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When Benjamin Franklin was an old man, he wrote a curious letter. In that letter, he told a story. It was about something that happened to him when he was a boy.

Here is the story put into verses, so that you will remember it better. Someday, you can read the story as Franklin told it himself. You will hear people say, 'He paid too much for the whistle.' The saying came from this story.



As Ben with pennies in his pocket

Went strolling down the street,

Toot-toot! toot-toot!" there came a whistle

From a boy he chanced to meet,



Whistling fit to burst his buttons,

Blowing hard and stepping high.

Then Benny said, "I'll buy your whistle;"

But "Toot! toot-toot!" was the reply.



But Benny counted out his pennies,

The whistling boy began to smile;

With one last toot he gave the whistle

To Ben, and took his penny pile.



Now homeward goes the whistling Benny,

As proud as any foolish boy,

And in his pockets not a penny,

But in his mouth a noisy toy.



"Ah, Benny, Benny!" cries his mother,

"I cannot stand your ugly noise."

"Stop, Benny, Benny!" says his father,

"I cannot talk, you drown my voice."



At last, the whistling boy remembers

How much his money might have bought

"Too many pennies for a whistle,"

Is little Benny's ugly thought.



Too many pennies for a whistle

Is what we all pay, you and I,

Just for a little foolish pleasure

Pay a price that's quite too high.

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter about something that happened to him as a boy. This poem tells that story in rhyme. In the poem, Franklin sees a boy happily blowing a whistle. Overcome with longing for the whistle, Franklin buys the whistle for all his pennies. He pays more than he would have in a store. Was it worth it?

Vocabulary

Penny: A one-cent coin.
Stroll: Walk in a relaxed way.
Burst: Break apart violently and spill the contents.
Whistle: A clear, high pitched sound. A device that produces a whistle.
Foolish: A person lacking good judgment.
Pleasure: A feeling of happy satisfaction.
Price: The amount of money something costs.

Concepts

In the US, there are several types of coins currently in circulation.

  1. Pennies are worth one cent.
  2. Nickels are worth five cents.
  3. Dimes are worth ten cents.
  4. Quarters are worth twenty-five cents.
  5. Half dollars are worth fifty cents.
  6. Dollar coins are worth one hundred cents.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Draw the Story

  • Obtain a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.
  • Trace each coin twice on a piece of paper.
  • Study the front and back of each coin. Copy the designs onto the circles you traced.
  • Write the number of cents that each coin represents next to your circles (e.g. 1, 5, 10, and 25).

Activity 3: Color the Story   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 16 of 'History Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 4: Study the Story Picture

Study the picture below of Benjamin Franklin as a boy. Zoom in to see the details, and find the following:

  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Whistle
  • Dog

Review

Question 1

What does Franklin hear as he walks down the street?
1 / 3

Answer 1

Franklin hears a boy blowing a whistle.
1 / 3

Question 2

Why does Franklin give the boy more pennies than a store would charge for the whistle?
2 / 3

Answer 2

Franklin wants the whistle immediately. He does not want to wait.
2 / 3

Question 3

Do you think it was worth it for Franklin pay more to get the whistle immediately versus waiting and paying less?
3 / 3

Answer 3

Answers vary.
3 / 3

  1. What does Franklin hear as he walks down the street? Franklin hears a boy blowing a whistle.
  2. Why does Franklin give the boy more pennies than a store would charge for the whistle? Franklin wants the whistle immediately. He does not want to wait.
  3. Do you think it was worth it for Franklin pay more to get the whistle immediately versus waiting and paying less? Answers vary.

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