3rd Grade Fables Lesson

Lesson: Fables – The Talkative Turtle

3^rd Grade Language Arts

Objective: Students will demonstrate, in writing, their comprehension of the fable

CA 3^rd Core: Reading Literature – K.I.D. 2  – Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text

CA 3^rd  ELA RC 3.2 Comprehend basic plots of classic fairy tales, myths, folktales, legends, and fables from around the world.

CA 3^rd ELA LRA 3.0 Students read and respond to a wide variety of leterature

Into: The teacher will lead the class in 2 warm-up activities

Introduce a discussion with students about the origins of storytelling.  Explain that oral story telling was a way for ancient people all over the world to pass on their histories and understandings of the world. Stories were also used to teach young children about good and bad ways of behavior, as well as to explain the observed natural phenomena. Next, give them 2 minutes to share any favorite stories their families have passed on to them with a neighbor. Then, tell them they are about to hear a story about some animals who live in and by a pond. (Interpersonal intelligence)

Tell students that when the teacher rings the bell. They are going to pretend they are an annoyed turtle.  When the bell rings again they will freeze with the annoyed look on their face. Repeat, only this time they will pretend they are a goose.  This time they will be any animal they want that lives by a pond. Students can use scarves if they wish.  (Naturalistic/Kinesthetic intelligences)

Through: The teacher will dramatize the fable, The Talkative Turtle (attached at end of lesson plan)

Materials:

Copy of “Talkative Turtle” (enclosed at end of lesson plan)

Several scarves

Paper

Markers/Pencils

Parts: 

Turtle = teacher

Geese = 2 students

Annoyed Mosquito, annoyed duck, annoyed frog = 3, or more, students

Annoyed animals: Explain to these students that they should all stand around the “pond” acting the part of the animals.  Tell then you will then approach the pond and make a lot of noise. Each of them, in turn, should act disgusted and go sit down. 

Geese: Tell them they will “fly” to the pond after they see the other animals sit down in their chairs. Explain that they, too, will be annoyed by his chatter but turtle will beg them to take him with them when they fly away. The geese will try to convince turtle that it is too dangerous, but they take him anyway. The two geese will both hold one end of a scarf or ling cloth, and “fly” while turtle hangs on to the cloth. When turtle lets go, they can go sit down.

Procedure: 

1. Pass out 2 blank sheets of paper to each student and make sure they all have pencils.  Tell them they will use the paper after the play is finished.

2. Use the attached fable as an outline to ad-lib the story. The teacher must act as both turtle and narrator.

3. After the dramatization is finished, ask the students to draw a simple picture of one part of the story they remember. Then have the students get up and create a storyboard on the floor by putting the pictures in the order they occurred in the story. 

a.   Check for proper sequence of events in the story.   If the students have mislaid the pictures, retell the story from their pictures, asking them to give you a signal if they hear something that is in the wrong order. You can then select students to rearrange the pictures as necessary.

b.   If most students have drawn the climax, ask the class as a whole what would have to be drawn both before and after that event so that the pictures will tell the whole story. With their second piece of paper, students can then draw events and then add them to the storyboard on the floor, filling in the missing events where necessary.

(Spatial, Kinesthetic intelligences)

Beyond:

As an assessment, students will work in groups of 4 to create a four-square poster of the main events of the story: area 1 = beginning, area 2 = main event leading to climax, area 3 = climax, area 4 = end. You can provide the students with pre-labeled and divided posters, and the purpose of the four areas should be thoroughly explained. Students will also write a descriptive caption for each square on the poster. (Spatial, Interpersonal, Linguistic intelligences)

Grading:

Area 1 should include setting and main character elements (pond, pond animals & plants, turtle)

Area 2 should include a significant event showing an understanding of the interaction of the creatures with turtle

Area 3 should show the climax of the story – turtle falling as he lets go of the stick to respond to the children

Area 4 should show that they understand that turtle lost his life