Aesop's Fables or Aesopica refers to a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller who lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BC. His fables are some of the most well known in the world. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today.
There are so many wonderful authors to choose from. I decided to choose Aesop's Fables because
children can discover Aesop's wit and wisdom. They can make connections to the animal characters, whose adventures teach them wonderful life lessons. Each story concludes with a moral that captures the stories theme, still as relevant to children today as it was to the ancient Greeks. I will be reading different versions of Aesop's Fables retold by different authors from around the world. My favorite is from four time Caldecott Honor-winner Jerry Pinkney. His spectacular pictures reflect the singular skill and insight of the fables' original author; through them, one can touch the wisdom of Aesop reaching across time, from almost 2,600 years ago.
The children will explore the stories in different ways, including developing their own stories. Our children will make fables on their own or as a team project.
The older children will read fables to the class and then lead a discussion on what values each one of them learned. Parents are encouraged to ask about the moral value and lessons about human virtue.
This is a theme that allows us to develop our skill in language arts, history and culture, and social understanding. Who knows what else the children will discover and bring to our studies?
As a little girl, I loved reading Aesop's Fables, and for the longest time I would remember how very clever the crow was to quench his thirst by adding stones into the pitcher! Another favorite was "The North Wind". I am confident that by the end of this month, our children, too, will have many favorites and will remember them for the rest of their lives
e
No comments:
Post a Comment