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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Ask and answer questions about the details in a fable. 
• Determine important details from a variety of Aesop’s fables.
• Create comedy and tragedy masks.
• Act out fables as part of a Greek chorus in comedy and tragedy plays.
• Modify a mask with color and decorations to characterize an Aesop character.
• Work in collaboration with other students.
• Identify key fable vocabulary. 

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Recommended Student Materials

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Digital Books

Websites

Teacher Background

Teachers should be familiar with Aesop’s fables from . Review and understand the materials and directions necessary to craft masks using , . Pre-make masks to use as examples for students. 

Student Prerequisites 

Students should have knowledge of fables and story elements. 

Accessibility Notes

Adapt reading materials and utilize adaptive scissors to accommodate fine motor skill needs. 

Engage

1. Introduce and display words around the room or on a word wall.

2. Tell students that in ancient Greece, people often told stories to entertain and educate one another. Since most did not read, these stories were passed on through word of mouth or performed on stage.

3. Inform students that Aesop, a slave in ancient Greece, was a storyteller. His stories, called fables, were told for hundreds of years before people wrote them down. His fables were short tales that taught important truths about human nature. Aesop’s fables often use animal characters that behave like humans to teach a moral or lesson.

4. Ask students what they know about fables. Encourage them to share out fables they have read including key elements like the plot, characters, or moral of the story.

5. Read the fable, , or listen to the and ask students to think about the key elements in the story. Use online classroom tools to share the stories with students. 

6. After reading the fable ask students: Who are the main characters in the story? What was the problem in the story? How does the story end? What is the moral of the story?

7. Document students’ responses on chart paper or by using the . Allow all students the opportunity to respond and explain their answers. Have students then sort out the answers that best match the story.

Build

1. Ask students about their personal experience with masks. When have you ever worn or used a mask? Why did you wear a mask? How did it make you feel? How did people react to your mask?

2. Hold up models of comedy and tragedy masks for students to see. Ask students the following questions: Which are comedy masks? Which are tragedy masks? What type of character might use these masks? Why are the mouths open on the masks?

3. Explain and demonstrate how the mouths on the masks were open to ensure that the actor’s voice could be heard. They also revealed the character’s emotion: comic masks had open-mouth smiles (happy endings), while tragic masks had open-mouth frowns (unhappy endings). The masks were made of linen or cork and fitted over the head. The actors themselves added color and hair to create more recognizable characters.

4. Next have students demonstrate the facial expressions of the characters in The Hare & the Tortoise. Ask: What expression might the hare have had at the beginning of the fable? Would the hare’s expression change at the end of the tale? Have students demonstrate and illustrate these examples on chart paper. 

5. Explain to the students that masks were an important part of ancient Greek arts and culture. Actors used masks to help tell the stories. The masks reflected a type of character (old man, god, woman, etc.). The masks had exaggerated features so that audience members sitting far away could see and recognize the characters.

6. Explain that in Greek drama, a few actors portrayed all of the characters in the story. The actors switched masks to signal a change in the character portrayed. The actors and the chorus were all men. If there were female roles, they were played by men wearing masks. A chorus, consisting of a group of 12 or more men, was on stage with the actors. The chorus commented on the story and related off stage events through song, chant, and dance. The masks worn by the chorus were all identical.

7. Have students take a gallery walk to discuss the artistic elements of the masks. Reference the for support. Point out the lines, shapes, and colors that are used on each mask. Explain to the students how these artistic elements help create the characters and express their feelings. 

Apply

1. Divide the class into two groups, assigning one group to play the hare, and another to play the tortoise. Instruct students to customize the comedy and tragedy masks they made according to the features of their characters. Give students the option to make more than one mask if the character’s features change from comedy to tragedy or vice versa.

2. Use  or to go over the mask-making instructions. Option 1 is a simple mask and Option 2 is more complex. Utilize the two variations to differentiate instruction. Set up the materials around the classroom as needed. 

3. Inform students that plays in ancient Greece were comprised of poetry told by 1-3 actors and a chorus. The chorus was a group of 12-15 people who contributed to the telling of the story through chanting, singing, and dancing. 

4. Ask students to think about The Tortoise and the Hare. From the hare’s point of view, would the fable be considered a comedy or tragedy? Would the tortoise consider the story a comedy or tragedy?

5. To review the story and script out the parts of the tortoise and the hare ask students to suggest three lines for each character to recite. These lines should convey the important parts of the fables. For example, the rabbit might say: “I’m faster than you are! Ha! Ha!”, “I think I’ll take a nap.”, and “You won?”, The tortoise might say: “Gee, you’re fast.”, “I may be slow, but I’ll get there.”, and “Wow! I won!”.

6. Allow time for groups to practice reciting their lines with their masks. Discuss the mask choice for each line. Does one keep the same mask throughout the story? Decide when to change the mask if necessary to tell the story.

7. Finally, have students add the movements that were created for each character. Do the movements work for the lines? If not, provide feedback to modify either the movement or the line. Allow time for each group to practice reciting their lines with the appropriate mask(s) and movement.

8. Optional, play music to introduce or play between scenes. or on Spotify are samples of music that can be played.

Reflect 

1. Have students perform the fable. Record the performances and/or invite the administration, parents, or another class to view the performance.

2. Assess students’ knowledge with another one of Aesop’s fables from and have them modify the mask. Like the actors and chorus in ancient Greece, students can alter their masks to create a new character. Have individual students work independently or collaboratively to create a new character or fable. 

3. Allow time for students to practice retelling the new fable using the appropriate mask(s) and movement, and present it to the class.

Extend

Theater games/exercises are a great way to involve students in a project, stimulate creativity, and loosen up students for the actual project.

1. Have students stand to find a “balloon space.” To do this, tell students to pull an invisible balloon from behind the left ear and blow it up. Instruct students to inflate the imaginary balloon so that it is big enough for them to step inside their imaginary balloon. Have them check out the space above and below the balloon, then twist to the left and right. If any students are touching, they must shift until they are free to move within their space without coming into contact with others.

2. Remaining in their own “balloon space,” ask students to portray three actions that tell the hare’s story. Perhaps the hare runs in place, takes a nap, and/or shows disappointment at his loss.

3. Practice the moves in sequence, as a group, for 15 seconds each.

4. Next, have students demonstrate three actions that portray the tortoise’s story. For example, students can walk in place slowly, walk in place in a determined way, and slowly jump in the air to show the excitement of the moment when he wins.

5. Again, practice the moves in sequence for 15 seconds each. After the movement activity is complete, students may quietly release the “air” out of the “balloon” and return to their seats. The “balloon” can be inflated as needed later in the lesson.