Frog and the Ox

The Frog and the Ox is one of Aesop’s Fables; a collection of tales thought to have originated in ancient Greece by Aesop, a Greek storyteller. The Frog and the Ox tells the tale of frog whose determination to prove that she is the biggest creature in the meadow, results in her downfall and ultimately her destruction!

The scene transports students to the frog’s pond where they can explore the key stages of the story and identify the moral ending.

# Learning Objectives:


1: Identify the key characters in The Frog and the Ox.{.info}

2: Retell the story as a sequence of events.{.info}

3: Understand the morals behind the story of The Frog and the Ox.{.info}



The student information section is split into three sections:


# A Flat Beginning{.objective .objective1}


The scene introduces students to the meadow and pond settings of the story. Mother Frog is introduced, and the frogs discover the fate of their brother.

Students can explore the meadow and search for the ox and the ox’s footprint. They will be asked to identify who the “monster” was.


# Something to Prove{.objective .objective2}


The mother frog learns of the “monster” and is determined to prove that she is the largest creature living by the pond. She inflates herself until she bursts.

In this section students will be encouraged to think about the reason the mother frog wanted to make herself bigger. The mother frog was the biggest creature in her pond, students will be asked to consider what other creatures can be found in and around ponds and can discuss their size.



# The Moral of the Story{.objective .objective3}


The moral message of the fable, pride before a fall, will be discussed. The message that it is important to be content with what you have and not try to be something you’re not.

Students will be directed to the pond area and asked to look for clues that show the mother frog likes to feel big and important. They should consider how the character of the mother frog could learn from this tale. There will be objects placed around the scene referencing items found in our other Aesop's Fables scenes. Students can pick these up and guess which tale they could be from.



# Teacher Resources



# Download Teacher Notes



[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/804331/files/The%20Frog+and+the+Ox+Teacher+Notes+1.pdf?date=1686741250&size=1594664&md5=48ff8224d6352f8cc03d0d52c41d0cb6)



# Student Quiz Answers



[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/804336/files/The%20Frog+and+the+Ox+Teacher+Notes+2.pdf?date=1686741276&size=1005427&md5=612dad6c5cd1b9ba6368cc6730c0a3f1)



# Download Student Quiz Document



[](https://data.avncloud.com/activities/804339/files/The%20Frog+and+the+Ox+Teacher+Notes+3.pdf?date=1686741316&size=79409&md5=96eede2f24cb4e26582b8a2782bdafb4)