Mercury disguised himself as a man and visited a sculptor's studio where he saw statues of Jupiter, Juno, and himself. When Mercury asked the price of each statue, the sculptor said Jupiter was a crown, Juno was half a crown, and he would throw in the statue of Mercury for free if Mercury bought the other two. This revealed to Mercury how humans valued the gods based on their status.

1. Mercury and the Sculptor
Originally told by Aesop
Analyze the meaning, reliability, and
validity of the text considering
author's purpose, and perspective
Based on Jacobs Ladder Curriculum

2. Objective
In this lesson you will determine how emotions affects
the passage and you the reader through
summarizing, paraphrasing, and inferring.

3. You already know
You already know that a fable is a fictional story that features
animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or
forces of nature which are given human qualities. All fables
have a pattern running through them in that they illustrate a
lesson or a moral.

4. For Example
Human
Qualities
In
Fables
No one is too small
to help someone
bigger…
Humility
Slow and steady
Trust
wins the race…
Confidence
An act of kindness
Compassion is a good
investment

5. Mercury and the Sculptor Task Starters
Complete 3 of the 4
Mercury was very anxious to know in
what estimation he was held by
mankind; so he disguised himself as a 1. Prioritize 3 reasons
man and walked into a Sculptor's the sculptor decided
studio, where there were a number of to include the third
statues finished and ready for sale. statue for the same
price.
Seeing a statue of Jupiter among the
rest, he inquired the price of it. "A 2. Describe Mercury’s
crown," said the Sculptor. "Is that all?" reasoning for the
said he, laughing; "and" (pointing to sculptor’s actions.
one of Juno) "how much is that one?"
"That," was the reply, "is half a crown." 3. Describe the story
"And how much might you be wanting from Mercury’s
for that one over there, now?" he point of view.
continued, pointing to a statue of 4. Determine the
himself. "That one?" said the Sculptor; relevance when
"Oh, I'll throw him in for nothing if you'll the sculptor said
buy the other two." he’d throw him in
•
for nothing.

6. Big Idea
Related to themes, laws, principals
• Put Yourself in Mercury’s winged shoes and be creative in relating your
thinking on the following:
• Compare/Contrast human characteristics or qualities in Mercury and the
sculptor.. (Venn Diagram or a chart)
• Identify the lesson or moral in the story. (Create a banner; colorful slogan
in your notebook)
Be prepared to show your creations to your teacher, a possible small group,
or the whole class

7. In Conclusion
In this lesson you determined how emotions affected
the passage through summarizing, paraphrasing,
and inferring. Working with big ideas helps you
learn new knowledge.

8. Reflections
1. Create a fable containing two characters, a situation where one is seeking
information from the other, and the use of a disguise. State your moral.
OR
2. Write about a time when you were hurt by someone’s unintentional
comments. (in other words comments they actually did not mean; the
comments were made without thinking) What did you learn from this
experience?