Aesop: Fact or Myth?

WebQuest by Emily Harmon

WelcomeWelcome: Aesop: Fact or Myth?

Description: Welcome to Ms. Harmon's Aesop WebQuest! I am a college student, studying elementary education, at Marshall University, and I am very excited about education. This WebQuest is designed for a 3rd grade classroom.

Grade Level: 3-5

Curriculum: English / Language Arts

Author: Emily Harmon

IntroductionFables are a very popular genre.

There are hundreds of different fables, but one author is given much credit.

~Aesop.~

There is not much known about Aesop, which leads to questions about his existence.

Was Aesop a real man, that lived hundreds of years ago?

Or was the mastermind behind some of our most loved fables

just a fictional character, himself.

Task

Today, you are an investigator.

Your job is to investigate facts about Aesop, and determine whether or not he actually existed.

After doing thorough research, you will make your case to a professional panel (our class).

You will present your final decision on a poster board, with supporting facts, found on this WebQuest.

ProcessReal or Myth?:

1. http://www.umass.edu/aesop/history.php

2. http://greece.mrdonn.org/aesop.html

3. http://www.worldoftales.com/fables/About_Aesop.html

4. http://www.biography.com/people/aesop-9176935

http://www.justmegawatt.com/readables/everythingelse/fables/aesop.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/greekmenandwomen/a/Aesop-The-Life-Of-Aesop.htm

Evaluation4

Points3

Points2

Points1

Point

Decision

Clear decision made.

Mostly clear decision

made.

Decision not made

clearly

enough.

Lists both options

without really

picking one.

Supporting Facts

Provides many

supporting facts, that

clearly back up decision.

Provides enough facts

to support decision.

Provides some relevant facts, but

many irrelevant

ones.

Provides small

amount of supporting

facts.

Presentation on Poster

Well designed

poster, that helps prove point being made. Great organization and detail.

Poster has all

required aspects.

Could use a little more work with

detail.

Poster does not

have very much detail or interest.

Needs decoration

Poster does not look

as if any thought was

put into it before

starting. Messy and

unorganized.

Conclusion

After investigating the “life” of Aesop, I hope that you have a stronger understanding of the man that is credited with creating fables.

He has influenced many stories, videos, and art in our society today, even if we don’t know for sure if he even existed.

Teacher Page• This WebQuest covers the West Virginia Dept. of

Education teaching standard-RLA.O.3.1.12.