This past year since we finished our homeschool reading lessons with All About Reading*, I am able to dig further into the read alone schedule of Illuminations, and a few weeks ago the book worked out perfectly with our planned homeschool writing assignment, write a fable.
Teaching how to write a fable
I set up the writing assignment by getting out our writing curriculum and reviewing what a fable can be: explains how something happened, might have fantastical elements, might be based on historical events and made larger than life.
Then I showed them the sample fable from the curriculum about Johnny Appleseed.
Finally, I gave them the assignment: write a fable that explains something or has larger-than-life elements to it.
The best writing assignments have further examples to look at
Our study guide this week for Illuminations was Sundiata: Lion King of Mali
Sundiata is an example of a fable based on a historical figure with exaggerated elements (this particular picture book is straddling the line between fable and historical fiction).
As I read I had the kids completing the activity in the study guide (completely coloring and covering a page with crayons). Each day I read part of the story and over the course of 3 days they had 3 pages colored.
Preparing the final drafts of their fables
On Thursday the day they were to make their final drafts, I told the kids the pages they colored were going to provide part of the basis for their illustrations. The Sundiata book has gorgeous collage pictures, and that was to serve for their inspiration. If they needed extra papers they could pull out of our paper stash to complete their pictures. I’m fairly sure the kids ended up mostly pulling from our construction paper
Their stories are a bit derivative (I have two variations on Johnny Appleseed and one variation on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), but it’s perfectly age appropriate what they did.
Fable assignment rubric
I’m sharing with you the fable rubric I used for their writing assignment (now on the subscriber page, join my newsletter). Each week when I give them their assignment I give them a rubric which I will grade them from. It’s been interesting seeing how they use their rubrics each week to help them plan their projects and to verify they have everything I’m requiring of them for the week.
As a final step of their writing process, they shared their stories with the family. This has a two-fold purpose: first sharing your writing gives you great feedback, and second they can work on improving their presentation skills which they will need as adults all the time.
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