Squawk! Squawk!! Bat, you have wings. Join us!

BAT
But, I am a Beast.

BEASTS
Grrr! Grrr! Bat, you have teeth. Join us!

BAT
I am a Bird.

NARRATOR
When the war begins, the Birds seem stronger.

BAT
I fight against the Beasts! Down with the Beasts!

NARRATOR
Later, the Beasts seem stronger.

BAT
I fight against the Birds. Down with the Birds!

NARRATOR
Happily, the enemies decide to make peace and end the war.

BAT
Hey, Birds! I am your friend!

BIRDS
Squawk! Squawk! Down with the Bat!

NARRATOR
The Birds all fly away.

BAT
Hey, Beasts! I am your friend!

BEASTS
Grrr! Grrr! Down with Bat, the traitor!

NARRATOR
All the Beasts attack the Bat.

BAT
Alas! Poor me!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: Choose your friends wisely
and remain faithful.

THE BAT, THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS

NARRATOR
The Frogs are at war with each other.

BLUE FROGS
Blue! Blue! We are blue! We are best!

GREEN FROGS
Green! Green! We are green! We are best!

NARRATOR
However, many Frogs wanted peace and order.
They went to Jupiter, the King of the Sky.

SPOTTED FROGS
O great Jupiter! Give us a king who will tell us what to do.

JUPITER
Silly Frogs! Here is your King!

NARRATOR
He throws a tree trunk down into the marsh.

BLUE and GREEN FROGS
It is only the trunk of a tree. Bah!

BLUE FROGS
Blue! Blue! We are blue! We are best!

GREEN FROGS
Green! Green! We are green! We are best!

NARRATOR
The Spotted Frogs complain to Jupiter.

SPOTTED FROGS
This log king does nothing. We want a real King
who will give us the law!

NARRATOR
Jupiter gets angry because the Frogs are all crazy.

JUPITER
Here is a Stork, a hungry ruler!

NARRATOR
The Stork immediately begins to swallow the Frogs.

STORK
Gulp. Gulp. Mmmm, yummy little Frogs. I will try a blue one.

FROGS
Oh no! Alas! Help us, Jupiter!

JUPITER
No! You must live with your new ruler.
This is what you demand from me!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: Better no rule than cruel rule.

THE FOX AND THE CROW

NARRATOR
Here is the beautiful Crow.
She has a piece of cheese in her beak.

CROW
Mm mm mmm!

NARRATOR
She can't speak with a piece of cheese in her beak.
Fox enters.

NARRATOR
Here comes the Fox. He is very smart.

FOX
What a lovely bird! What wonderful colours!
What feathers!

NARRATOR
The Crow can't answer with a piece of cheese in her mouth.

CROW
Mmmm mmmm!

FOX
Sing for me, O Queen of Birds!

NARRATOR
The Crow is so flattered that she decides to sing for the Fox.
She opens her beak!

CROW
Grak! Graaak! Grak! Oh no, I dropped the cheese!

FOX
Thank you for the cheese, madam. You have a voice;
you don't have any common sense. Mm! It's delicious!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: Don't get fooled by compliments.
(Flattery is often trickery.)

THE FOX AND THE GRAPES

NARRATOR
Here comes the Fox who is very hungry.
He is looking for something to eat.

FOX
Aha! A bunch of grapes! There's my lunch!

NARRATOR
The grapes are high up in a tree. The Fox jumps.

FOX
Drat! I'll try again.

NARRATOR
The Fox jumps and jumps and jumps ... without success.

FOX
I'm tired out!

NARRATOR
He is so tired and weak that he can't jump any more.

FOX
Those grapes are probably sour anyway.
I'll look somewhere else.

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: It's easy to hate what you
cannot get.

(It is easy to despise what you cannot get.)

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE

NARRATOR
One day, the Hare meets the Tortoise.

HARE
You are so heavy and clumsy, Tortoise.

TORTOISE
Yes, but in a race, I am better.

HARE
Impossible! I'm the fastest animal in the forest.

TORTOISE
Maybe! Fox, you be the referee.

FOX
Okay!

NARRATOR
The Fox is very amused. The two runners line up.

FOX
One, two, three, go!

NARRATOR
In the middle of the race, the Hare stops.

HARE
I can easily catch up to Tortoise.

NARRATOR
The Tortoise walks on step by step without stopping.
The Hare naps for a while and then wakes up.

HARE
Oh no, I'm behind. No problem! I'm fast!

NARRATOR
He runs as fast as he can.

FOX
Too late, Hare. Tortoise is already here!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: He who keeps going wins the race.

(Slow and steady wins the race.)

THE OAK AND THE REEDS

NARRATOR
One autumn day, a storm blows through the forest
and over the stream.

OAK
I am the king of the forest. I can stand up against the wind!

REEDS
We are weak. We bend in the wind!

NARRATOR
Then the storm becomes a hurricane!

OAK
I am strong. I can still resist the wind!

The Oak falls to the ground.

NARRATOR
The large Oak falls into the stream between the Reeds.

REEDS
Oh no, look! The king of the forest is blown over by the wind.

OAK
You are still standing. I am on the ground. Why?

REEDS
(One at a time)
You are too proud, Mister Oak.
You fight against the strong and terrible winds. You are ruined.
We bend before the slightest breeze. Then we stay standing.

NARRATOR
The moral if the story : It is better to bend than to break.

THE FARMER AND THE STORK

NARRATOR
One spring day, a farmer sets a trap in his field.

FARMER
The birds are eating my seeds.
I'll get those birds!

NARRATOR
Soon, he traps some cranes.

CRANES
Oh! Alas! Help!

FARMER
You are finished!

NARRATOR
Among the cranes, there is a stork.

STORK
Sir! Let me go!

FARMER
You are eating seeds like the others!

STORK
I am not a crane, I am a stork of good reputation.
Look at my feathers!

NARRATOR
The farmer is not moved by the stork's speech.

FARMER
I trapped you with the other thieves. You are a thief also!

NARRATOR
Then the farmer kills not only the cranes,
but also the unlucky stork.

FARMER
Crane or stork, it is all the same when you are a thief.

NARRATOR
The moral of the story : If you are friends with thieves,
too bad for you.

THE ANT AND THE DOVE

NARRATOR
A thirsty ant goes to the river to drink some fresh water.

ANT
I am so thirsty! There's the river. I must go down there to drink.

NARRATOR
Half way down, the ant slips and falls into the swift running river.

ANT
Help! Help!

NARRATOR
A dove sees the ant in danger.

DOVE
Oh no! The ant is in trouble!

NARRATOR
She drops some leaves into the river near the ant.

DOVE
Climb onto a leaf!

NARRATOR
The ant climbs onto a leaf and floats to the shore.
A hunter enters.

HUNTER
Aha! A dove I can trap!

NARRATOR
The ant sees the hunter hiding behind a tree
with a trap in his hand.

ANT
The dove is in danger!

NARRATOR
The ant walks over to the hunter and pricks his heel.

HUNTER
Ow! Ow! My foot!

NARRATOR
The dove hears the cries and flies away.

DOVE
Many thanks, my little friend!

ANT
You are very welcome!

NARRATOR
The moral of the story: One good deed deserves another.

KETCHUP

BOY: Mommy I can’t get the ketchup to come out of the bottle.

MOM: Let me try. You have to hit the side like this.

PHONE RINGS.

BOY: I’ll get it.

MOM: Thank you darling. Tell them I’ll be right there.

BOY: Hello….. Mommy, it’s the minister!…. My mommy can’t come to the phone right now. She’s hitting the bottle.

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