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G3: Fables as Mirrors: Reflecting on the Growth of the Soul

June 12, 2024

During a month-long reading event, the third graders explored the worlds of "Aesop's Fables" and "Ancient Chinese Fables." Each fable served as a mirror, reflecting various aspects of their personalities and allowing them to see their own reflections. In the classroom, the students actively engaged their minds and discussed with peers, using the morals from the fables to navigate real-life issues. They also read together with their parents at home, discussing the characters, plots, and morals of the stories, and reflected on their daily behaviours to gain a deeper understanding of the wisdom conveyed by the fables.

The "See Myself" section in the fable reading manual aimed to help children reflect on their strengths and weaknesses through parent-child reading. Fables, with their concise and profound messages, made it easy for children to grasp the morals. However, truly understanding and applying these lessons in life requires the joint efforts of parents and schools, achieved through continuous discussion and reflection. During the reading month, parents had meaningful conversations with their children, thinking together about whether they were hard-working ants or vain crows, or if they were admiring others' success while indulging their own laziness, or striving to be better every day.

In the "Big Lessons from Small Stories" segment, the children chose their favorite fables and expressed the morals in their own words, also using real-life examples to show how they applied the lessons learned. Their classmates gained a lot from listening to these presentations.

The classic fable "The Owl's New Home" sparked critical thinking among the students. They eagerly expressed their views in class, considering the owl's unpopularity from multiple perspectives including self-awareness, kindness to others, respect for differences, and adaptability. They brainstormed solutions for the owl, and then penned their thoughts, continuing the story with logic and creativity that was both engaging and imaginative.

As the event drew to a close, to commemorate this enriching reading journey, the children created beautifully illustrated bookmarks. These bookmarks, adorned with illustrations and text, encapsulated the gains made during the reading month.

This reading month served as a mirror, providing children with insights for growth as they learned to critically examine themselves and others. They not only absorbed knowledge through reading, but also learned to think critically and achieve self-discovery and growth through the stories. We believe that the wisdom and morals learned during this reading month will be applied in their everyday lives, helping them to continually improve and become even better versions of themselves.

Written by Yu Lin, Wei Zhang

Pictures by Homeroom teachers

Edited by Cong Luo, Bianca Noguera