Student Worksheet

Storms Pass: Morals In Stories - Activity Instructions

“Still, happiness is found in little things. Storms pass.”

Good authors often include a moral in their story to teach their younger readers about right and wrong behaviour. Can you find the meaning behind some classic fairy tales, and create your own moral tale?

Step 1.

Read the story Where Happiness Hides.

Step 2.

Kids’ books especially are designed as parables: short, simple stories that contain a moral or lesson to teach the reader an important way of acting in the world.

Morals can usually be summed up in a simple phrase, such as “the early bird catches the worm".

What could be the moral lessons these lines from the book are trying to communicate?

• “Happiness hides in little things.”
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• “Sometimes ice-cream melts.”
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• “Rainbows come with rain.”
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Step 3.

Can you think of any common moral phrases, or other stories with morals in them? Make a list.

Local folklore, legends, myths or stories from your elders are often remembered and repeated throughout cultures for their moral values.

Step 4.

Brainstorm your own simple moral story for a younger audience. Start with a moral, and think about how to show an example of this happening to your characters. Remember this is a story for young kids, so carefully consider the vocabulary you use.

This is an example brainstorm:

Moral:

“A stitch in time saves nine.”

Meaning:

Fix the problem now so it doesn’t become a much bigger problem later.

Story outline:

Two wombats notice a leak in the roofs of their burrows.

One wombat goes out in the rain straight away to fix the leak. The second wombat ignores the problem and goes back to sleep, hoping the storm passes.

The rain lasts for days and days. The leak gets bigger and eventually floods The second wombat’s burrow floods. He has to stand out in the rain while the first wombat enjoys her nice warm and dry burrow.

Now make your own:

Taking It Further

Create a fully fleshed out picture story book of your moral tale.

Consider filming yourself reading the story, or use iMovie or a similar program to include your pictures and upload your story to a safe social media site or your school’s online space.

Storms Pass - Morals In Stories (home learning)

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