In short...
Themes: Determination; hard work; developing skills; resilience.
Summary: This assembly, which is suitable for an act of collective worship, focuses on one of Aesop’s Fables - a story about Treasure in the Field that can be used to demonstrate the value of determination and hard work.
Resources:The framework to download / print (pdf); an image to display showing the words 'Hard work'. You could also have some musical instruments on display at the front of the hall and / or a book of Aesop’s Fables.
The video
GEMMA: Hello, Treasure Champs, I'm Gemma, and this is an old story called 'The Treasure in the Field'.
Once upon a time, there was a farmer. The farmer worked very hard. He dug the soil, he sowed the seeds and he grew amazing crops, which he sold to make money to look after his three children.
But his three children were very lazy and never helped!
One day, the farmer sadly died. But, he'd written a message for his children to read. "My children, I've worked hard for you my whole life and now I'm gone, you will have to work hard for yourselves.
Some days may feel long and you might become tired, but I promise you will feel rewarded. Although, it doesn't look like it, there is treasure hidden in the land around you."
CHILD: Treasure? This sounds like fun!
GEMMA: The children couldn't believe it – they were going to be rich! They were so excited they started to dig straightaway.
CHILD: Ooh! Oh.
[GASPS] Ooh… Oh.
STORY NARRATOR: They dug and they dug, but they couldn't find treasure anywhere. They didn't give in, though. They dug all day, they dug all night until they'd dug everywhere. It was really hard work. They were so tired and they still hadn't found any riches. They began to wonder if it was a trick…
CHILD: Dad definitely said to dig, but we've dug the whole land and haven't found any treasure. Ooh, seeds? Well, we've done all the digging, we may as well plant them. What do you think? Yeah?
STORY NARRATOR: So, the three children planted the seeds. After all, it's what their father would've done. Then, many months later, they discovered something amazing!
CHILD: [GASPS] All our hard work digging has made the crops grow even bigger than ever! Yay!
KIDS: Fruit and veg! Fruit and veg! Come and get your lovely fruit and veg!
GEMMA: They sold all their crops and made lots of money.
CHILD: Thank you very much, madam!
GEMMA: They realised that their father had been teaching them the meaning of hard work. They dug up all the land and their work had made them rich.
Now, it was hard work telling that treasure story, but it was worth it. Thank you both so much for helping me. It's based on an old fable by a man called Aesop. See you soon, bye!
This story is one of Aesop’s Fables. Aesop was a slave and a story-teller in Ancient Greece. A fable is a short story which explains a moral.
There was once a farmer who worked very hard to feed his three children. The children were lazy and never did anything to help. When the farmer died he left a message for his children saying that, if they worked hard, they would find treasure hidden in the land around them. The children thought that they would soon be rich, so they started digging. It was hard work, but they kept digging day after day. They then planted seeds as their father would have done. The seeds grew and eventually the children were able to sell their crops. Their hard work had made them rich. This can help us to reflect on the value of hard work.
Video questions
- How many children does the farmer have? (Three)
- What is hidden in the land according to the farmer? (Treasure)
- What do the children do after they dig the field? (They sow seeds)
- What did the children do with their crops? (They sold them)
- What did their father teach them? (He taught them the value of hard work)
Key links
Assembly framework (pdf) document
Download / print the assembly framework ready for use
Image: the words 'Hard work' image
Click to display image full size
Suggested framework
1. Entry
You could ask a child who has instrumental lessons to play a piece as pupils enter. Otherwise display the image 'Hard work' and / or the collection of instruments.
2. Introduction
Ask the assembly if anyone has heard of Aesop. Establish that Aesop lived a long time ago in Ancient Greece and that we remember him for some stories called Aesop’s Fables. Ask the assembly if anyone knows what a fable is. Establish that a fable is a short story which explains a moral – or ‘lesson’. Ask pupils as they watch the video to think about what the moral or lesson of the story might be.
3. Play the video
The duration is 3' 48" and the final words are ’See you soon. Bye!'
4. After the video - time to talk
Lead a discussion about the story by asking some or all of the following:
- What does hard work mean? (Something which you can’t do easily, so you need to keep working at it; something you can’t do straight away; something you need to improve; takes time to develop; show resilience when it goes wrong; need to show determination.)
- How do you know that you have worked hard at something? (End result; goals met; showed and helped others; kept trying when it was difficult; took on advice; one step at a time.)
- Who plays a musical instrument? Who helps you to develop your skills? Who is your role model?
- What do you think the farmer meant in his message that the children would 'find treasure in the land'?
- How do you think the farmer was a role model for his children? (He worked hard; he cared for his children; he didn’t give up; he left them with a legacy to continue his work.)
- What do you think the 'moral' or 'lesson' of the story is?
5. Opportunity to sing
Suggestions from BBC collections below.
6. Opportunity to reflect
Think of a personal goal… What is it that you wanted to achieve?
What steps have you already taken to achieving that goal?
Have you achieved it yet or are you still working at it?
Who has helped you so far to achieve your goal?
How could you work a little harder to get closer to that goal?
Now let us think of others who work hard for us. Take a moment to be grateful for the work that others do to help us in our homes, at school, with our hobbies and sporting activities, looking after our health and those who work hard in the fields, just like the farmer, who provide our food.
7. Opportunity for prayer
Dear God,Thank you for all those who work hard for us to make our lives better.
Help us to be ready to learn and to work hard to achieve our goals.
And when we are finding things tough, help us to ask others for help so that we can try again.
Amen.
Suggested songs
Song: 'You've got to move'. Come and Praise, no 107. Vocal version.
You’ve got to move when the Spirit says move,
You’ve got to move when the Spirit says move,
‘Cos when the Spirit says move,
You’ve got to move when the Spirit,
Move when the Spirit says move.You’ve got to sing when the Spirit says sing,
You’ve got to sing when the Spirit says sing,
‘Cos when the Spirit says sing,
You’ve got to sing when the Spirit,
Sing when the Spirit says sing.You’ve got to clap when the Spirit says clap,
You’ve got to clap when the Spirit says clap,
‘Cos when the Spirit says clap,
You’ve got to clap when the Spirit,
Clap when the Spirit says clap.You’ve got to shout when the Spirit says shout,
You’ve got to shout when the Spirit says shout,
‘Cos when the Spirit says shout,
You’ve got to shout when the Spirit,
Shout when the Spirit says shout.You’ve got to move when the Spirit says move,
You’ve got to move when the Spirit says move,
‘Cos when the Spirit says move,
You’ve got to move when the Spirit,
Move when the Spirit says move.
Song: 'While we live we learn' (All about our school, no 3. Vocal version)
While we live we learn, (while we live we learn,)
While we learn we grow, (while we learn we grow,)
And the more we grow, (and the more we grow,)
So the more we know, (so the more we know,)
And the more we know, (and the more we know,)
Then the readier we will be
For all life's big adventures
And all life's mysteries.
While we live we learn, (while we live we learn,)
While we learn we grow, (while we learn we grow,)
And the more we grow, (and the more we grow,)
So the more we know, (so the more we know,)
And the more we know, (and the more we know,)
Then the readier we will be
For all life's big adventures
And all life's mysteries.
For all life's big adventures
And all life's mysteries.
'Together' (All about our school, no 13).
- Work together, not alone,
Gather round and share a problem.
Work together, hand in hand,
Gather round and work things out.
Chorus
‘Cos together, we can work it out together,
We can ride the stormy weather,
As long as we’re together we’re strong!
- There’s a setback, don’t despair,
Gather round and share your feelings.
Why just worry on your own?
Gather round and work things out.
Chorus
- If there’s trouble big or small,
Gather round and find an answer.
If you stumble there’s a friend,
Gather round and work things out.
Chorus
Related links
BBC Teach: School Radio - Aesop's Fables. Forty of Aesop's best-known fables.
