Cows Show How to Ask for Change
Read Aloud, Write Away
Children who read Click, Clack, MOO: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin are treated to a tale about literate cows who write letters asking for electric blankets from Farmer Brown. With an old typewriter found in the barn, the cows explain that they get cold at night. The chickens get cold, too, and soon join the cows. Farmer Brown refuses them both, finding it ridiculous that the animals have demands. He has some of own. But when the cows stop milking and the chickens stop laying eggs, Farmer Brown doesn’t have much of a farm anymore. He gives the animals the blankets they ask for and takes away the typewriter in return. No more demands from those pesky farm animals, or so Farmer Brown thinks.
We don’t know why Farmer Brown thought it unreasonable to protect his animals from the cold or why instead of asking for blankets the animals didn’t ask for central air. What we do know is that by communicating their needs intelligently, the animals got what they wanted while the farmer restored his supplies of milk and eggs. Typing cows aside, the story is familiar. Where else have we seen dissatisfied groups politely articulate their ideas and disagreements in a well-crafted letter? All throughout history.
Among the most famous of letters are the Epistles of Paul, which comprise parts of the Bible’s New Testament. In 2012, a young, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai famously wrote a letter to oppose an organization’s stance on education inequality for girls. Another historical figure, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote a famous letter from a Birmingham jail petitioning supporters of civil rights to take swift action.
Click, Clack, MOO: Cows That Type is an amusing story that shows how letters can be used to facilitate change. This week’s activity sheet builds on the lesson that children learn by asking them to write their own letter to ask for something.
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HoneyB3E’s activity sheet this week helps children learn how to write a persuasive letter. Click below to download a copy for free.
Get your own copy of Click, Clack, MOO: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin at this affiliate link or from your local library.