In the 80’s, after reading Ponsot and Deen’s Beat Not The Poor Desk (1982), I started using one of their suggested argument “Structures: The Fable” (Chapter 2). The Horse and Bear fable is rich with possibilities, and this is one approach that I wrote up and posted as a guide on Youth Voices some time ago: Horse and Bear Fable with Dialogue Punctuation . You’ll note that we have also used this structure to introduce animated dialogue on Scratch.
This semester, a new teacher I’m working with to support her “Digital Storytelling” class at a Bronx high school has been interested in teaching Scratch to her students. I showed her this project, and she is making it her own, and perhaps moving toward a fractured fairytale project or perhaps more toward an inquiry/argument project. We’ll see.
More to the point here, with ChatGPT on our minds, I thought I’d see how this AI app handles Ponsot and Deen’s argument structure. I posed five questions to the chat to refine the fable. Here are the results:
1. Question posed to chat:
“Hello there, bear!” the horse said cheerfully. “What brings you out this way?”
The bear, who was not used to talking to horses, grunted in response. “I’m just out for a walk,” he said gruffly.
The horse, who was curious by nature, asked the bear many questions about his life in the forest. The bear, who was not used to being so chatty, soon found himself opening up to the horse about his life in the woods.
As they walked and talked, the horse and the bear found that they had much in common. They both loved the fresh air and the sunshine, and they both enjoyed the simple pleasures of life in the forest.
“I must say, bear, you are a very interesting fellow,” the horse said, as they reached the end of their journey. “It has been a pleasure to meet you and to learn more about your life in the forest.”
The bear, who was touched by the horse’s kind words, nodded his head in agreement. “It has been nice to meet you too, horse,” he said. “I hope we can meet again someday.”
And with that, the horse and the bear went their separate ways, each feeling a little bit wiser and a little bit happier for having met the other.
2. Question posed to chat:
“Hello there, bear!” the horse said cheerfully. “What brings you out this way?”
The bear, who was not used to talking to horses, grunted in response. “I’m just out for a walk,” he said gruffly.
The horse, who was curious by nature, asked the bear many questions about his life in the forest. The bear, who was not used to being so chatty, soon found himself opening up to the horse about his life in the woods.
As they walked and talked, the horse and the bear found that they had much in common. They both loved the fresh air and the sunshine, and they both enjoyed the simple pleasures of life in the forest.
But as they continued on their journey, the sky grew dark and the wind began to howl. A thunderstorm was brewing, and the horse and the bear knew they needed to seek shelter.
They quickly found a small cave and huddled inside, listening to the sound of the rain and the thunder crashing all around them. The horse and the bear huddled together for warmth, and they continued to talk and get to know each other better.
After the storm had passed, the horse and the bear emerged from the cave and looked at each other with newfound admiration and respect. “I must say, bear, you are a very interesting fellow,” the horse said, as they reached the end of their journey. “It has been a pleasure to meet you and to learn more about your life in the forest.”
The bear, who was touched by the horse’s kind words, nodded his head in agreement. “It has been nice to meet you too, horse,” he said. “I hope we can meet again someday.”
And with that, the horse and the bear went their separate ways, each feeling a little bit wiser and a little bit happier for having met the other and braved the storm together.
3. Question posed to chat:
3. ResponseOnce upon a time, in a forest far, far away, a horse and a bear met by chance. The horse, who was used to galloping through the fields and running free, was surprised to see the bear, who was lumbering along slowly.
“Hello there, bear!” the horse said cheerfully. “What brings you out this way?”
The bear, who was not used to talking to horses, grunted in response. “I’m just out for a walk,” he said gruffly.
The horse, who was curious by nature, asked the bear many questions about his life in the forest. The bear, who was not used to being so chatty, soon found himself opening up to the horse about his life in the woods.
As they walked and talked, the horse and the bear found that they had much in common. They both loved the fresh air and the sunshine, and they both enjoyed the simple pleasures of life in the forest.
But as they continued on their journey, the sky grew dark and the wind began to howl. A thunderstorm was brewing, and the horse and the bear knew they needed to seek shelter.
They quickly found a small cave and huddled inside, listening to the sound of the rain and the thunder crashing all around them. The horse and the bear huddled together for warmth, and they continued to talk and get to know each other better.
After the storm had passed, the horse and the bear emerged from the cave and looked at each other with newfound admiration and respect. “I must say, bear, you are a very interesting fellow,” the horse said, as they reached the end of their journey. “It has been a pleasure to meet you and to learn more about your life in the forest.”
The bear, who was touched by the horse’s kind words, nodded his head in agreement. “It has been nice to meet you too, horse,” he said. “I hope we can meet again someday.”
And with that, the horse and the bear went their separate ways, each feeling a little bit wiser and a little bit happier for having met the other and braved the storm together.
The moral of this story is that it’s important to be open-minded and to try to see things from others’ perspectives. By doing so, we can learn new things and form meaningful connections with others, even those who may seem very different from us at first.
4. Question posed to chat:
The horse was wary of the bear, as she had heard stories of bears attacking and eating horses. The bear, on the other hand, was cautious of the horse, as he had seen horses trample and injure bears in the past.
Despite their initial mistrust of each other, the horse and the bear decided to put aside their differences and strike up a conversation. The horse, who was curious by nature, asked the bear many questions about his life in the forest. The bear, who was not used to being so chatty, soon found himself opening up to the horse about his life in the woods.
As they walked and talked, the horse and the bear found that they had much in common. They both loved the fresh air and the sunshine, and they both enjoyed the simple pleasures of life in the forest.
Through their conversation and their shared experiences, the horse and the bear were able to overcome their initial mistrust of each other and form a friendship. They learned that they had more in common than they initially thought, and they were able to see each other as individuals, rather than just as members of their respective species.
The moral of this story is that it’s important to be open-minded and to try to see things from others’ perspectives. By doing so, we can overcome our preconceived notions and form meaningful connections with others, even those who may seem very different from us at first.
5. Question posed to chat:
Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away, a horse and a bear met by chance. The horse, who was used to galloping through the fields and running free, was surprised to see the bear, who was lumbering along slowly.
The horse was wary of the bear, as she had heard stories of bears attacking and eating horses. The bear, on the other hand, was cautious of the horse, as he had seen horses trample and injure bears in the past.
Despite their initial mistrust of each other, the horse and the bear decided to put aside their differences and strike up a conversation. The horse, who was curious by nature, asked the bear many questions about his life in the forest. The bear, who was not used to being so chatty, soon found himself opening up to the horse about his life in the woods.
As they walked and talked, the horse and the bear found that they had much in common. They both loved the fresh air and the sunshine, and they both enjoyed the simple pleasures of life in the forest.
But as they continued on their journey, the sky grew dark and the wind began to howl. A terrific thunderstorm was brewing, and the horse and the bear knew they needed to seek shelter.
The storm raged on, with lightning flashing across the sky and thunder crashing all around them. The wind howled and whipped through the trees, bending them nearly to the ground. The rain fell in sheets, drenching the horse and the bear to the bone.
Despite the ferocity of the storm, the horse and the bear remained calm and collected. They quickly found a small cave and huddled inside, listening to the sound of the rain and the thunder crashing all around them. The horse and the bear huddled together for warmth, and they continued to talk and get to know each other better.
After the storm had passed, the horse and the bear emerged from the cave and looked at each other with newfound admiration and respect. They had braved the storm together and had come out stronger for it.
The moral of this story is that it’s important to be open-minded and to try to see things from others’ perspectives. By doing so, we can overcome our preconceived notions and form meaningful connections with others, even those who may seem very different from us at first. And, as the horse and the bear learned, we may even be able to weather the storm together.
Where does this leave us? What is this making us think?
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Paul Allison
Can you give me the basics I need for a fable that includes a horse and a bear?
Sure! Here are the basics for a fable that includes a horse and a bear:
Fables are short stories that typically feature animals as characters and have a moral lesson at the end.
The horse and the bear could be friends or rivals in the story. They could have different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.
The story could take place in a forest or meadow, where the horse and bear live and interact with each other.
The story could have a conflict or problem that the horse and bear have to overcome together, such as a drought that threatens their food supply or a fire that threatens their home.
The moral lesson of the story could be about the importance of cooperation, the dangers of greed, or the value of friendship, among other things.
With these basics in mind, you can start to develop your own fable that includes a horse and a bear. Have fun!
Paul Allison
Can you give me an example?!
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