Fables for Gifted and Talented Students in Stage 1, RosevilleCollege

LESSON 1

Outcome:

  • To extend the students’ understanding of the books they have been reading in class through philosophical discussion.

Activities:

  • Read one of the picture books as detailed in the general class activities, and discuss using the questions suggested in Gifted and Talented Modification.
  • Depending on time allocated to the unit, the other two books can also be read to the group on other occasions and discussed along more philosophical lines than the general classroom.

As all students will not be reading all books in class, it will be necessary to read the books to the whole group, rather than just referring back to them. However, English K – 6 Modules(p. 114) states that it is important to reread narrative to students so that they become familiar with the structure and content. In this case we are not just looking for the structure but also the ideas behind the story.

LESSON 2

Outcome:

  • For students to analyse and then map the structure of a fable

Activities:

  • The students were asked what they thought is a fable.
  • Answers were recorded to look at later. Answers included:

1.2.

3.4.

  • Read the students

- “The Lion and the Mouse

- “The Hare and the Tortoise” from Aesop’s Fables

  • The students worked in pairs using laptop computers that had already been loaded with the website

Students were shown how to access the different stories and then were allowed to choose and read a variety of fables from the site.

Tertiary students have developed this site as part of an Art course. Some of the animation is a little quick for students of this age group, however the concept is good and incorporates IT into the unit. I encouraged the students to only look at the traditional versions at this point, as some of the concepts in the modern versions are too mature.

  • We then discussed what they thought makes a fable a fable? (Application)

Teacher

  • The students were then asked to compare a fable to a narrative

It was decided then by the group that a fable has

An orientation that is concise, introducing the character and situation very briefly

A complication that is silly, foolish or naughty

A resolution which may include a moral

  • Students completed the matrix for one of the fables read earlier in the lesson
See Matrix 1 & 2

See Worksamples 1 & 2

  • All students shared their results

LESSON 3

Outcome:

  • To compare a fable to everyday items ie. create an analogy
  • For students to demonstrate their understanding of the structure of a narrative by applying it to another situation
Activities
  • Read another couple of fables. All students had of their own interest and accord been reading fables in their own time and brought books to share too.
  • Revised facts discussed last week.
  • Completed the sheet “How is a fable like a ……” (Analogy)

The students found this activity difficult to do individually but once we discussed it as a group they were able to come up with the ideas together as recorded in Worksample 3

  • Students chose one character from a fable studied and devised a set of questions you would like to ask them (Application)
  • Then asked another student to be that character and students interviewed each other
See Worksample 4
  • The students then rewrote “The Lion and the Mouse” in poetic form.

See Worksamples 5 & 6

  • Shared results with the group

LESSON 4

Outcome:

  • To look philosophically at a well known fable
  • To create a new ending for a fable
Activities
  • Shared several more fables with the class, this time from

Fables by Arnold Lobel.

  • Looked again at the Lion and the Mouse

Teacher

Teacher

Teacher

  • Students then discussed and compared how they would have behaved in some of the fables compared to the animals’ behaviour.
  • The Hare and the Tortoise – how else could this have ended? The students then rewrote the story with another ending.
See Worksample 7

Extension:

  • Discuss other fables philosophically. (See Resources: Wilks)
  • Use ideas from Philip Cam’s book and suitable picture books to develop philosophical discussions. (See Resources)

LESSON 5

Outcome:

  • To write a fable using a given moral.
Activities
  • Revised the formula/ format of a fable
  • The students were given two morals
  • One good turn deserves another
  • Appearances are deceptive

and were asked to write their own fable using one of these morals.

  • Shared fables

See Worksample 8

LESSON 6

Outcome:

  • To write a fable using the students own moral.
Activities
  • Students were able to write their own fable using their own moral.

See Worksample 9 and Student’s fables