Sample A.9 Tall Tales and Fables
Appalachia Educational Laboratory
AEL, in conjunction with the Virginia Education Association, convened groups of
teachers to learn about alternative assessment, interdisciplinary curriculum and
instruction, and to design interdisciplinary units and assessments. The example
that is attached comes from a second grade teacher and emphasizes integrated
language arts.
Interdisciplinary Units With Alternative Assessments: A Teacher-Developed
Compendium, 1995
AEL
Post Office Box 1348
Charleston, West Virginia 25325
(800) 624-9120, fax (304) 347-0487
TALL TALES AND FABLES
Topic
 Tall tales and fables
Concepts/Skills Introduced or Reinforced
 language arts
 writing
 reading
 spelling
Grade or Level Appropriateness
 Grade 2
Duration
 Two weeks
Integrated Instruction Model Used
 webbed
Unit Activities List
Reading. Read tall tales and fables.
Viewing film. Watch videos of tall tales and fables.
Listening. Listen as the teacher reads tall tales and fables.
Description. Describe a character in a tall tale.
Exaggerations. List exaggerations found in stories.
Research/Collage Creation. Look through magazines to find
24  Interdisciplinary Units With Alternative Assessments: A Teacher-Developed Compendium
Alternative Assessments Used
 product
Unit Assessment List
 Writing or Retelling a Tall Tale or Fable
ACTIVITY/ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTIONS AND RUBRICS
Develop and Write a Tall Tale or Fable
Criteria
Handwriting or word processing is neat and legible.
Spelling of all core words is correct and most other words are spelled correctly.
Sentence structure—The student uses complete sentences.
Capital letters are used appropriately to begin sentences and for proper names.
Understanding— The student demonstrates an understanding of the exaggeration and fictitious characters found in tall tales or fables.
Rubric
Distinguished—Writing shows creativity in plot and character development. Tall tale or fable uses exaggeration appropriately. Writing is correct in all mechanics (see criteria)
Proficient—Tall tale or fable correctly uses plot and exaggeration. Characters may not be well developed. Few errors in mechanics are apparent.
Apprentice—Tall tale or fable does not show exaggeration or fictitious characters. Errors in mechanics are common.
Novice—Tall tale or fable is begun but not concluded. Writing shows lack of understanding of exaggeration. Several errors in mechanics are found.
Unit Developer:
Margaret Field
Mary Walter Elementary School
Route 2, Box 148-A
Bealeton, VA 22712
703/439-3279
Virginia Education Association · AEL · April 1995
Strengths
* The children enjoyed the fables and tall tales I read to them.
* They were excited about writing their own stories.
* This activity lends itself well to more integration with reading
Needed Improvement
* Many students have trouble reading tall tales and fables and don't enjoy it unless they are read to. This could be corrected by having them read with partners or by tape recording their stories.
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