The Story of Stone Soup

Three monks travelled along a mountain road. “What makes one happy?” asked the youngest monk. The wisest monk replied, “Let’s find out.” They stopped at a village. It had gone through hard times. The villagers were poor, tired and suspicious of strangers.

“Today we will show the villagers how to make stone soup,” announced the monks. They lit a fire and placed a pot on it. They filled the pot with water from the well. A little girl asked, “What are you doing?”

They said they were making stone soup and needed three stones that were round and smooth. They put the stones in the pot.”Of course, stone soup tastes much better with salt and pepper” said a monk.

An old villager brought salt and pepper and put it in the pot. One of the monks tasted the soup and said that a few carrots would improve the flavour of the soup. A villager dropped a dozen carrots into the soup. One by one the villagers brought cabbage, peas and spinach. It all went into the bubbling pot.

At last, the soup was ready. The villagers sat down to eat the delicious soup. The villagers understood that to be happy is as simple as making stone soup.

For it is in giving that we receive — Saint Francis of Assisi

Please encourage your mentee to memorize this short poem.

Grammar:

Verb conjugation:

I dance
You dance
He, she dances
We dance
They dance

I walk
You walk
He, she walks
We walk
They walk

I drink
You drink
He, she drinks
We drink
They drink

The students repeat the exercise with: eat, sleep, play, laugh, smile.
Depending on the level of the student the sentence can also be completed.

Example:
I drink a cup of tea.
I eat a banana.
I walk in the park.
I sleep at ten o’clock, etc.

Audio courtesy Tara Kriplani: