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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can retell and explain stories with a hidden meaning, like the Story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

      Key learning points

      1. People often learn lessons through hearing stories.
      2. Many stories may have deeper meanings.
      3. An example of a story with a deeper meaning is the Story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

      Keywords

      • Fable - a story that teaches a lesson

      • Deeper meaning - a hidden message that includes a teaching

      Common misconception

      Stories are just told for fun.

      Many stories have a deeper meaning that contains a message about life.

      Teacher tip

      Re-tell meaningful stories using a space set aside for reflection, such as an outdoor story circle or an indoor quiet/reflective space.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      What is a parable?

      a short story
      a fairy story
      Correct answer: a story with a hidden message

      Q2.
      Where would you find Jesus' parables?

      in the Qur'an
      Correct answer: in the Bible
      in the Torah

      Q3.
      Match these holy books to the correct places of worship for each religion.

      Correct Answer:Bible,church

      church

      Correct Answer:Torah,synagogue

      synagogue

      Correct Answer:Qur'an,mosque

      mosque

      Q4.
      A __________ is an agreement to do or not to do something.

      Correct answer: promise
      present
      prayer

      4 Questions

      Q1.
      What is a fable?

      a short story with a happy ending
      a short story about animals
      Correct answer: a short story that teaches a lesson

      Q2.
      Match the sentence beginnings below about the story of ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’ to the correct sentence endings.

      Correct Answer:The grasshopper ...,sang songs and played music instead of working.

      sang songs and played music instead of working.

      Correct Answer:The ant ...,worked hard to store food for the winter.

      worked hard to store food for the winter.

      Correct Answer:When winter came, ...,the grasshopper was hungry.

      the grasshopper was hungry.

      Q3.
      Put these parts of the story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' in the correct order.

      1 - A boy was looking after some sheep.
      2 - He pretended there was a wolf and shouted for help.
      3 - The villagers came to help, but there was no wolf.
      4 - When a real wolf came, the boy shouted for help again.
      5 - Nobody came to help because they did not believe the boy.

      Q4.
      What is the deeper meaning of the story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'?

      Correct answer: No one believes a liar.
      Everyone believes a liar.
      Don't believe everything you hear.

      To help you plan your 1 religious education lesson on: Stories and deeper meanings, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...