2nd Grade Fables and Their Lessons worksheets

About this worksheet

Fables use a short, simple story to teach a lesson about how to treat people or solve problems, and Common Core specifically asks second graders to find that lesson for themselves rather than have it explained. A child can often retell what happened in a fable, like a fox trying to reach some grapes, and still miss the point the story is making about pride or honesty. This worksheet prints one classic fable, retold in fresh, original words, and asks ten questions about it: the lesson it teaches, who it is about, what that character wanted, what they did, why they did it, what happened as a result, and what was different by the end.

A few questions also check a stated detail against an invented one and the meaning of a word from context. Ask your child to explain the lesson in their own words, then find the part of the fable that shows it. That habit of pointing to evidence is exactly what Common Core's RL. 2. 2 expects.

What your child will learn

• Identify the central lesson or moral of a fable
• Describe what a character wanted and what they did about it
• Explain why a character acted the way they did
• Tell a stated detail from an invented one
• Use context to define a new word