About this book
Subject Area: Language Arts
Reading Level: 3
Book Summary
With their trademark wacky humor and captivating art, award-winners Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith have created a funny collection of moral tales. Read at your own risk!
Objective
Students will gain an understanding of the format of and uses for fables.
Standard: Students will practice reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of familiar literary passages and texts (e.g. fairy tales, folktales, fiction, nonfiction, legends, fables, myths, poems, nursery rhymes, picture books, predictable books).
Before Reading
Fables
Introduce students to a unique literary form.
- Conduct a classroom discussion about fables. If necessary, define the genre (a short narrative story containing a moral or lesson, often using animals as characters).
- Ask students if they are familiar with any fables. Write the fable titles on your chalkboard.
- Ask students to describe the lesson imparted in each listed fable.
- Have each student draw a picture of his or her favorite fable.
- Post their artwork on a classroom bulletin board.
Teaching Plan
Activities
My Favorite Fable
Help students understand fables in action.
- Once you've read through Squids Will Be Squids, ask each student to choose his or her favorite fable from the book.
- On a piece of paper, have each student list three reasons why he or she choose that particular fable.
- Talk about the lessons learned in each fable. Why is the lesson important in life? How might he or she apply the lesson to his or her own life?
Fracture This!
Have your students apply what they've learned to a standard fable.
- Have students choose a favorite familiar fable. If possible, have copies of Aesop's Fables available for their reference.
- Once they have chosen favorites, ask your students to start fracturing! Using Squids Will Be Squids as a guide, have them turn their favorites inside out and upside down. Encourage students to be as creative as possible. They may wish to tell the story from another character's point of view, use different characters, change the moral, etc.
- Allow plenty of time for this exercise. Once students have finished fracturing, ask them to share their "new" fables with their classmates.
- Post finished fables on a classroom bulletin board.
More Fractured Fairy Tales
Your students will love exploring these tales; twists on the obvious originals!
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
by Eugene Trivizas
Yours Truly, Goldilocks
by Alma Flor Ada
Kate and the Beanstalk
by Mary Pope Osborne
The Irish Cinderlad
by Shirley Climo
The Three Little Javelinas
by Susan Lowell
Other Books by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Math Curse
Baloney (Henry P.)
The Time Warp Trio series
Lesson Plan Written by Rebecca Gomez
- Part of Collection:
- Subjects:Curriculum Development, Literature, Reading Response, Literature Appreciation, Writing, Animals, Arts and Creativity, Friends and Friendship, Educational Standards
- Skills:Writing
