Masks and Aesop's Fables

Lesson Overview:

Aesop's fables are over 2,600 years old, but the stories—and their morals—are still relevant today. In this lesson, students will learn a fable, make simple masks, and retell the fable as part of a Greek chorus using masks.

Length of Lesson:

Three 45-minute periods

Notes:

Instructions are included for adapting the lesson for grades K-1 or 2-4.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• listen to or read a variety of Aesop's fables.
• create a comedy and tragedy mask.
• act out fables as part of a Greek chorus.
• modify a mask with color and decoration to characterize an Aesop character.
• identify and describe in writing the Aesop character on the mask.

Supplies:

For each student:

• Small (3 oz./89 ml) bathroom cups (one per student)
• Glue
• Masking Tape
• Construction paper
• Yarn
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Index cards

For K-1 only:

• White paper plates (two per student)
• Tongue depressors (two per student)
• Smile and frown template
• Crayons and/or colored markers

For 2-4 only:

• Cardboard from a box cut into 12"x 12" or 11"x 8" sections (two per student)
• Netting or mesh cut into 6"x 6" sections (one per student)
• Template of a diamond shape 3"x 2" or 3"x 4" (even if folded in half)
• Dowel rod or paint stirring stick
• Paint brushes (one per student)
• White, black, and multicolored poster or acrylic paint
• Mixing tray
• Bowl of water
• Newspaper

For teacher:

• Sharp pointed scissors or box cutter/utility knife
• Models of the comedy and tragedy masks appropriate to the grade level
• Directions for making the mask (see sidebar)
• Charts with words and/or pictures showing how to make the mask appropriate to the grade level
• Print copies of Aesop’s fables

Instructional Plan:

Background

In ancient Greece, people often told stories to entertain one another. Since most did not read, these stories were passed on through word of mouth for centuries before they were written down.

Stories were often performed on stage in ancient Greece. 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.

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, while tragic masks had open-mouth frowns. 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.

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.

Instruction

Write the following vocabulary on the board and refer to them throughout the lesson.

• fable: a story, often short, that has a moral
• moral: lesson or truth learned from the fable
• comedy: a play in which everything turns out right for the characters
• tragedy: a play without a happy ending

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. (Refer to the ARTSEDGE Unit Fables to help students learn more about the literary form and/or write their own.)

Ask students if they know the fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare." (Go to Aesop’s Fables Online Exhibit for the full text of "The Hare and The Tortoise.") Ask if anyone is familiar with the basic plot, characters, or moral of the story. Read the fable to students. Instruct them to listen carefully, because they will be retelling the story in a few minutes. 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?

Chart students’ answers. Allow all students the opportunity to respond and explain their answers. Have students then sort out the answers that best match the story.

Have students sit in a circle for a round robin retelling of the fable. Begin with "Once upon a time there was a tortoise and a hare and…" Turn to the student to your right and have him/her continue the tale. Students may need prompting to keep on track. Dialogue may be added to keep the story interesting. (If the story ends without the whole class getting a turn, restart the fable.) Finish the retelling by repeating the moral of the fable.

Once the tale has been told, have students demonstrate the facial expression the character might have had at the beginning of the fable. Would the hare's expresssion change at the end of the tale? Have students demonstrate. Repeat this exercise for the tortoise, showing the character’s expressions at the beginning and end of the fable. Have students do this with partners or, if possible, in front of a mirror. (You can buy inexpensive mirror tiles in any hardware or home improvement store.)

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

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

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.

In Greek theater, all people on stage wore masks. The actors changed masks to signal a change in mood or character. The masks had holes in the eyes and mouths. Smiling masks were used in comedies (plays with happy endings), while frowning masks were used in tragedies (plays with unhappy endings).

Ask students to think about "The Tortoise and the Hare." From the 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?

Review the story and script out the various parts for the Greek chorus, and possibly one to three actors (perhaps a tortoise, hare, and/or moderator, along with the chorus).

Hold up models of comedy and tragedy masks for students to see. For grades K-1, use the Directions for a Paper Plate Mask and verbally guide the students through the process. For grades 2-4, use the Directions for a Cardboard Mask and verbally guide the students through the process. (Note: For making the cardboard mask, have models of the finished products to show the students. Precut the cardboard and the netting or mesh. Have extra cardboard available for the nose. Make sure that the diamond template is even and can be folded in half to create a raised nose.) Model the steps as the students make the masks. The final results are a plain comedy mask and a plain tragedy mask. Later, students will customize the mask for another Aesop character, adding color and hair just as the ancient Greek actors and chorus did.

Divide the class in two groups, assigning one group to play the hare, the other the tortoise. Instruct students to make their comedy and tragedy masks accordingly. They may want to make more than one mask if the character’s features vary. Or you could assign 1-3 actors to take on the varied roles and have them make masks for those parts.

Once the masks are completed, have the class assume the role of a Greek chorus, with half the class portraying the hare, and half portraying the tortoise. 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!" Allow time for groups to practice reciting their lines. Discuss the mask choice for each line. Does one keep the same mask throughout the story? If it changes, when does it change? Allow time for each group to practice reciting their lines with the appropriate mask(s).

Finally, have students add the movements, that were created for each character. Do the movements work for the lines? If not, modify either the movement or the line. Allow time for each group to practice reciting their lines with the appropriate mask(s) and movement. Have students perform the fable. Videotape the performance or invite the administration, parents, or another class to view it.

Aesop wrote more than one fable that could be performed. Encourage students to explore other Aesop fables. Like the actors and chorus in ancient Greece, students can alter their masks to create a new character.

Go to Aesop’s Fables Online Exhibit. The fables are set up in sections, according to alphabetical order. Use this site for reading fables, or for a wider variety of choices including titles, morals, and alternatives versions of each. You may wish to download the fables and post them so that students can "read the room." Alternatively, students can read or listen to the fables online. For non-reading students, select five titles to read to them.

After reading 5-10 fables, have students choose their favorites. Record the titles on an index card. Write the title and characters for the students to remember. Each student should then select a character to create on the mask.

Aesop’s Fables has the fable, related vocabulary, and a five-question quiz to test vocabulary and comprehension. Divide students in groups of four. Have them read the assigned fable and take the quiz. (This can be done either by downloading the material, or by completing the quiz online.) The quiz answers serve as a way to assess understanding of the fable. Students should then select a character from the fable and create a mask representing it.

Some suggested dramatic fable titles include:

• The Ant and the Grasshopper*
• The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts*
• The Dog and the Wolf*
• The Fox and the Cat*
• The Fox and the Lion*
• The Fox and the Stork*
• The Lion and the Mouse*
• The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse*
• The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing*
• The Young Crab and His Mother
• The Frogs and the Ox
• The Boy and the Filberts
• The Kid and the Wolf
• The Bundle of Sticks
• The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf
• The Gnat and the Bull
• The Sheep and the Pig
• The Farmer and the Stork
• The Travelers and the Purse
• The Owl and the Grasshopper
• The Boys and the Frog
• The Wild Boar and the Fox
• The Fox and the Goat

After the masks have been altered, give each student an index card. Have students record the following information: name; title of the fable; name of the selected character; and a lesson the character taught or learned in the fable. (Have younger students dictate this information to you or an aide.)

Have students find others who have liked the same character or fable. (Groups also can be assigned.) Students should then work as a group to practice retelling the new fable using the appropriate mask(s) and movement, and present it to the class.

Display the customized masks on the bulletin board with the index card explaining the character and fable.

Assessment:

Assess student performance using the Assessment Rubric (or something comparable that you generate as a class.)

You may wish to use student performance on the quiz as an additional piece of assessment evidence.

Extensions:

Find books that "fracture" the fables and retell them alone or in tandem with the Aesop fable. Titles include: Squids Will Be Squids; The Stinky Cheese Man; and The Wolf Who Cried Boy.

Watch the cartoon "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show." The writers fractured Aesop’s fables in quite a few shows. Ask students to compare the real versions with the fractured versions.

Sources:

Print:

• Carlson, Laurie. Classical Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in Ancient Greece and Rome. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1998.
• Hart, Avery and Paul Mantell. Ancient Greece! 40 Hands-on Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age. Charlotte, VT: Williamson Publishing, 1999.
• Pearson, Anne. Ancient Greece. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
• Ross, Stewart. Greek Theatre. Lincolnwood, IL: Peter Bedrick Books, 1996.
• Rump, Nan. Puppets and Masks, Stagecraft and Storytelling. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, Inc., 1996.
• Swartz, Larry. Drama Themes. Markham, ON, Canada: Pembroke Publishers, 1995.
• Wright, Lyndie. Masks. New York: Franklin Watts, Inc., 1990.
  

Authors:

• Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
  Kingsford Elementary School
  Mitchellville, MD