8-Week Fable Lesson Plan for Class 2: A Steiner-Inspired English Curriculum

Discover a complete 8-week English lesson plan for Class 2 (ages 7-8), inspired by the Steiner-Waldorf approach. This curriculum uses classic Aesop's fables to teach language arts through storytelling, art, and hands-on activities. Perfect for homeschooling, the plan features a gentle weekly rhythm covering phonics, grammar, and creative writing. Guide your child through beloved stories like 'The Tortoise and the Hare' and 'The Lion and the Mouse' as they create a beautiful Main Lesson Book. Includes detailed daily activities, learning objectives, and a full materials list.

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Class 2 English: A Journey Through the Fable Forest

Materials Needed for the 8-Week Journey:

  • A large, high-quality blank notebook for a "Main Lesson Book" (A3 size is ideal)
  • High-quality drawing paper
  • Beeswax block and stick crayons
  • Watercolor paints (stockmar or similar) and thick watercolor paper
  • Modelling beeswax or natural modelling clay
  • Lined paper for writing practice
  • Pencils and a good eraser
  • Craft supplies: felt squares in various colours, wool roving, craft glue, scissors, cardboard tubes, paper plates, craft sticks, yarn
  • Natural items: smooth stones, sticks, leaves, gumnuts
  • A small basket or "treasure box" to hold word stones
  • Classic book of Aesop's Fables

Lesson Plan Overview (8 Weeks)

This plan follows a weekly rhythm to build comfort and confidence. The goal is for H to experience language as a living, creative force through storytelling, art, and movement, fully aligning with the Steiner approach for a 7-year-old. Assessment is done through observation and the beautiful work H creates in the Main Lesson Book.

Weekly Rhythm:

  • Day 1 (The Story): Introduce the fable through oral storytelling. Discuss the story's feeling and moral. H draws a large, beautiful picture in the Main Lesson Book capturing the essence of the story.
  • Day 2 (The Words): Focus on key words, letters, or sounds from the story. Practice writing letters and words. Introduce a simple grammar concept through movement or examples.
  • Day 3 (The Action): Bring the story to life. This could be through acting, puppetry, or a nature walk where you look for elements from the story.
  • Day 4 (The Creation): A hands-on creative project connected to the fable's theme or characters.
  • Day 5 (The Sharing): H retells the fable in their own words, perhaps using the creation from Day 4. Review the week's key words and add a written summary to the Main Lesson Book page.

Week 1: The Tortoise and the Hare

  • Learning Objectives: H will be able to retell the story, identify the moral of "slow and steady wins the race," and practice writing the letters 't' and 'h'. H will be introduced to descriptive words (adjectives) like 'slow' and 'fast'.
  • Day 1 (The Story): Tell the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare" with enthusiasm. Ask questions like, "How do you think the tortoise felt when the hare was sleeping?" H draws a scene from the story in the Main Lesson Book.
  • Day 2 (The Words): Introduce the letters 'T' for Tortoise and 'H' for Hare. Practice their shapes by walking them on the floor, drawing them in the air, then writing them on paper. Find 't' and 'h' words in the story. Write "The tortoise is slow. The hare is fast."
  • Day 3 (The Action): Have a "slow race" and a "fast race" in the backyard. Move like a tortoise (slow, steady, low to the ground) and then like a hare (quick, bouncy, energetic).
  • Day 4 (The Creation): Make simple stick puppets of the tortoise and the hare using cardboard cutouts, craft sticks, and crayons.
  • Day 5 (The Sharing): H uses the puppets to retell the story. Together, write a simple sentence in the Main Lesson Book under the drawing, such as "Slow and steady wins the race."

Week 2: The Lion and the Mouse

  • Learning Objectives: H will be able to narrate the story's sequence of events and identify the theme of kindness. H will practice writing 'l' and 'm' and will be introduced to action words (verbs).
  • Day 1 (The Story): Tell the story of "The Lion and the Mouse." Focus on the feelings of big and small, powerful and helpless. H draws the scene where the tiny mouse helps the huge lion.
  • Day 2 (The Words): Focus on 'L' for Lion and 'M' for Mouse. Write a list of "action words" from the story: roared, squeaked, nibbled, helped, ran, slept. Act out each verb.
  • Day 3 (The Action): Use yarn to create a "net" in the living room. H can pretend to be the mouse, carefully "nibbling" the ropes to free a toy lion or a pillow.
  • Day 4 (The Creation): Create a lion's mane using a paper plate, yellow/orange paint, and cut-out paper strips. Make a tiny mouse out of modelling clay or beeswax.
  • Day 5 (The Sharing): H retells the story, wearing the lion mask. Write "A little kindness can be a great help" in the Main Lesson Book.

Week 3: The Boy Who Cried Wolf

  • Learning Objectives: H will understand the concept of story sequencing (beginning, middle, end) and the importance of honesty. H will practice the 'o' and 'w' sounds and learn to write a simple sentence sequence.
  • Day 1 (The Story): Tell the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Discuss the difference between telling the truth and lying. H draws the three parts of the story: the boy tricking the villagers, the villagers being angry, and the real wolf appearing.
  • Day 2 (The Words): Focus on the "ow" sound in 'wolf' and 'town'. Find other "ow" words (how, now, cow). Practice writing "wolf." Write three simple sentences for the story: 1. The boy cried "Wolf!" 2. The villagers came. 3. No one came in the end.
  • Day 3 (The Action): Play a game of charades, acting out different emotions from the story: bored, mischievous, angry, scared.
  • Day 4 (The Creation): Make sheep from cotton balls glued to cardboard ovals. Create a small diorama of the hillside scene in a shoebox.
  • Day 5 (The Sharing): Using the diorama, H retells the story, making sure to get the beginning, middle, and end in the correct order. Add the three sentences to the Main Lesson Book page.

Week 4: The Ant and the Grasshopper

  • Learning Objectives: H will explore the rhythm and rhyme in language by creating simple couplets. H will practice 'a' and 'g' sounds and understand the theme of preparing for the future.
  • Day 1 (The Story): Tell the story of "The Ant and the Grasshopper." Talk about the seasons and how nature prepares for winter. H draws a split picture: the sunny summer on one side and the snowy winter on the other.
  • Day 2 (The Words): Focus on 'A' for Ant and 'G' for Grasshopper. Introduce rhyming words. Find words that rhyme with "ant" (can't, pant) and "play" (day, hay). Create simple rhyming couplets together, like "The grasshopper liked to play all day."
  • Day 3 (The Action): Go on a nature walk. Look for ants working. Try to find grasshoppers. Observe how busy one is and how still the other can be.
  • Day 4 (The Creation): Paint smooth stones to look like ants and grasshoppers. These can be used for storytelling.
  • Day 5 (The Sharing): Use the painted stones to retell the story. Write H's favorite rhyming couplet from Day 2 in the Main Lesson Book.

Week 5: Mid-Journey Review - A Fable Festival!

  • Learning Objectives: H will apply their knowledge by integrating characters and themes from the first four fables into a creative performance. This week focuses on synthesis and creative expression.
  • Days 1 & 2 (The Preparation): Create a simple puppet theatre from a large cardboard box. Gather all the puppets and props made over the last four weeks (stick puppets, stone animals, masks).
  • Day 3 (The Script): Work together to decide which story (or a mix of stories!) H wants to perform. Perhaps the Hare meets the Lion? Or the Ant helps the Boy who cried Wolf? Encourage creative mash-ups. Practice the show.
  • Day 4 (The Performance): Put on the "Fable Festival" puppet show for the family. Film it for H to watch back. Celebrate the hard work!
  • Day 5 (The Reflection): Look back through the Main Lesson Book together. Talk about H's favorite story and character so far. H can draw a picture of the puppet show on a new page.

Week 6: The Fox and the Grapes

  • Learning Objectives: H will explore describing feelings and motivations. H will practice 'f' and 'gr' sounds and write sentences expressing an opinion or feeling.
  • Day 1 (The Story): Tell the story of "The Fox and the Grapes." Discuss the feeling of wanting something you can't have and the idea of "sour grapes." H draws the fox looking up at the high grapes.
  • Day 2 (The Words): Focus on 'F' for Fox and the 'gr' sound in 'grapes'. Brainstorm feeling words: hungry, clever, frustrated, disappointed, proud. Write a sentence from the fox's point of view: "I did not want those grapes anyway."
  • Day 3 (The Action): Play a game of "I Spy" using feeling words. "I spy someone who feels happy because the sun is out." Try to jump and reach for a high object (safely!) to feel what the fox felt.
  • Day 4 (The Creation): Make a bunch of grapes using purple or green playdough, or by gluing circles of coloured paper onto a paper vine.
  • Day 5 (The Sharing): H retells the story. Discuss a time H felt frustrated about not getting something. Write in the Main Lesson Book: "It is easy to dislike what you cannot get."

Week 7: The Crow and the Pitcher

  • Learning Objectives: H will identify a problem and solution within a story. H will practice writing sequential steps and the 'c' and 'p' sounds.
  • Day 1 (The Story): Tell the story of "The Crow and the Pitcher." Emphasize the crow's clever thinking. H draws the steps the crow took to get the water.
  • Day 2 (The Words): Focus on 'C' for Crow and 'P' for Pitcher. Write out the steps as "First, Next, Then, Finally." (e.g., "First, the crow was thirsty. Next, he found a pitcher...")
  • Day 3 (The Action): Do a simple science experiment! Use a tall glass with a small amount of water. H adds pebbles (or marbles) one by one to see the water level rise, just like in the story.
  • Day 4 (The Creation): Make a crow puppet from a black sock or paper bag.
  • Day 5 (The Sharing): Using the puppet, H retells the story, focusing on the smart steps the crow took. Add the "First, Next, Then, Finally" sentences to the Main Lesson Book.

Week 8: Creating Our Own Fable

  • Learning Objectives: H will synthesize all learned concepts to create, write, and illustrate an original fable, demonstrating an understanding of character, problem, and moral.
  • Day 1 (The Idea): Brainstorm a new fable. Choose two different animal characters (e.g., A Koala and a Kookaburra). What is the Koala like? What is the Kookaburra like? What problem could they have? What is the moral?
  • Day 2 (The Story Draft): H tells you the story out loud. Write it down as H speaks. Read it back and make changes together. Focus on making the story clear and interesting.
  • Day 3 (The Main Lesson Book): On a fresh page in the Main Lesson Book, H draws the main scene from their new, original fable.
  • Day 4 (The Writing): H carefully copies the story (or a simplified version of it) into the Main Lesson Book under the illustration. Help with spelling and letter formation as needed, but let the final work be H's own.
  • Day 5 (The Grand Finale): H reads their own fable aloud to the family. Celebrate the conclusion of the "Journey Through the Fable Forest" and the creation of a wonderful Main Lesson Book full of H's creative work.