This is a guest blog post by Laureen, a Canadian first grade teacher of 25 years who writes at the blog Teach with Laughter . This post includes a free download!
The Fables & the Real World series is a set of 40 books that pairs fables with informational texts. I had the wonderful opportunity to use The Ant and the Grasshopper along with Grasshoppers in my classroom.
Fables often have animals as main characters. In the classic fable The Ant and the Grasshopper , the grasshopper enjoys relaxing while the ant works tirelessly to prepare for winter. It won’t take long for your students to identify the moral of the story: there is a time for work and a time for play . Ask your students: Have you ever wanted to play when it was time to do a chore or your homework?
After reading the informational text Grasshoppers , have students discuss the differences between the grasshoppers in the two books. The nonfiction book Incredible Ants is a perfect pairing text for comparing the ants. As with most fables, the animals are given human characteristics. These characteristics differ from real grasshoppers and ants.
Have a discussion about the traits of both the ant and the grasshopper in the fable. Character traits are the part of their personality that is consistent over time. Have students reflect on character traits of the ant and the grasshopper on the following page.
I am anxious to get my hands on more sets from the Fables & Real World series!
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To learn more about
Fables & the Real World
, click the series highlights image below to download an information sheet with key features
.
To get today's free activity download, click the second image below!
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