ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 2 :

2 ) Locate the continents on a map or globe

•  Using vocabulary associated with geographical features of Earth, including hill, plateau, valley, peninsula, island, isthmus, ice cap, and glacier

•  Locating major mountain ranges, oceans, rivers, and lakes throughout the world (Alabama)

[ELA2015] (3) 2 :

2 ) Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. [RL.3.2]

[DLIT] (3) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (3) 22 :

16) Conduct basic keyword searches to produce valid, appropriate results, and evaluate results for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness.

Examples: Use search techniques, check for credibility and validity.

During this lesson, students will recount a Paul Bunyan tall tale, an entertaining way to identify bodies of water and landforms in the United States. Although Paul Bunyan's Tales did not focus on Alabama, students will create their own narratives after viewing photographs of major mountain ranges, rivers, and lakes throughout Alabama (ACOS 3.2). This lesson will utilize older maps of the United States and Alabama, which are used to remind us that this folk tale was handed down orally until the early 1900s when a newspaper printed several accounts of the tall tale.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (3) 2 :

2 ) Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. [RL.3.2]

[ARTS] VISA (3) 9 :

9) Identify and explain how and where different cultures record and illustrate stories and history through art.

Examples: Discuss Chauvet cave paintings, Diego Rivera's mural, The History of Mexico, or the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the events of the Norman Conquest.

Students will use a text's illustrations to gain information about the character's culture.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (3) 2 :

2 ) Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. [RL.3.2]

[ELA2015] (3) 3 :

3 ) Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. [RL.3.3]

[ELA2015] (3) 9 :

9 ) By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the Grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RL.3.10]

[ELA2015] (4) 11 :

11 ) Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. [RI.4.2]

[ELA2015] (4) 12 :

12 ) Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. [RI.4.3]

[ELA2015] (4) 13 :

13 ) Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a Grade 4 topic or subject area. [RI.4.4]

[ELA2015] (4) 17 :

17 ) Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. [RI.4.8]

[ELA2015] (4) 19 :

19 ) By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the Grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. [RI.4.10]

[ELA2015] (5) 21 :

21 ) Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.5.4]

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. [RF.5.4a]

b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. [RF.5.4b]

c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. [RF.5.4c]

[ELA2015] (5) 23 :

23 ) Write informative or explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. [W.5.2]

a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. [W.5.2a]

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. [W.5.2b]

c. Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially). [W.5.2c]

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. [W.5.2d]

e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. [W.5.2e]

[ELA2015] (5) 29 :

29 ) Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources. [W.5.8]

[ELA2015] (5) 30 :

30 ) Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. [W.5.9]

a. Apply Grade 5 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or a drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., how characters interact]"). [W.5.9a]

b. Apply Grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]"). [W.5.9b]

[ELA2015] (6) 31 :

31 ) Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. [SL.6.1]

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. [SL.6.1a]

b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. [SL.6.1b]

c. Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion. [SL.6.1c]

d. Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing. [SL.6.1d]

[ELA2015] (6) 42 :

42 ) Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. [L.6.6]

Collaborative groups will read a variety of American tall tales, then report elements of their story to the whole class. Students add story information to a collaborative, whole-class character study matrix that summarizes all the stories. In a writing activity, students compare two characters of their choice. Support for English Language Learners (ELLs) is embedded in the guided collaborative process, while the content of the stories adds to all students' knowledge of American culture and history. The stories used in the lesson include well known and lesser-known diverse characters. The lesson process is applicable to any set of related texts.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (3) 2 :

2 ) Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. [RL.3.2]

[ELA2015] (3) 5 :

5 ) Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. [RL.3.5]

[ELA2015] (3) 30 :

30 ) Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. [W.3.10]

[ELA2015] (4) 2 :

2 ) Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. [RL.4.2]

[ELA2015] (4) 5 :

5 ) Explain major differences among poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text. [RL.4.5]

[ELA2015] (4) 8 :

8 ) Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures. [RL.4.9]

[ELA2015] (4) 31 :

31 ) Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. [W.4.10]

[ELA2015] (5) 2 :

2 ) Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. [RL.5.2]

[ELA2015] (5) 8 :

8 ) Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics. [RL.5.9]

[ELA2015] (5) 21 :

21 ) Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.5.4]

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. [RF.5.4a]

b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. [RF.5.4b]

c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. [RF.5.4c]

[ELA2015] (5) 26 :

26 ) With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of the first three Language standards in Grades K-5.) [W.5.5]

[ELA2015] (5) 31 :

31 ) Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. [W.5.10]

In this free resource from ReadWriteThink, students work together to craft a list of common fairy tale elements in order to determine what makes a fairy tale a fairy tale. They then explore and analyze a variety of tales, recording their information using a story map. The story map becomes a launching point for students' own fairy tales. Students use the characteristics of a known tale and change one of the literary elements to create a new tale, which includes a different set of characters, has a new setting, or includes a changed conflict or resolution. Finally, students publish and illustrate their new “fractured fairy tales” for others to enjoy.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (3) 2 :

2 ) Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. [RL.3.2]

[ELA2015] (3) 21 :

21 ) Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.3.4]

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. [RF.3.4a]

b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. [RF.3.4b]

c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. [RF.3.4c]

[ELA2015] (3) 25 :

25 ) With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 22-24 above.) [W.3.4]

[ELA2015] (3) 28 :

28 ) Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. [W.3.7]

[ELA2015] (3) 31 :

31 ) Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. [SL.3.1]

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. [SL.3.1a]

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). [SL.3.1b]

c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. [SL.3.1c]

d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. [SL.3.1d]

[ELA2015] (4) 28 :

28 ) Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. [W.4.7]

[ELA2015] (4) 43 :

43 ) Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation). [L.4.6]

[ELA2015] (5) 16 :

16 ) Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. [RI.5.7]

[ELA2015] (5) 18 :

18 ) Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. [RI.5.9]

Diversity is celebrated in this lesson in which students embark on a cultural research project by first reading a variety of alphabet books about world cultures, including D is for Doufu: An Alphabet Book of Chinese Culture by Maywan Shen Krach. They then select a culture to study and work in groups to conduct research into the history and symbols of their selected culture. The unit includes tools for conducting primary interviews and other research techniques. The project culminates with each group writing and illustrating a cultural alphabet book based on their research. Groups share their work with the class and invited guests during a Diversity Celebration.