2. Who is Aesop?
Aesop was believed to be a slave and story teller
who lived in Ancient Greece over 2500 years ago.
What is a fable?
A fable is a story that uses animals or supernatural
beings to teach us a lesson or moral.
3. THE LION
AND
THE MOUSE
A lion lay asleep in the forest,
his great head resting on his paws. A timid little mouse
came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the lion's
nose. Woken from his nap, the lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.
"Spare me!" begged the poor mouse.
"Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you."
The lion was so amused at the idea of the little mouse being able to help the King of
Beasts, that he lifted up his paw and let her go.
Some weeks later, the lion was caught in a net. The hunters, who desired to carry the lion
alive to their King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him.
Just then the little mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the lion's sad plight, went up to
him and soon gnawed away the ropes of the net, freeing the lion.
"You have helped me and now I have returned the favor. Was I not right - even a mouse
can help a lion!" said the little mouse.
4. THE LION
AND
THE MOUSE
moral of the story:
Even little friends may prove to be
great friends.
5. A lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little mouse
came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the lion's
nose. Woken from his nap, the lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.
"Spare me!" begged the poor mouse.
"Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you."
The lion was so amused at the idea of the little mouse being able to help the King of Beasts, that
he lifted up his paw and let her go.
Some weeks later, the lion was caught in a net. The hunters, who desired to carry the
lion alive to their King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him.
Just then the little mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the lion's sad plight, went
up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes of the net, freeing the lion.
"You have helped me and now I have returned the favor. Was I not right - even a
mouse can help a lion!" said the little mouse.
VOCABULARY
1)timid 4) plight
2)haste 5) gnawed
3)wagon 6) to return the favor
6. timid (adjective)
To be shy, fearful, not confident
7. haste (noun)
- the act of moving in a hurry
- moving in a fast speed
8. wagon (noun)
A four-wheeled cart
that was originally
drawn by animals to
transport heavy loads.
9. plight (noun)
A situation that is especially
sad, unfortunate, or difficult
10. to gnaw (verb)
To bite, chew at, or wear away with
teeth
11. to return the favor (idiom)
To do something similar to someone
who has done something to/for you
to = usually bad for = usually good
12. Questions
1) How did the mouse wake up the lion?
2) What do the other animals call the lion?
3) Is the mouse male or female?
4) Why did the hunters tie the lion to the tree?
5) How did the mouse free the lion?
6) Why was the lion amused?
7) What does the moral of the story mean?
REMEMBER UNDERSTAND
14. Group Activity
Little friends may prove to be great friends.
Directions: Get into groups of three. Complete
the worksheet together and be ready to share
your stories in class tomorrow.
ANALYZE, APPLY, CREAT
E
15. Name:_______________________
Date:_______________________
ANALYZE
THE LION AND THE MOUSE
Sample answers: differences between
List characteristics of the lion and the mouse:
LION - 2 characters
LION MOUSE
MOUSE
big - small
mighty - weak
Sample answers:
What would happen if the lion and the mouse were switched in th is story? EVALUATE
Maybe the mouse would Students discuss
have been too scared to what would
help the lion if the lion did happen if the roles
are reversed.
not save the mouse first.
THE MOUSE AND THE LION Sample answers:
In your groups, you will write a new fable. In this fable, the main
characters will still be a mouse and a lion. You can change the ending
New moral: Be kind to anyone.
and any part of the story, but you must make the lion return the favor
to the mouse.
One day, there was a lion who was
If you create a new moral for your story, write it here:
caged in a zoo…
_____________________________________________________________
_____
1) Draw a picture for your new CREATE
story.
2) Use the back of this
(after using all BT points)
worksheet to write the new
fable.
3) Your story must be at least 10 Final assessment comes the
sentences. following day when they
share their stories
