THEATRE, FABLES AND ELISABETH FRINK

The following lesson plans are based on a book designed by Elisabeth Frink in “Artists’ Books,” an exhibition at The College of Wooster Art Museum from March 29-May15, 2005. These lesson plans and annotated bibliography were compiled by Sarah O’Leary and Mary Kate Fowkes as part of the Education 240 class taught by Megan Wereley at The College of Wooster in Spring 2005.

Elisabeth Frink was born in England in 1930 and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1982 for her work as an artist. She was the first female president of the British Royal Academy, and worked primarily as a sculptor. Mythology was a frequent theme in her work and the images that appear in Aesop’s Fables (1967), demonstrate the artist’s loose, expressionistic style.

Dame Elisabeth Frink (British, 1930–1993)
Aesop’s Fables, 1968
lithography
194/250
Printed at the Curwen Press, London
Published by R. Alistair McAlpine Publishing Limited
and Leslie Waddington Prints Limited, London
The College of Wooster Art Museum 2004.7

Grade Level: early elementary
Theme: Fables
Topic: “How Would You React”

CONTENT OF LESSON

Knowledge
1. Acquire new information.
2. Apply that knowledge in a new way.

Skills
1. Socialization and cooperation with peers.
2. Remain on task when working independently.

Instructional Objectives
1. Work as a group to select topic.
2. Determine various resolutions to a story.
3. Self-direct the group.

CONTENT LEARNING STANDARDS

Dance and Theatre
Historical, Cultural and Social Contexts
1. Identify and compare similar characters and situations in stories/dramas from and about various cultures and time periods.

Creative Expression and Communication
1. Sustain characters with consistency in classroom dramatizations.
2. Create places/spaces where performances can be staged.
3. Communicate a story through storytelling or scripted screen work.

Analyzing and Responding Standard
1. Use dramatic/theatrical vocabulary and concepts in responding to dramatic/theatrical experiences.

Valuing Drama/Theatre/Aesthetic Reflection
1. Represent the diversity of personal opinions expressed in response to a drama/theatre work or experience.

Materials:
A copy of Aesop’s Fables
A box full of colored blocks to assign groups

LESSON IMPLEMENTATION
The plan can be individualized based on what works best for each specific classroom.

LESSON IMPLEMENTATION

Anticipatory Set/Motivation
Discuss artists’ books, Elisabeth Frink’s life, and how the artist drew images to accompany the fundamental aspects of each fable in this book. Discuss how the students will create plays where they create their own ending to the fables.

Activities and Procedure:
After introducing the lesson the teacher will read some of Aesop’s Fables to the class and discuss how it might have ended differently. The teacher should not offer how he/she thinks the story could have ended but focus on what other endings might be created and what those endings might teach.

Divide students into groups and have them choose which fable they want to act out keeping in mind the creation of alternative endings. Ciculate and ask the various “characters” what they are feeling and how they would like to respond to the situation. The Teacher should encourage a variety of resolutions to each story.

Closure/Assessment

To complete the activity the class will come together and perform for the other groups the fable that they have chosen and the alternative ending the group chose. For assessment, the class might discuss the different mini-plays that were created. The teacher could focus the discussion on the strengths of the student’s ideas, emphasizing the worth of all of the plays and the importance of the creative process. They should also discuss what they liked about working in groups and what problems they encountered.

Lucie-Smith, Edward. (1994). Elisabeth Frink: Sculpture Since 1984 and Drawings. London: Art Books International.

This book explores how Elisabeth Frink’s work evolved and provides interpretation of the work in Aesop’s Fables.

http://www.modernbritishartists.co.uk/frink_biog.htm

A useful website that includes a summary of Frink’s career and artistic style.

http://www.pacificnet.net/~johnr/aesop/aesop2.html

Contains over 656 short fables and a paraphrase of the moral the fable addresses.