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Lesson Plan

Finding the Moral

In this lesson your students will find and examine the morals in the classic folktales of "Stone Soup" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."
Need extra help for EL students? Try the What's the Moral? pre-lesson.
Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Subject
Reading & Writing
English Learner
English Learner Content
View aligned standards
RL.3.2
SL.2.2
Need extra help for EL students? Try the What's the Moral? pre-lesson.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to recount fables and folktales and determine the moral or lesson, explaining how it is conveyed through key details or ideas in the text.

The adjustment to the whole group lesson is a modification to differentiate for children who are English learners.
EL adjustments

Introduction

(8 minutes)
Fable & Folktale Story Map"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" Story MapThe Man, the Boy, and the DonkeyStone SoupThe Man, the Boy, and the Donkey
  • Tell students that today they will be learning about folktales and fables.
  • Ask students if they know the meaning of the terms folktale and fable.
  • Define the terms on the chart paper for student reference.
  • Explain that a fable is a short story that usually is about animals and is intended to teach a lesson, and a folktale is a traditional story.
  • Explain that while folktales can teach a lesson, fables always teach a lesson. Define moral as a lesson that can be learned from a story or experience.
  • Ask students if they can name any folktales or fables. Challenge them to describe some key details or ideas in familiar fables and folktales.
  • Record their examples on the board or chart paper.

Beginning:

  • Give students an example of a moral from a book already familiar to them.
  • Have students turn to a partner and explain what you will be discussing, either in English or their home language (L1).

Intermediate:

  • Present a book already familiar to them and have students tell their seat partners their best guess of the moral of the story.
  • Have students rephrase what you will be studying today. Explain that rephrasing means to use your own words.