Writing Fables
How do the events in a fable relate to the moral of the story?
In this 6-8 lesson, students will engage in the writing process to create original fables and perform a skit. They will review the elements of a fable and develop an understanding of how to create a centralized focus in a narrative.
Lesson Content
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Express personal ideas through creative writing.
Pre-write, draft, revise, and proofread as part of a strategic approach to effective writing.
Organize thoughts using the stages of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, and proofreading.
Infer the moral of a fable.
Plan and perform an original fable skit.
Describe how events in a fable relate to the moral.
Standards Alignment
Use critical analysis to improve, refine, and evolve original ideas and artistic choices in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work.
Examine and justify original ideas and artistic choices in a drama/theatre work based on critical analysis, background knowledge, and historical and cultural context.
Articulate and apply critical analysis, background knowledge, research, and historical and cultural context to the development of original ideas for a drama/theatre work.
Contribute ideas and accept and incorporate the ideas of others in preparing or devising drama/theatre work.
Demonstrate mutual respect for self and others and their roles in preparing or devising drama/theatre work.
Share leadership and responsibilities to develop collaborative goals when preparing or devising drama/theatre work.
Adapt a drama/theatre work and present it informally for an audience.
Participate in rehearsals for a drama/theatre work that will be shared with an audience.
Perform a rehearsed drama/theatre work for an audience.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 8 here.)
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Recommended Student Materials
Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.
Websites
Teacher Background
Teachers should be familiar with fables and with guiding students through the writing process.
Student Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the vocabulary from , the writing process, and have an understanding of script and performance techniques.
Accessibility Notes
For students who are deaf or have hearing loss, use captions for the skit/performance and clear audio. Provide extra time for students.
Engage
Show a clip of .
Briefly discuss how each element (characters, setting, moral) appears in the performance.
If necessary, narrate a fable with animal or human characters involved in the situation in which the moral applies. Remind students that the action of the plot leads up to the moral of the story.
Tell students they will be writing and performing original fables.
Build
Review with students the fables they have read. Discuss the moral of those fables.
Next, discuss and record different ways in which each fable might be updated. For example, the characters might be portrayed as animal characters in a television sitcom or cartoon show.
Have students divide into small groups and choose a fable and moral. Document the . This should be done discreetly (so that the other students can infer the moral).
Review the , then give students collaborative time to plan their fable using the .
Tell students they will now use their organizer to write an original fable.
Apply
Tell students they are going to create a skit with their original fable. Review the with the class.
Show a brief clip of the . While showing the clip, review techniques for a good performance.
Allow time for the students to rehearse. Have students perform their fables for the class. While each group is performing, have students infer the moral of the fable on a sticky note. Discuss their inferences.
Reflect
Assess students’ knowledge of fables with the following writing prompt:How do the events in your original fable relate to the moral of the story? Use details from your original fable to support your response.
How did you use this lesson? Give us your feedback!
In this 6-8 lesson, students will improvise scenarios found in fables. They will identify the key elements of a fable and describe the author’s use of personification. Students will also evaluate the text by participating in class discussions and writing exercises.
How theater and visual arts can help to engage your students to read.
English & Literature
Arts Integration
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