1. Attention Grabber: Have you ever come across any kinds of bossy, sneaky, funny, annoying, dim bulb people? Have YOU ever been a bossy, sneaky, funny, annoying, dim bulb sort of person? Have you ever done anything really silly but then found that it was okay because you learned an important lesson?
Well, long ago, a man named Aesop met a whole bunch of bossy, sneaky, funny, annoying, dim bulb people, and he wanted to do something about it. He decided to write stories about these people, and end each story with a lesson we all can learn from bossy, sneaky, funny, annoying, dim bulb people. But he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so he changed the names to protect the not-so-innocent. Actually, he didn’t just change names; he changed the people . . . into animals! That’s what fables are—stories with animals instead of people as the main characters. Fables also have a lesson at the end called the moral of the story. And fables are really short, like a joke . . . usually only one page or less.
Today we’re going to write some fables—lessons we’ve learned as we’ve traveled through life. And we’re going to add a moral to the end of our stories. First though, I’d like to share two fables written by two famous writers named Jon Scieszka (rhymes with Fresca) and Lane Smith. These are names you might remember from their other famous books, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales! and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
Just to give you a little background on the whole fable thing . . . this is the introduction for Squids Will Be Squids. (blue tab.) These are examples of fables:
2. Read “Grasshopper Logic” (green tab) and “Frog’s New Shoes” (yellow tab) to the students.
3. Feedback Time: Have students answer the following questions:
• What are the parts of a fable?
• What is a moral?
• Who are the characters in a fable?
• How long is a fable?
4. Pass out the lists of morals. Remind the students know that these are classroom sets-so they need to just leave them on their desks when they are done.
5. Steps to create a fable:
• Choose a moral from those written on the moral papers OR think about some really bossy, sneaky, funny, annoying, dim bulb people who learned an important lesson.
• Then think about a story that illustrates what they did that was silly like in “Grasshopper Logic” and “Frog’s New Shoes.”
• Next, think about the lesson they learned: That’s the moral of the fable.
• Last, make these people into silly animals representing people.
• There’s your fable!
6. Tell the students to get all the above thoughts on their paper and then they can make it into a fable.
7. To give them a little more inspiration, read them “Straw & Matches” while they work (red tag).
8. When there is about ten or so minutes left of class (i.e. around 2:43 and 3:43), call the students back to attention and read the very serious after word from the book (orange tag). Share fables if possible. Completed fables will be due on Monday, January 30th.
Homework, Topic due on Wednesday, Feb 1, Fable and Coat of Arms due on Monday, January 30th.
