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Classroom Activities on Aesop's Fables for Kids

Classroom activities based on age-old fables, such as those attributed to Aesop, are not only an excellent way to introduce the elements of effective story-telling to your class, they can also introduce your students to new cultural themes, thereby orienting children to new perspectives that will expand their existing worldview.
  1. Disscuss the Elements of a Fable

    • Discussing the anatomy of fables and specific elements found within them enables students to understand the specialized structure of these tales.

      Introduce your students to the concept of fables, and discuss how they differ from myths, fairy tales or other stories they may be familiar with. Compare the fables of Aesop to other fables from around the world. Observe how they differ, and note what elements remain the same between tales.

    Write a Fable Inspired by Aesop

    • Allowing students to write their own fable will help them to better relate to the themes in ones they have read.

      Have students write their own fable, allowing them to update it with contemporary themes, and then allow your students to read them aloud to the class. Note the elements they mimic in their own stories, such as characterization similarities and story morals. Also discuss the differences between their contemporary settings and Ancient Greece.

    Put on a Fable Play

    • Encouraging students to personify the animal-based characters in tales attributed to Aesop will help them to better understand this characterization element.

      Provide or have your students write a script based on one or more of the fables your class has studied. Create paper costumes and scenery, memorize lines and then put on a short skit for another classroom, or break into several groups and perform different skits for each other.

    Make an Animal Collage

    • Students can understand the personification aspect of narrative better in the works they've been exposed to through creating a collage.

      Encourage your students to identify the human-like traits authors sometimes give animals in stories by providing images for them to add to a poster-sized collage. Have your students label the human-like traits they find and present their findings to the rest of the class at the end of the session.

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