How should a disliked leader be treated when they're down? Aesop's "The Sick Lion", a fable about a dying lion being mistreated by his subjects, teaches readers about cowardice. The writing activity that has pupils produce an alternative fable encourages creativity and presents rigor that matches state tests.

Concepts

aesop's fables, narratives, close reading

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Consider reaching out and inviting a local artist to visit with learners and teach a skill to practice while completing the activity
• Use storybird.com to publish writers' works as a fundraiser for your classroom

Classroom Considerations

• If lacking access to the Internet, make copies of PDFs before class

Pros

• The one minute audio recording differentiates the passage with a 4.7 Flesch-Kincaid readability score for all readers
• Provides MLA, APA, and Chicago formatted annotations for a works cited page

Cons

• Does not provide a rubric with the activity

Common Core

W.5.3.a W.6.3.a W.7.3.a W.8.3.a