Being able to sequence the events that occurred in a story is a necessary part of reading comprehension. After reading the story "The Ant and the Grasshopper," have children arrange the events in the story in the correct order. Draw pictures that represent the key events that happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story or write out sentences from the beginning, middle and end of the story. Set out the pictures or the sentences in a jumbled-up order and instruct children to arrange them in the correct order in which they occurred in the story.
Discuss the moral of the story with the children and ask them if they have ever experienced a time when preparing for something in advance was beneficial to them. Ask them to write a short story, or their own version of a fable, that illustrates when preparing for something in advance was helpful. Encourage children to share their writing pieces. This activity will further their comprehension of the fable, as they are relating it to their own lives.
Create a list of questions to ask both the ant and the grasshopper. Examples of questions for the ant may include, "How did you feel preparing for the winter while the grasshopper played?" "Why did you decide to prepare for winter in advance?" and "What did you think when the grasshopper asked for food?" Questions for the grasshopper may include, "How did you feel when you realized you had no food?" "Did you enjoy the summer?" and "Will you prepare for the winter in the future?" Present the questions to students and have them answer the questions as if they are the characters, further driving home the importance of the moral of the story.
Children can make ant and grasshopper puppets. Provide children with poster board and crayons and encourage them to draw a picture of an ant and a grasshopper. Instruct them to cut their pictures out and then glue them onto craft sticks. Children can use the puppets they have made to retell the story.