Article
Art by Carles Arbat
Play,

Fabulous Fables

You’re about to act out two fables with your classmates. Here’s what you need to know before you take the stage!

By Sari Bodi and Karen Trott | Art by Carles Arbat
From the September 2024 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will read two plays based on Aesop’s fables and identify the moral the characters learn in each fable.

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose & Levels of Meaning
    Based on two fables, these plays use animal characters to portray scenarios about helping others.
  • Structure
    There are two plays. Each play has four chronological scenes. There is also a short introductory note that explains more about fables.
  • Language
    The language is mostly simple and conversational. A slideshow will aid students in becoming familiar with fables.
  • Knowledge Demands
    Some familiarity with Aesop or fables may aid comprehension.
Featured Skill: Theme,
Other Key Skills: supporting detail, how a character changes, interpreting text, opinion writing, explanatory writing, narrative writing, speaking, listening, vocab words, read with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
Standards
  • Common Core
    RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.4, RL.3.7, W.3.2, W.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.2, L.3.4, L.3.6, RF.4
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 4, 6a, 6c, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8a, 8b, 8c, 9a, 9c, 10a, 12b

Presentation View
See Student View
  • A fable is a short story that teaches a moral, or lesson. 
  • The characters in fables are often animals that can think and talk like humans.
  • These two fables are from a storyteller named Aesop (EE-sahp) who lived in ancient Greece. He is said to have written hundreds of fables. 
  • Many fables are thousands of years old and have changed over time. But people still love reading, sharing, and acting out these classic tales today.
Think and Read: Theme

As you read, think about what moral the characters learn in each fable.

The Crow and the Pitcher

A crow gets help from unexpected friends.

Characters

Choose the character you will play.

Narrators 1, 2, 3  (N1, N2, N3)

Crow 

Snake

Crocodile

Ant 1 

Ant 2 

Ant 3 

Scene 1

N1: A young crow flies over the desert in search of water.

N2: For weeks, there has been no rain. 

N3: The poor crow has been flying for days.

Crow (sighing): It’s so hot, and I’m so thirsty!

N1: He lands on the warm sand next to a snake.

Crow: Please, will you help me find water? 

Snake: Ssssay, why don’t you ssssearch for water under the ssssand? 

N2: Crow digs into the sand with his beak.

N3: He gasps for air. 

Crow (coughing): CAW! There’s no water down there! You tricked me!

Snake: Ssssilly Crow. 

N1: Crow is sad, but he doesn’t give up. 

N2: He flies away, determined to find water.

Scene 2

N3: Crow soon spots a muddy swamp.

Crow (excitedly): There’s water in the middle!

N1: Crow lands on a pile of logs and leans down to drink.

N2: Suddenly, two eyes peer up at him.

Crow: CAW! This isn’t a log pile. It’s a crocodile!

Crocodile (sweetly): Don’t go! I’m old, with no teeth.

N3: Crocodile smiles, giving himself away.

Crow: CAW! You do have teeth! I can see them!

N1: Crocodile snaps his jaws at Crow.

Crocodile: Gotcha!

N2: But Crow narrowly escapes.

Crow: You tricked me!

N3: Crow is frustrated, but he doesn’t give up.

N1: He flies away, determined to find water.

Scene 3

N2: Crow flops onto the ground, exhausted.

N3: Three ants crawl over.

Ant 1: Crow, what’s wrong? 

Crow: I’m so thirsty. I cannot find water anywhere.

Ant 2: Follow us!

N1: The ants lead Crow to a tall pitcher with water at the bottom.

Ant 3: We’ve been climbing down into the pitcher to get water. 

Ant 1: But we can carry only one droplet up at a time. 

Ant 2: Crow, can you reach the water?

N2: Crow peers into the pitcher.

Crow: My head is too big to fit inside! 

Ant 3: Oh no!

Crow: I won’t give up! Let me think . . . 

N3: Crow looks around. 

N1: Then he spots a pile of pebbles.

Crow: I have an idea!

Scene 4

N2: Crow grabs a pebble and tosses it into the pitcher.   

N3: Then he does the same with another.

N1: And another.   

Ant 1: The water is rising!

Ant 2: Don’t give up, Crow!

Ant 3: You can do it!

All Ants: We will help!

N2: The ants carry pebbles over for Crow. 

N3: One by one, Crow tosses them into the pitcher.

N1: Ker-plunk! Ker-plunk!

N2: The water keeps rising.

N3: Ker-plunk! Ker-plunk!

All Ants: Almost there!

N1: Ker-PLUNK! The final pebble hits the water.

N2: And the water reaches the top!

N3: Crow takes a long drink.

Crow: Ahhhh. So refreshing. Ants, thank you for helping me. Now I will help you!

N1: Crow finds an acorn cap and fills it with the water.

N2: Then he does the same with another.

N3: And another.

Crow: Drink up, my friends!

All Ants: Thanks, Crow! 

Crow: Thank you! It was hard work . . . 

Ant 1: . . . but we did it!

Ant 2: We worked together . . . 

Ant 3: . . . and we didn’t give up!

N1: The ants clink their acorn caps together.

All Ants: Cheers, Crow! 

Ant 1: Gulp! 

Ant 2: Gulp! 

Ant 3: Gulp! 

The Ant and the Dove

A tiny ant is in danger. Who will help her?

Characters

Choose the character you will play.

Narrators 1, 2, 3  (N1, N2, N3)

Ant 

Frog

Duck

Dove 

Man 

Mouse 

Groundhog 1

Groundhog 2

Scene 1

N1: In the woods, an ant searches for food.

Ant: Phew! This is hard work.

N2: She stops by a stream for some water.

N3: But she slips on a wet rock and falls in.

Ant: Aah! Help! I can’t swim!

N1: The water carries poor Ant down the stream.

N2: She calls out to a frog on a lily pad.

Ant: Oh, Frog, won’t you please help me?

Frog: Ribbit! Just use your webbed feet to swim in the water.

Ant: My feet aren’t webbed.

Frog: That’s too bad. They’re great for gliding through streams. Watch me!

N3: Frog dives into the water and swims away.

N1: A duck waddles into the stream.

Ant: Oh, Duck, won’t you please help me?

Duck: Quack! Quack! Just flap your wings and fly away!

Ant: But I don’t have wings.

Duck: That’s too bad. They’re fantastic for flying over streams. Watch me!

N2: And with a flap of her wings, Duck takes off into the sky.

Scene 2

N3: Ant’s little legs are worn out.

N1: She calls out one last time.

Ant: Isn’t there anyone who will help me?

N2: A dove sitting in a tree hears her.

Dove: Here I come!

N3: Dove plucks a leaf from the tree.

N1: Then she drops it next to Ant.

N2: With her last bit of strength, Ant crawls onto the leaf.

Dove: Hang on tight!

N3: Dove uses her beak to push the leaf to shore. 

Ant (out of breath): Thank you! I hope I can help you someday.

Dove (flying away): Don’t worry about it, my little friend.

Scene 3

N1: A few days later, a man walks near the stream.

N2: He carries a net on a long pole.

Man: Today I’m going to catch a dove.

N3: A mouse scurries by.

Mouse: Squeak! Squeak! I’m glad he’s not looking for me.

N1: A groundhog pokes his head out of his den.

Groundhog 1: Or me.

N2: Another groundhog pops her head up.

Groundhog 2: Maybe we should warn Dove.

Groundhog 1: But then the man might come after us.

Groundhog 2: Good point!

Mouse: Better to look out for ourselves.

N3: The groundhogs jump back into the ground, and the mouse scurries away.

Scene 4

N1: Meanwhile, the man spots Dove in her tree. 

Man: Aha! I found one!

N2: Ant hears the man and looks up.

N3: She sees the man carrying a net, heading toward Dove’s tree.

Man: That dove will look so nice in my cage.

Ant: Oh no! I must warn my friend!

N1: But it’s too late.  

N2: The man lifts his net, ready to catch Dove.

N3: Ant crawls onto the man’s leg and bites down hard.

Man: OWW-W-W-W! 

N1: The man hops away on one foot. 

N2: Dove flies down to Ant.

Dove: Thank you, my friend! You saved me.

Ant: Just as you saved me. Every now and then, we can all use a helping hand.

Dove (nudging Ant): Or wing! 

Think and Write

Write a paragraph explaining what the moral is in each fable. 

Slideshows (2)
Slideshows (2)
Audio ()
Activities (5)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (2)
Slideshows (2)
Audio ()
Activities (5) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Can't Miss Teaching Extras

Did your students love meeting the ant characters in this issue’s plays? Then they’ll love meeting Turtle in “Two Turtle Tales,” two Native American folktales about characters who never back down. 

Read another fabulous fable, with an important lesson on lying, in “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Then dive into the history of fables in the featured slideshow “Fables Through Time.” 

Ready for more Aesop’s fables? Read “The Tortoise and the Hare,” another classic fable with an important moral.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. SEL Focus

4. Skill Building and Writing

5. Differentiate and Customize

Struggling Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers, Creative Writing

1. Preparing to Read

Introduce the Text and Preview Text Features

  • Ask students to predict what these plays will be about based on the titles, subtitles, and illustrations on pages 24-25 and 27. Review the predictions after reading.

Set a Purpose for Reading 

  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 23 and the Thinkand Write box on page 29.

  • Remind students to keep these prompts in mind while reading the plays.

Introduce Featured Skill

  • Build on the Think and Read prompt by explaining the plays’ featured skill: theme. Encourage students to look for the lesson that the characters learn in each fable.

Introduce Vocabulary

  • Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words. Then assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading.

2. Close Reading

Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Storyworks 3 plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.
  • Perform the plays as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the audio Read-Aloud.
  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions.

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read Scene 1 in “The Crow and the Pitcher.” How does Snake trick Crow? Snake tricks Crow by telling him to search for water under the dry sand. (plot)
  • Read Scene 2. Why does Crow fly away from Crocodile? Crow flies away from Crocodile because he sees Crocodile’s teeth and knows Crocodile tricked him. (cause and effect)
  • Read Scene 3. What problem does Crow face when he tries to reach the water in the tall pitcher? Crow’s head is too big to fit inside the pitcher and reach the water at the bottom. (identifying a problem)
  • Read Scene 4. How do Crow and the ants help each other get water? First, the ants carry pebbles to Crow. After Crow drops them in the water pitcher, the water rises to the top of the pitcher. Now, Crow can drink it. Crow fills acorn caps with water so the ants can drink too. (summarizing)
  • Read Scene 1 in “The Ant and the Dove.” What happens when Ant asks Frog and Duck to help her? When Ant asks Frog and Duck for help, they both refuse and leave her in the stream while they swim or fly away. (plot)
  • Read Scene 2. How does Dove help Ant? Dove helps Ant by pulling a leaf from a tree and dropping it into the water next to her. After Ant crawls onto the leaf, Dove uses her beak to push the leaf to shore. (summarizing)
  • Read Scene 3. Why do the mouse and the groundhogs decide not to warn Dove about the man with the net? They are worried the man might try to catch them instead. They decide it’s better to look out for themselves rather than help Dove. (character)
  • Read Scene 4. How does the illustration on pages 28-29 help you understand how Ant helps Dove in this scene? In the illustration, the man is lifting his net to catch Dove. To save Dove, Ant bites the man’s leg as he yells in pain. (text features)

 

Critical-Thinking Questions

  • How do the animals in each fable help each other? In “The Crow and the Pitcher,” Crow and the ants help each other get water. First, the ants help Crow drink water from a tall pitcher. Then, Crow gives the ants water from acorn cups. In “The Ant and the Dove,” Dove saves Ant, who can’t swim. Then Ant saves Dove from a man who wants to catch her in his net. (compare and contrast/synthesizing)
  • Would you like to read more fables by Aesop? Why do you feel this way? Use details from the plays in your answer. Answers may vary. Students should include details from the plays in their response. (connecting to text)

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Theme

  • Distribute or digitally assign the Theme Skill Builder.
  • Ask students to write a response to the Think and Write prompt on page 29.

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

Have students describe what’s happening in each illustration in the play. What are the ants and the other animals doing? How do the illustrations help show what’s happening in the fables? Ask pairs or individual students to write a caption for each picture and then share their captions with the class.

For Multilingual Learners

Some of the animals may be unfamiliar to multilingual learners. While students read, have them circle all the animal names in each play. Afterward, guide students to find pictures of the animals they can use to create their own animal flashcards.

For Advanced Readers

Have students read another play based on an Aesop fable, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” from the September 2023 issue of Storyworks 3. Ask students to compare and contrast the lesson Peter learns in this play with the lessons that Crow and Ant learn in these fables.

Text-to-Speech