Fables Lesson Plans

Students analyze fables and trickster tales from various cultural traditions. In this fable analysis lesson, students identify the elements of fables and trickster stories. Students read Aesop's fables and Ananse spider stories. Students list human traits associate with animals in the stories and compare and contrast the themes in the tales. Students choose a moral and write an original fable for it.

Students identify the definition, understand the elements and trickster stories, and recognize Aesop's fables and Anansi spider stories. They analyze specific narrative and thematic patterns that occur in fables and trickster tales across cultures.

Students are introduced to the definition of a fable in that it is a story that has a moral for people to apply in their lives. They then read a fable together so they have a better understanding. Next, students write their own fables.

Students are exposed to the traditional fables of Aesop. They role play a character from one fable and practice letter-writing skills. They use Aesop's fables as a backdrop for a instructional activity in citizenship and letter writing.

Young scholars investigate Aesop's Fables and how they influenced the culture of Ancient Greece. They research five different fables and reflect upon the morals of the stories and state how they influenced the practices of the Greek in writing.

Tenth graders explain political and social thought during the Greek 6th and 5th centuries B.C. They research five to eight fables, figuring out the moral for each and writing an essay on how Aesop influenced the morals and ideals of ancient Greece.

Students study Aesop's fables. They role play as one of the characters to write letters and to study the concepts of citizenship.

Third graders review with the teacher the characteristics for a fable and what it is. They read one paragraph each from the story, "The Fox and the Stork" aloud. They then answer comprehension questions aloud. Next, they listen to four other of Aesop's fables and identify the instructional activity in each.

Students recognize the elements of a fable and write an original fable. They make connections with morals and other law-related concepts.

Young scholars listen to and discuss various fables, and identify the moral and central themes. They write their own personal fables and create illustrations to go with them.