Traits in Action Lesson Plan Day 1 Teacher Guide • The Ant & the Grasshopper
Lesson Plan: Traits in Action
Unit: Fable Wisdom
Pacing: 35–40 Minutes
Focus: Character Traits & Actions
Learning Target
I can identify a character's trait through their actions and support my thinking with text evidence.
Instructional Sequence
Steps 1–6
1
Review & Hook (3 min): Introduce Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper . Activate prior knowledge about character traits (who a character is inside based on actions and speech) versus temporary feelings or moods.
2
Read (8–10 min): Read the summer and autumn section where the ant steadily gathers seeds and builds her storehouse while the grasshopper sings and lounges in the meadow. Prompt students to notice what each character does all day.
3
Model (5 min): Think aloud: “The ant carries heavy seeds back to her nest while the weather is warm. This action proves she is hardworking and prepared because she works before the cold winter arrives.”
4
Guided Practice (5 min): Co-create a two-column character anchor chart on the board: Ant vs. Grasshopper. Contrast the ant's industrious actions with the grasshopper's carefree mindset.
5
Independent Practice (10–12 min): Students complete the Day 1 Student Packet: Part A (Multiple Choice, questions 1–4) and Part B (RACE written response analyzing the ant's trait and supporting actions).
6
Exit Check (2 min): Students complete the oral or written sentence frame: “The ant’s action of ________ shows she is ________ because ________.”
Common Misconception
Students often confuse temporary physical states (tired, hungry) with character traits (hardworking, careless). Guide students to look for patterns in repeated actions.
RACE Scaffold Tip
Remind students on Page 2 that Restating means turning the prompt into a statement (“The character trait that best describes the ant is...” ).
Fable Wisdom Unit • Day 1 Facilitation Guide Page 1 of 1
Traits in Action Student Packet Fable Study • The Ant & the Grasshopper
Day 1 Student Work Packet
Day 1 of 3
Name:
Date:
A
Part A: Multiple Choice
Read each question carefully. Bubble in the single best answer.
1. What does the ant do as autumn gets closer?
A She sings and dances all day.
B She gathers seeds and carries them home.
C She sleeps in the meadow.
D She asks the grasshopper for food.
2. Which character trait best describes the ant at the beginning of the story?
A Hardworking
B Careless
C Selfish
D Impatient
3. What does the grasshopper spend his time doing during the summer?
A Building an underground home
B Gathering seeds
C Singing and dancing
D Looking for shelter
4. Why does the ant warn the grasshopper about winter?
A She wants him to stop singing forever.
B She knows food will be hard to find when it snows.
C She wants him to leave the meadow.
D She needs him to carry her seeds.
Day 1 • Character Traits in Action Page 1: Multiple Choice
Fable Study • Day 1 Written Response Name: _______________________________
Part B: RACE Written Response
Rubric Aligned
Prompt Question
What character trait best describes the ant at the beginning of the story? Use an action from the text to support your answer.
R: Restate prompt
A: Answer clearly
C: Cite text proof
E: Explain evidence
R — Restate the question & A — Answer the question:
C — Cite evidence from the text:
E — Explain how the evidence supports your answer:
My Complete Response Synthesize into a complete, well-crafted paragraph
Day 1 • Character Traits in Action Page 2: RACE Written Response
Choices Consequences Lesson Plan Day 2 Teacher Guide • The Ant & the Grasshopper
Lesson Plan: Choices and Consequences
Unit: Fable Wisdom
Pacing: 35–40 Minutes
Focus: Choices, Traits & Effects
Learning Target
I can explain how a character’s choices reveal a trait and affect what happens.
Instructional Sequence
Steps 7–12
7
Review (3 min): Revisit the Day 1 character chart. Ask students to explain which actions show that the ant is prepared and disciplined.
8
Read (8–10 min): Read the section in which winter arrives and the grasshopper struggles to find food. Stop to notice the sharp contrast between the ant’s warm shelter and the grasshopper’s freezing, desperate situation.
9
Model (5 min): Think aloud: “The grasshopper laughs at the ant’s warning and does not gather food. This shows he is careless or unprepared because he ignores information about what is coming.”
10
Guided Practice (5 min): Students identify the grasshopper’s choice, the resulting consequence, and a character trait that connects them. Trace the cause-and-effect relationship together on the board.
11
Independent Practice (10–12 min): Students complete Day 2 questions and the RACE response. Remind them that textual evidence may come from a character's specific actions or spoken dialogue.
12
Exit Check (2 min): Students finish the sentence: “The grasshopper’s choice to ________ shows he is ________ because ________.”
Cause & Effect Link
Help students connect the grasshopper's choice (singing and dancing instead of storing seeds) directly to the consequence (hunger and shivering in the snow).
Dialogue as Evidence
Remind students on Page 2 that characters show who they are through what they say, such as laughing off the ant's warning in summer.
Fable Wisdom Unit • Day 2 Facilitation Guide Page 1 of 1
Choices Consequences Student Packet Fable Study • The Ant & the Grasshopper
Day 2 Student Work Packet
Day 2 of 3
Name:
Date:
A
Part A: Multiple Choice
Read each question carefully. Bubble in the single best answer.
1. What changes when winter arrives?
A The meadow becomes warmer.
B Food becomes harder to find and snow covers the meadow.
C The grasshopper begins gathering seeds.
D The ant moves out of her home.
2. Why is the ant able to shelter safely during winter?
A She prepared an underground home and gathered food.
B The grasshopper gave her food.
C She leaves the meadow.
D She finds food under the snow.
3. Which trait best describes the grasshopper before winter?
A Prepared
B Careful
C Careless
D Patient
4. What is one consequence of the grasshopper ignoring the ant’s warning?
A He has plenty of food stored away.
B He becomes thin and miserable while searching for food.
C He gets to spend winter singing in the sun.
D The ant gives him all of her family’s food.
Day 2 • Choices and Consequences Page 1: Multiple Choice
Fable Study • Day 2 Written Response Name: _______________________________
Part B: RACE Written Response
Rubric Aligned
Prompt Question
What character trait best describes the grasshopper before winter? Use evidence from his actions or words.
R: Restate prompt
A: Answer clearly
C: Cite text proof
E: Explain evidence
R — Restate the question & A — Answer the question:
C — Cite evidence from the text (actions or dialogue):
E — Explain how the evidence supports your answer:
My Complete Response Synthesize into a complete, well-crafted paragraph
Day 2 • Choices and Consequences Page 2: RACE Written Response
Wisdom and Change Lesson Plan Day 3 Teacher Guide • The Ant & the Grasshopper
Lesson Plan: Character Change & the Lesson
Unit: Fable Wisdom
Pacing: 35–40 Minutes
Focus: Character Growth & Moral
Learning Target
I can describe how a character changes and support my thinking with text evidence.
Instructional Sequence
Steps 13–18
13
Review (3 min): Ask students to recall what happened to the grasshopper during winter and explain the underlying reasons behind his hardship.
14
Read (8–10 min): Read the ending, including the ant’s explanation that she has only enough food for her family, her reassurance that spring is coming, and the grasshopper’s final realization.
15
Model (5 min): Compare the grasshopper at the beginning (laughs at the warning and does not prepare) with the grasshopper at the end (recognizes he has been foolish and is wiser). Explain that a character trait may change as a result of experience.
16
Guided Practice (5 min): Complete a before/after chart on the board: Before winter vs. At the end . Ask students to name specific textual evidence that proves this shift in attitude.
17
Independent Practice (10–12 min): Students complete Day 3 questions and the RACE response tracing the grasshopper's growth and the central moral lesson of the fable.
18
Exit Check (2 min): Students state one enduring lesson the grasshopper learns and one detail from the text that shows he learned it.
Dynamic Characters
Emphasize that characters can grow. The grasshopper isn't permanently foolish; his difficult experience gives him wisdom for the future.
Moral Synthesis
Guide students to see that the moral applies beyond the story: planning ahead and listening to wise advice protects us when challenges come.
Fable Wisdom Unit • Day 3 Facilitation Guide Page 1 of 1
Wisdom and Change Student Packet Fable Study • The Ant & the Grasshopper
Day 3 Student Work Packet
Day 3 of 3
Name:
Date:
A
Part A: Multiple Choice
Read each question carefully. Bubble in the single best answer.
1. Why does the ant say she cannot give the grasshopper much food?
A She has no food at all.
B She has only enough seeds left to feed her family.
C She wants him to go away forever.
D She forgot where she stored the food.
2. What does the ant tell the grasshopper about spring?
A Winter will last forever.
B There will soon be plenty of food in the meadow.
C He should move to another meadow.
D He should stop asking for help.
3. Which detail best shows that the grasshopper has changed by the end?
A He sings and dances all summer.
B He laughs at the ant’s warning.
C He knows he has been foolish and is much wiser.
D He asks the ant to carry seeds for him.
4. Which lesson is best supported by the story?
A It is best to avoid all work.
B Planning ahead and listening to good advice can help us prepare for challenges.
C Friends should always share everything they own.
D Winter is the best season for singing.
Day 3 • Character Change and the Lesson Page 1: Multiple Choice
Fable Study • Day 3 Written Response Name: _______________________________
Part B: RACE Written Response
Rubric Aligned
Prompt Question
How does the grasshopper change from the beginning to the end of the story? Identify a character trait he shows at the end and use evidence to support your answer.
R: Restate prompt
A: Answer clearly
C: Cite text proof
E: Explain evidence
R — Restate the question & A — Answer the question:
C — Cite evidence from the text:
E — Explain how the evidence supports your answer:
My Complete Response Synthesize into a complete, well-crafted paragraph
Day 3 • Character Change and the Lesson Page 2: RACE Written Response
