Adapting Aesop’s Fables to Create a Breaking Article

Author: Garland McKee, University of Alabama Journalism Student

Grade(s): 7-9

Subject(s): Journalism and Language Arts

Overview of Lesson Plan:  After reviewing and discussing the journalism inverted pyramid as a guideline in article writing, students will create a news article by selecting one of Aesop’s fables (which contain a moral at the end of the story).  The students will choose a particular Aesopian fable and “revamp” the story as a news article.  The lesson allows students to think creatively and demonstrate an understanding of the inverted pyramid. 

Suggested Time Allowance:  50-60 minutes

Objectives:

Students will:

1.     Discuss article writing expectations

2.     Identify the inverted pyramid components within a newspaper article

3.     Compose an article by adapting an Aesopian fable

4.     Implement creative cognitive skills when writing a news article

5.     Demonstrate an understanding of their ability to apply inverted pyramid checklist (leads, second paragraph, attribution, AP style, wordiness, and transitions)

Resources/Materials:

• Poster board
• Markers
• Strings
• Construction paper
• Copies of Aesop’s fables
• Copies of USA Today, Tuscaloosa News, or Birmingham News

Activities/Procedures:

1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: The teacher will ask the students to brainstorm several questions and respond to the questions in their journals.  The questions will include:

• “When you watch, listen to, or read news reports, what facts and details do you expect the reporter to include?” (www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons)
• “Why do you think most articles contain one long lead sentence?”
• “Do articles and oral communication differ? How?”
• “What information could wait until the end of the story?”

After giving students time to respond to the questions, the teacher asks the students to share their answers.  The teacher should take notes on the board as students list ideas to question #1. 

2.  GROUP ACTIVITY/ IDENTIFYING INVERTED PRYAMID CHECKLIST COMPONENTS:  The teacher will divide the class into groups of four.  Next, the teacher will distribute craft supplies and newspaper copies to each group (USA Today, Tuscaloosa News or Birmingham News).  Each group will be responsible for a particular component of the inverted pyramid checklist (ranging from lead sentences to transitions to AP style). Each group will cut examples from articles that exhibit their designated component and display the specific component in a creative manner. The guidelines allow the group to collaboratively think creatively. Some examples might include: raindrops hanging from an umbrella, leaves glued onto trees, tapes filed in a tape deck, or shoes in a shoebox. One group might display ten lead sentence raindrops hanging from their umbrella as an example. The group activity enables students to identify the inverted pyramid components and display each in a creative manner.

3.  AESOPIAN FABLE ACTIVITY/IMLEMENTING THE CHECKLIST:  Students will choose a particular fable of Aesop’s that have been copied by the teacher. (A great source for an alphabetized list of fables can be found at www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop.) Some examples of the fables include:  “The Hare and the Tortoise,” “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” “The Goose with the Golden Eggs,” “4 Oxen and the Lion,” and “The Milkmaid and Her Pail.”  After choosing a fable, students will demonstrate their ability to implement the inverted pyramid components into a breaking article.  The fable will be adapted, including lead sentences, transition statements, AP style, wordiness, and second paragraphs. Since the inverted pyramid structure demands beginning with the most important information and presenting information in decreasing order of importance, the fables will contain reversals of their usual order coupled by numerous changes.  Students will be given the option of creatively adding proper names, places, events, dates, and reasons.  An example of an adapted fable (“The Milkmaid and Her Pail”) lead sentence might read: “Patty Milkmaid shattered her hopes for purchasing a new outfit after carelessly dropping her milk pail which contained her life’s earnings on Saturday.” The students will demonstrate an understanding of the inverted pyramid components, beginning with the successful completion of lead sentences.  The teacher should check the students’ stories after completion of the lead sentence to ensure students’ completion of the entire assignment. The students will implement creative cognitive skills when creating the article, as well as demonstrate an ability to apply the inverted pyramid checklist. 

4.  WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK:  Students will be asked to continue working on their adapted fables at home.  The students will be reminded that each inverted pyramid component must be completed (lead sentence, transitions, second paragraph, AP style, names and titles, attribution, and wordiness).  The teacher will remind the students that the assignment will be put in their portfolios. 

5.  ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR LATER DISCUSSION:

• Why do journalists reporting breaking news follow the pattern of reporting most to least important news?
• How does “hard” news differ from feature stories? Can you find examples of both in the paper?
• Does finding a grammatical mistake in a newspaper affect your attitude toward that particular paper? Why or why not?

6.  EVALUATION: Students will be evaluated based on written journal entry, participation in group activity, and completion of the fable assignment.

7.  RESOURCES:  www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop contains Aesop’s fables that are alphabetized and can be downloaded using Real Audio media feature.

8.  SUMMARY: The lesson will allow students to think creatively as well as apply learned knowledge of the essential components of the inverted pyramid.  The students will adapt an Aesopian fable to compose a modern day news article. The exercise allows students to strengthen news writing skills. The teacher will evaluate the students’ assignments to ensure understanding of the lesson.