What instructional activity would best prepare fourth graders to understand literary themes?

Reading familiar fables and discussing their morals is particularly effective for helping fourth graders understand literary themes because fables often convey clear, universal lessons and morals, making them accessible and relatable for young readers. This activity encourages students to identify and articulate the underlying messages within the narratives, linking the specific content of the stories to broader themes about human behavior and values.

As students engage in discussions about the morals of fables, they are guided to think critically about the characters' actions and the consequences they face, allowing them to explore themes such as honesty, kindness, or perseverance. This process helps to develop their comprehension skills and enhances their ability to recognize similar themes in more complex literary works.

While the other options provide valuable activities, they may not focus as directly on extracting and understanding literary themes. Writing short stories, illustrating scenes, and creating timelines, while beneficial for fostering creativity and narrative understanding, might not emphasize thematic analysis to the same extent as discussing the morals of fables.