Aesop’s Fables Project

Introduction Who was Aesop?  When and where did he live?  We know he is famous for his fables, but did he do anything else?  Was it difficult to write his fables?  Why did he use animals so often?  Why did his fables end with a moral?  You and your team will find the answers to these questions as you do this activity in which you will use your imagination and your creativity just as Aesop did.

The Task Your task is to learn about Aesop and to adapt his fables to contemporary times.  You will adapt an Aesop's fable using people you know or know of in situations that represent the present.  In this project you will make use of the following tools and skills: Fables from our textbook Web research PowerPoint Art work Writing Word processing Teamwork will play an important part in making your project a success.  So, remember to share your ideas and suggestions and to be open to your team members.  Good luck and have fun!

The Process This assignment will be presented as a Power Point presentation. Before actually using PowerPoint, you will have to gather information about Aesop's life and his works. Next, you will write your own fable and create artwork to go with the fable. You will be working within a group, so cooperation will play a large part in the success of your project.

Part A: Getting Organized First, you will be put in a group of four or five students. Then, you will read some of Aesop's Fables out of the literature book and select one that your group would like to adapt to contemporary times. You will also do research on Aesop's life using internet resources.  You will be gathering information about Aesop's life so that you can write a brief biography. You should include information on when and where he lived, his family, education, profession, and influences.  Once your group has chosen a fable, decide who your characters will be.  They can be yourselves or people you know personally or about.  They can also be named as their function i.e.. Boss, nurse, etc.  You must also decide where your fable is to take place.  Remember, it must be a place you are familiar with.

Part A Continued Now that setting and characters have been selected, you will each write your own adaptation of the fable. When your group next meets, you will share your fables with the rest of the group. Try to select one or a combination of some or all of your groups' work to come up with one fable.  Each member of the group must participate in all aspects of this project, which includes research, writing, editing, and revision.  Make sure that your fable and its moral are clearly related at all times. Once your group has agreed, write the fable.  Edit and revise it. With your fable completed, your group must decide how to divide it into the four or five slides that you will be using in your PowerPoint presentation; so, you must decide which part of the fable (text) will occupy each slide.   Next, you have to decide on the drawings you want to use for each slide.  These drawings must reflect your fable, particularly the text on the slide that this drawing will be part of.  Each group member will be responsible for one or two pictures.

Part A Continued Scan all of your drawings and save them into a convenient folder.  Be sure to save them in a jpg format. In addition to your fable slides, you must design a title slide which will include: the project title the name of your fable (listed as an adaptation) your names as the authors

Aesop’s Fables 2009 An adaptation of Title By Your Names Sample Title Slide Aesop’s Fables 2009 An adaptation of Title By Your Names

Part A Continued One of your slides should be devoted to a brief biography of Aesop compiled from the information you gathered in step 3. Once you have completed steps 1 to 12 you are ready to begin Part B.

Part B: Putting It All Together You are now ready to begin putting all of your work together in a Power Point presentation.  Following is a an example of the order you will use for your slide show.    Slide 1......... Title Page (see Part A. no. 11)       Slide 2......... Biography of Aesop's life    Slide 3.........    Slide 4......... Your Fable    Slide 5..........    Slide 6..........

Some Advice The way your group organizes itself will be an important aspect of your project.  You will have to agree on the fable you will adapt, then you must work cooperatively to complete the project successfully.  Once you have chosen your fable, it might be easier to adapt it if you work backwards from the moral.  That is, you should keep the moral as your focus as you write.  All members of your group must take an active part in the editing/revision stages of your work.  The group must unanimously agree on the final text. Your artwork should be rich in color and simple in content.  Remember that the illustrations should complement the text, not the other way around.  So, try not to make your pictures too busy.  You  can also compliment your artwork by importing images from clipart sources.