Fables are an ancient, simple form of storytelling that often represent the cultures from which they originate. Fables frequently use animals as main characters to represent some aspect of human personalities and problems. They generally seek to teach a moral lesson.
In the tasks below, you will examine 5 different fables. As you read the selected fables, you will explore Web links to additional information about the cultures and times from which the fables originate. You will use this data to answer questions about each fables. When you have completed the challenges for all 5 fables, you will create a modernized version of a fable to represent your own time and culture.
The Dog and the Wolf
The Fable of Arachne
How the Chipmunk Got His Stripes
The Fox and the Crow
Now that you have read and analyzed all 5 fables, use your new insights to create a modern adaptation of any fable you choose. Remember to include important characteristics such as personified animals and a moral in your modern fable.
Check this model out for a sample of a modern fable.
Click here for examples of traditional and modern versions of the same fables.
Now that you have created your own fable, develop a multimedia presentation to illustrate and enhance it. Your presentation should include a title slide with your name and individual slides relating the storyline in your fable. Be certain to include clip art and Internet media to embellish your slide show. You can use any software tool, such as PowerPoint or HyperStudio, that you have available to you.
When your multimedia fable is completed, you will present it to the whole class using a videoprojector or large screen monitor. Challenge your classmates to determine the moral of your fable.
