The Ants and the Grasshopperoriginally told by Aesop

Included: A brief excerpt from the book and rigorous question set activities

promoting higher level-thinking development

Additional ResourcesClick Here for a School Tube version of this story

Click Here for another School Tube version of this story

Tier 1

Excerpt from book

Jacob’s Ladder Goals & Objectives

Habits of Mind

Excerpt

The Ants were spending a fine winter’s day drying grain collected in the summertime. A

Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants

inquired of him, “Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?” He replied, “I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing.” They then

said in derision” “If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to

be in the winter.”

Obtain the book from a school library to read the story in its entirety and complete the ladder activities.

Students will be able:Ladder AA1 Sequencing - To list in order of importance specific events or plot summaries A2 Cause and Effect - To identify and predict relationships between character behavior and story events, and their effects upon other characters or events.A3 Consequences and Implications - To predict character actions, story outcomes, and make real-world forecasts.

Ladder CC1 Literary Elements - To identify and explain specific story elements such as character, setting, or poetic-device.C2 Inference - To use textual clues to read between the lines and make judgments about specific textual events, ideas, or character analysis.C3 Theme/Concept - To identify a major idea or theme common in the text.

Habits of Mind

Working Interdependently

Thinking about Thinking (metacognition)

Innovating, Creating, Imagining

Refer to Jacob’s Ladder Story Table for Ladder A & C Thinking Questions.

Tier 2Rigor

(Discussion)

High Level Strategies with

Ladder A & C Questions

Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, 3-4 Podcast slides (Pixie, Frames).

Choose 2 of 3 questions below to complete.

A1 — The Grasshopper had to do certain things to prepare for the winter. Illustrate his preparations in order of how he did them in the story.

A2 — If you had to defend the Grasshopper’s actions, what would you say in his defense?

C2 — By illustrating explain what you think the phrase “If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to bed in the winter”.

Tier 3Rigor

(Discussion)

High Level Strategies with

Ladder A & C Questions

Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, 3-4 Podcast slides (Pixie, Frames).Choose 2 of 3 questions below to complete.

A3 — When have you had either short – term or long – term consequences of playing around instead of working?C1 — If you had been the author of the story, would you had picked ants and grasshoppers as the characters? If so why or why not? What animals would you replace the characters with?C3 — Make a word mobile or wordle of important words or messages that come from this story.

Tier 4

Reflections/Relevance

Choose one of the writing ideas to complete.  Be creative. 

1. Make puppets of the characters and put on the story as a puppet show for an audience.

2. Rewrite and retell the story with the characters were other animals.

Suggested project strategies:  Write a podcast script; create a puppet show; develop a PSA; a PowerPoint presentation; write and be an actor in a skit; write a persuasive speech and give before the class.