5 Simple & Fun Ideas for Teaching 3rd Grade Fables

Are you teaching 3rd grade fables but aren’t sure where to start?

RL 3.2 can be a tricky standard, but is SO FUN once you get a clear understanding of it!

I have a handful of ideas, activities, and resources that your students will LOVE.

Keep reading to check them out!

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Idea #1: Use read-alouds!

Read-alouds are, without a doubt, the best way to start your 3rd grade fable unit!

I can describe a fable until I’m blue in the face – but reading one or two will instantly give students an understanding of what a fable is.

Fables are short and quick, so they are fantastic to read one or two at the beginning of your reading block each day.

Read a few short fables, then ask students what the fables have in common.

For example, what are the characters? (Animals!). What do the fables have at the end? (A moral!).

Here are some great fable read-alouds: (All are Amazon Affiliate links below)

• Aesop’s Fables
• Aesop’s Fables 
• Aesop’s Forgotten Fables
• The Classic Treasury of Aesop’s Fables
• Illustrated Stories from Aesop

Idea #2: act out fables

Find some reader’s theater on Google, Teachers Pay Teachers, or heck – write your own!

Students will LOVE acting these out while working on their fluency skills and giving them confidence!

Reader’s theater gives students a real-world reason to read aloud.

If you have extra time, students can even design props or costume pieces!

Idea #3: write your own fables

After students have a sense of what a fable is, they can use this information and knowledge to apply to their own writing!

Students can create and write their own fables during your writer’s workshop block (don’t forget the moral!)

Then, have an author’s share. Students will love hearing other students’ fables being read aloud!

Idea #4: Use fable reading comprehension

ReadWorks is a free site that has a handful of fable passages available along with comprehension questions.

I also have a set of fable reading comprehension color by number passages and questions.

Color-by-number reading comprehension passages & questions will TRANSFORM your reading block – kids LOVE completing these!

You receive:

• 10 fables passages & questions ( 4 questions per passage)
  • Belling the cat
  • The ant and the grasshopper
  • The boy who cried “wolf”
  • The crow and the pitcher
  • The dog and his reflection
  • The fox and the grapes
  • The lion and the mouse
  • The tortoise and the hare
  • The town mouse and the country mouse
  • The wind and the sun

Kids first read the passage. Next, they answer comprehension questions.

Each comprehension question answer choice dictates a color next to it (like green, red, blue, etc.).

Students will color the coded picture based on the answer that they choose.

Simply print then pass out.

You receive 6 passages with questions. Each passage has 4 questions. There is also an answer key.

Click HERE to check them out.

Idea #5: fables interactive notebook

This fables, folktales, and myths interactive notebook covers standard RL 3.2!

This interactive notebook has directions, real-life images, answer keys, and flippable templates.

What makes this interactive notebook different than other interactive notebooks?

• Differentiated: This product is also differentiated for the needs and learners in your classroom, as well as your own time restraints. It includes three types of notebook pieces that allow you to choose whether your students will manually fill in the notes, fill-in-the-blanks, or to give pieces to students with the notes already filled out.
• Easy to cut: These resources are easy to cut – no trying to cut a tiny heart out for half an hour! A couple snips and students are good to go.
• Paper-saving: each piece of paper printed will be cut in half for two students.

Click HERE to snag it!

Other fairy tale, fable, and folktale blog posts

Need MORE information on teaching fairy tales, fables, and/or folktales?

I have other blog posts on this topic that you’ll love!

Check out the following blog posts!

• The BEST way to teach fables, fairy tales, and folktales
• The BEST fairy tale, fable, myth, and folktale read alouds

Want FREE fable, folktale, and myth library signs?

Want a set of signs to hang up in your classroom?

I have you covered!

You can print, laminate, and tape them up so that kids know what genre book they are reading.

I suggest pulling these out each year during your fairy tales, fables, folktales unit 🙂

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