Must Stories Have A Moral?
Students enjoy reading folktales. They love the clever little stories about talking animals and heroism. What they do not always realize is that these animals are replicas for people. And they do not always realize that there are lessons to be learned in all of these tales. Children certainly don’t see that these morals can be applied to their lives today.
The students will read timeless folktales in both print and on line form. The students will come up with a comprehensive definition of morals. The students will read and discuss various morals. The students will decide if morals make for a good story. To finish the lesson, students will write a modern day folktale using one of the morals studied. The students will attempt to apply a timeless moral from one of the folktales we read as a class, to a present day situation. All students will turn in a written paper. Students have a choice in how they wish to present their story to the class. Students may tell the story to the class in a readers’ theater format. Students may draw a series of illustrations to demonstrate their new folk tales. Students may create a diorama.
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What is a moral? |
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What types of stories have morals? |
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What makes for a good story? |
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Why are some stories timeless and adaptable to all cultures? |
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What are some examples of morals? |
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What morals are still used in today's stories? |
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Why are morals useful? |
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How do the characters in stories portray morals? |
State Goal # |
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Assessment Tool: |
Language Arts |
A- D |
1-4 |
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Unit Prerequisites
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Students must be familiar with folktales and their morals. |
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Students must be able to work together in a group setting. |
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Students must be able to write a story with complete sentences and paragraphs. |
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Students must be familiar with giving speeches or reading aloud to groups. |
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If the students choose to create a diorama, they must be familiar with how one is made. |
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Access: |
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Gather morals from timeless fairytales. |
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Search for folktales by using the resources given. |
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Listen as folktales are read in class for ideas on how folktales are written. |
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Interpret: |
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Discuss in a group what morals are and why they are in stories. |
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Determine what makes a good story and a good moral. |
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List possible morals for your own story. |
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Produce: |
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Write a paper using a moral from a timeless folktale into your own modern folktale. |
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Create a diorama portraying your paper. |
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Draw illustrations in sequence form for your story. |
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Communicate: |
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Give a presentation to the class on why your folktale is meaningful in today’s society. |
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Read a younger student your new story. |
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Explain why your chose your moral and how this story has meaning to you. |
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Evaluate: |
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Rate your story telling ability based on your audience’s responses |
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Critique your fellow classmates presentations |
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Value the meaningfulness of your story |
Teacher Resources
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Student Resources |
Teacher Resources |
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*Main site: here is a fabulous list of Aesop’s fables http://www.umass.edu/aesop/contents.html
* This site has a collection of folktales to read |
*This site has sample engaged learning lesson plans http://www.castletechnology.com/resources/connectededucator.html |
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* This is author Aaron Shepard’s website with folktales to read |
Video: World Folktales |
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* Here you will find the legendary Brothers Grimm folktales gopher://ftp.std.com/11/obi/book/Fairy.Tales/Grimm * Here you will find African folktales to read http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/aoi/opps/spin/trove01.html
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*This site teaches children to become good listeners http://www.mxcc.commnet.edu/clc/listen.htm
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Book: Aesop’s Fables |
Teacher guide book: Using Aesop fables in your classroom |