What is a fable? This Aesop's Fables KS2 English lesson pack will help you teach your class what a fable is, and how this particular genre of writing, thought to originate from Ancient Greece, has survived throughout the years!

With this Aesop's Fables KS2 Lesson Pack, your Year 5 children will first acquaint themselves with a range of fables, and how they each aim to teach a specific moral. Once familiar with the features of fables, children will be given the opportunity to explore the characters within these tales through role-play. They will then use their knowledge and understanding to plan and write their own fable based on a chosen moral.

Everything you need for a successful week of English lessons is included in this Aesop's Fables KS2 Lesson Pack - detailed plans, engaging slide shows for the teaching input, differentiated worksheets, and a large selection of fables!

You may also like our Ancient Greece Topic Bundle – great if you're looking for a cross-curricular approach to your teaching!

Lesson 1

Fables and their Morals

In this first 'Fables and their Morals' lesson, children will be introduced to, and become familiar with, this genre of writing.

They will find out about Aesop, the Greek slave and storyteller thought to be the origin of many fables. In their independent activities, children will read a range of short fables, discussing and matching morals to each one. In the alternative activity, children are each given a fable to learn the main points of, and then retell it orally to others in their group, discussing the moral of the story with each of their listeners.

The resources for this first lesson include a selection of fables, differentiated worksheets, a set of slides for the teaching input, and a detailed lesson plan.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Fable Cards
Moral Cards

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Lesson 2

Features of Fables

With this 'Features of Fables' lesson pack, children will focus on analysing fables to identify the common features of this type of narrative.

In their independent activities, children further analyse both familiar and new fables. Alternatively, they are challenged to create a new version of an original fable by changing some of the aspects of the story, but keeping the original moral the same, and using the structure and features of a fable.

As well as differentiated resources, an easy-to-follow lesson plan and an engaging set of slides are included with this 'Features of Fables' lesson pack.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Fable Cards
Differentiated worksheets
Fable Sheet

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Lesson 3

Exploring Fable Characters through Role-play

This lesson focuses on exploring the fable characters; children will use their inference skills to explore what each character might be thinking and feeling at different points in their story.

Your class is challenged to turn a fable into a role-play, using freeze-frames, thought-tapping, and stream of consciousness to relay a character's thoughts and feelings. In the alternative activity, children use hot-seating to further explore the characters from the fables.

Including a detailed Aesop's Fables lesson plan, an engaging set of slides for the teacher input, and differentiated, printable worksheets and activity ideas, this lesson pack has everything you need for a successful, enjoyable English lesson with your Year 5 class!

What's included:

Lesson Plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Fable Cards Sets
Challenge Cards
Hot-seating Sets

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Lesson 4

Planning a Fable around a Moral

In this 'Planning a Fable KS2' lesson, children will use what they have learnt about this type of narrative to begin thinking about ideas for their own fable.

Children will first explore a selection of morals together, discussing their meaning. They will then, as a class, look at how story ideas for a fable based on a specific moral could be generated and developed. In their independent Aesop's fables activities, children will choose a moral, a setting and two characters, and develop ideas for their own fable.

This 'Planning a Fable KS2' lesson pack has everything you need: a detailed plan, a set of informative and engaging slides for the teaching input, and differentiated activity ideas.

What's included:

Lesson Plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Morals Sheet
Settings Cards
Character Cards
Planning Sheet

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Lesson 5

Writing a Fable

In this final 'Writing a Fable KS2' lesson pack, children will compose and then share their own fables.

As a class, children will first look at and discuss together how notes from the previous lesson can be developed into a finished fable. Then, in their independent activities, children will use their planning sheets and given checklists to write their own fables for a specific moral.

An easy-to-follow lesson plan, a set of slides for the teaching input, and differentiated activity ideas are all included with this 'Writing a Fable KS2' lesson pack.

What's included:

Lesson plan
Slides
Activity ideas
Fable Writing Checklists
A Book of Fables' Front Cover Sheet
Blank Fable Sheets
Character Cards

View Lesson 5

Ancient Greece KS2 Lesson Planning and Resources

Ancient Greece Word Search

Greek Gods Crosswords

Ancient Greece Acrostics

Ancient Greece Brain Teasers

Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses Posters

Ancient Greek Alphabet for Kids

Hercules Activity Sheets

Aesop's Fables

Ancient Greece Timeline KS2 Cards

Athens and Sparta KS2 Comparison Chart

Greek Vases KS2 Picture Cards

Greek Masks KS2 Display Cards