Standards-Based Literature Part 1

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

In California, the fourth grade literature standards state the following: Structural Features of Literature 3.1 Describe the structural differences of various imaginative forms of literature, including fantasies, fables, myths, legends, and fairy tales. Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.5 Define figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor, hyperbole, personification) and identify its use in literary works. Unfortunately, our current scripted reading program has only one tall tale and one fantasy for the students to read throughout the year. Also, there is only one lesson on exaggeration, which coincides with the tall tale. Obviously, there is a large gap in the students' current reading curriculum. I have created lessons to address the literary elements standard (3.5); however, my library is extremely limited in grade-level appropriate myths, legends, and fables. I have only one class set of Aesop's Fables; however, it is ideally for sixth graders. I have also cobbled together a random collection of myths, legends, fantasies, and fairy tales. These genres are incredibly dense to teach, as it is quite a metaphysical leap for a 9-year-old to realize that the main lesson in "The Tortoise and the Hare" is not that the hare shouldn't take a nap, but that people shouldn't count their eggs before they're hatched. However, the students love these genres, and with exposure to several examples of each one they begin to understand the deeper meanings behind the text. Not only that, but they also begin to see how these genres' boundaries are not fixed. A myth and a legend have general distinctions, but there are plenty of myths and legends that break the rules as well. This higher-level analysis requires exposure to several myths and legends. My request for donors' choose is to help me fund class sets of titles in each genre to directly teach the genres. Then I will be able to use the other titles I have with small groups of students in literature circles. My experience with these genres is that the students love them. They are developmentally appropriate, and it is easy to scaffold them for different levels of readers. They are also excellent for teaching writing, as they provide inspiration for students to write their own stories in these genres. I teach at a Program Improvement 1 school in a low income neighborhood in East Los Angeles. My students are primarily second language learners and all but three receive a free lunch. I am the grade-level chair, Science Lead Teacher, Math Team Coach and a GATE teacher. This year, I have 16 identified gifted students in my class of 31. Please help me provide these wonderful students with the curriculum the standards mandate. This part of the project will meet the needs of the students to learn the genres of Tall Tales and Fables.