Paul Bunyan
Level G/12
Fiction Teacher’s Guide
Skills & Strategies
Anchor Comprehension Strategies
•• Analyze Character
•• Analyze Story Elements
Phonemic Awareness
•• Segment and blend phonemes
Phonics
•• Identify r-controlled o
Vocabulary
•• Words for measurements
Grammar/Word Study
•• Comparatives
Summary
•• Paul Bunyan creates the Grand Canyon
with his ax on a day that he did not get his
breakfast.
Theme: Measuring
Math Concept: We can measure
distance, time, and weight. We
use different units to describe
different measurements.
B
e n c h m a r k
E
d u c a t i o n
C
o m p a n y
Small-Group Reading Lesson
Before Reading....
I could
reach up
and grab an
airplane
I could
jump
over a
skyscraper
If I were
the strongest
person in the
world
I could
pick up a house
and move it to a
new place
ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Build Background Knowledge
If students have difficulty thinking
of ideas, suggest an action, such as
lifting 500 pounds, and ask: Could a
very big, strong person do that?
When students say yes, write that
action on the web.
Build Vocabulary and
Language Patterns
As students preview the book,
discuss what Paul looks like in each
picture and how he has changed
from the previous picture. Model the
vocabulary students will encounter
in the book. For example: Paul is big.
Now Paul is bigger. He is getting
­bigger and bigger.
Build Background Knowledge
•Ask: If you were the biggest, strongest person in the world, what do you
think you would be able to do? Have pairs of students discuss their ideas
of things both real and fanciful that they could do. Then have them
share their ideas with the group. Record their ideas on a web.
Model Making Text-to-Text and Text-to-Self
Connections
•Show students the cover illustration and read the title. Say: This picture
and title remind me of stories I have read before. I have read tall tales about
Paul Bunyan. I know that tall tales are not true stories. They tell about
amazing things that imaginary characters can do. I know that Paul Bunyan
is one of these characters. I know that he is huge and that his job is cutting
down trees.
•Have students describe any tall tales or tall tale characters they have
heard or read about. Write the characters’ names in a list on chart paper.
Preview the Book
•Preview each page in the book. Have students describe what they see in
each picture. Encourage them to identify any parts that are exaggerated,
such as the size of Paul Bunyan as a baby. Introduce the story
vocabulary by saying, for example: Yes, Paul Bunyan was a big baby. It
says he weighed 80 pounds. That is a lot more than most first-graders
weigh!
•Encourage students to recall other stories they have read that show
human characters who can perform superhuman feats.
Model Reading Strategies
•Point out the word breakfast on page 7 and ask students what strategies
they could use to read the word.
•Suggest the following strategies as you think aloud: You could use what
you know about dividing words into parts. You could read the first part,
break. Then you could read the second part, fast. You could put the two
words together. Then you could look at the picture to see if the word makes
sense.
Set a Purpose for Reading
•Ask students to read the book to find out how this book is like other
tall tales they have read.
2
Paul Bunyan
Copyright © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use.
No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-4108-1408-1

During Reading....Ï
Monitor Student Reading
•Have students put self-stick notes next to words they have trouble with.
•Observe students as they whisper-read. Intervene as necessary to
guide them to use appropriate strategies to read difficult words.
After Reading....Ï
Reflect on Reading Strategies
•Ask students whether, as they read, they recalled any stories they have
read that were similar to this story about Paul Bunyan.
•Ask students to share words they found difficult to read. Ask them
what strategies they used to read the words. Use these words to model
appropriate reading strategies.
Discuss Concepts
Assessment Tip
To check a student’s reading strategies,
ask him or her to read a section of the
text aloud to you while other students
are whisper-reading. Note whether
the student is using visual, structure,
and/or meaning cues to self-correct
and make sense of the text.
ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Reflect on Reading Strategies
Note words English-language learners
are having difficulty with. Ask them
to define or use the words to help
you determine whether their
problems relate to unfamiliar
vocabulary or syntax.
•Say: The book says Paul Bunyan was very big when he was born. How
does the author describe how big Paul was? Have students read aloud
the part in the book that gives this information.
•Assign pairs of students the following facts: Paul’s height, Paul’s
weight, the depth of the hole Paul dug, and the length of the hole
Paul dug. Have pairs find the facts and then share their answers.
•Use comparisons to help students recognize the amazing parts of
Paul’s story. For example, say: Paul Bunyan weighed 80 pounds when he
was three hours old. A real baby weighs only about six pounds. Let
students hold two or three heavy books to feel the weight of a real
baby.
Extend Concepts
•Remind students that a measurement is a number followed by a unit
and challenge students to find all the measurements the author uses
in the story. (100 years, five storks, three hours, 80 pounds, one
week, 40 bowls, 30 feet, 50 men, one mile, 277 miles)
•Explain to students that some units are standards that we use for
length, weight, and time. Help students identify some standard units.
(foot, inch, pound, day, hour) Then have students name things that
can be measured with these units. For example, a bag of potatoes
weighs five pounds, a ceiling is eight feet high, and lunch is one hour
long.
Make Fiction-to-Fact™
Concept Connections
If students have read Math Fun at the
Fair, ask:
•The book says Paul Bunyan weighed
80 pounds as a baby. What is
measured in pounds in Math Fun at
the Fair? (the pumpkins)
•In Math Fun at the Fair, a scale, a
ruler, and a stopwatch are used to
measure things. Which would be
used to measure how tall Paul
Bunyan is? (the ruler because it is
used to measure length, while a
scale is used to measure weight and
a stopwatch is used to measure time)
•Discuss with students whether they would use pounds, feet, or hours
to measure the following: the height of a door, the weight of a bag of
apples, the length of a television show.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Paul Bunyan
3
Small-Group Reading Lesson
ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Model
If students are having difficulty
with the concept of exaggeration,
pick up a heavy book and say: This
book is heavy. This book weighs a
ton. Ask students if the book really
weighs a ton. Say: The two
sentences mean the same thing. But
the second sentence uses
exaggeration to make the meaning
more colorful and interesting.
Practice and Apply
If students have difficulty finding
the exaggerations in the book, help
them by pointing out and
discussing the relevant pictures. For
example, show students the picture
on page 5 and ask: Could a weekold baby ever really be as big as his
dad? That is an exaggeration. What
could we say about the baby
without exaggerating? Help
students recognize that the
exaggeration is an entertaining way
to say that the baby is very big.
Build Comprehension:
Analyze features of a TALL TALE
Model
•Say: I am so hungry I could eat a horse. What do I mean when I say that? I
mean I am really hungry. But I don’t mean I could really eat a whole horse.
That’s an exaggeration. I can use exaggeration to tell you how hungry I am
in an interesting, funny way. We often use exaggeration in this way.
•Say: Tall tales use exaggeration in this way, too. Instead of saying Paul
Bunyan was a tall man, the tall tale says Paul was more than 30 feet tall.
Instead of saying he had a big appetite, it says it took more than 50 men to
cook for Paul. The exaggerations are more interesting to read than the plain
statements of fact.
Practice
•Distribute copies of the "Tall-Tale Exaggerations" blackline master. Have
students find an exaggeration in the story. For example, it took five
storks to carry baby Paul to his parents. Help students tell what the
sentence would say if it wasn’t an exaggeration. For example, Paul was a
very big baby.
•Show students how to put this information on the chart. Explain that
they should write each exaggeration in the first column and the
statement without exaggeration in the second column.
Apply
•Have students complete the chart by recording other exaggerations from
the book and restating them as sentences without exaggeration.
•Have students share their ideas with the group.
Exaggeration

Assessment Tip
Observe whether students
understand the concept of
exaggeration for effect in tall tales.
Note whether they can identify
exaggerations in the text. If
students have difficulty, you might
want to provide additional
modeling using other familiar tall
tales.
It took five storks to carry baby
Paul to his parents.
Statement Without
Exaggeration
Paul was a very big baby.
Paul weighed 80 pounds at three
hours old.
At one week old, Paul was as big
as his dad.
Paul ate more than 40 bowls of
hot cereal every morning and then
a big breakfast.
Paul could eat a lot.
It took more than 50 men to make
pancakes for Paul.
Paul was more than 30 feet tall.
Paul was a very big man.
He was taller than the trees.
Paul could cut down more trees
than anyone.
Paul was very strong.
.
Paul accidentally dug the Grand
Canyon while dragging his ax.
4
Paul Bunyan
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Writing Mini-Lesson: Using Descriptive Language
•Reread pages 2–3 in the book while students follow along.
•Involve students in a discussion about descriptive language by asking
the following questions:
How does the first sentence help you know how long ago the story took
place? (It says “more than 100 years ago.”)
What other sentence tells how many, how much, or how long? (“It took
five storks to carry him to his mom and dad!”)
What do these sentences add to the story? (They help readers imagine
when the story takes place and exactly how big and strong Paul is.
They make the story fun.)
What other words help describe things in the story? (biggest baby; 80
pounds; three hours old; as big as his dad; one week old; more than
40 bowls of hot cereal every morning; more than 30 feet tall; taller
than the trees; more than 50 men to make pancakes for Paul; a hole
in the ground one mile deep and 277 miles long)
•Use other fiction books to show how writers use descriptive language.
Discuss how this language helps readers picture the people, places,
and events in the story.
•Write examples of descriptive language on chart paper to serve as
models for students.
Link to Journal Writing
writing Checklist
As students review their piece of
writing, have them ask
­themselves:
•Did I use words that describe
the characters and events in my
story?
•Do the words help readers
picture the people, places, and
events in my story?
•Do the words help readers
understand my story?
Reread for fluency
Read aloud sections of Paul
Bunyan using appropriate
phrasing, intonation, and
expression to model fluent
reading. Have pairs of students
take turns reading the pages of
the book to each other.
Have students find a piece of fiction writing in their journals. Have
them look at their writing and decide whether they can add
descriptions to help paint a picture of their story. If students don’t have
a piece of fiction writing in their journal, ask them to begin a new piece
of writing in which they try to include descriptive language.
Connect to home
Have students read the take-home
version of Paul Bunyan to family
members. Suggest that they talk
about how exaggeration makes the
story more fun and ­interesting.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Paul Bunyan
5
Skills Bank
ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Phonemic Awareness
If students have difficulty
segmenting words into phonemes,
continue to say the sounds in each
word and have students repeat the
sounds and blend the sounds
together.
Phonics
To give students further practice
listening for the /ôr/ sound, say
the following pairs of words:
stock/stork, corn/cone, mow/
more, port/pot, so/sore, and
born/bone. Have students repeat
the words, listening to the vowel
sounds, and identify the word that
has /ôr/.
Vocabulary
If students are more familiar with
measurements in the metric system
than with measurements such as
feet and pounds in the English
system, explain that ounces and
pounds measure weight, as grams
and kilograms do, and inches and
feet measure height or length, as
centimeters and meters do.
Phonemic Awareness:
Segmenting and Blending Phonemes
•Ask students to listen as you say the phonemes in the word sad: /s/ /a/
/d/. Then have students blend the phonemes together and say the word.
Repeat with the words big, storks, mom, week, and cut.
•Say each of the following words: dad, hot, make, deep, and tall. Help
students segment each word into its phonemes.
Phonics: r-Controlled o
•Write the word born on the board, say it, and have students repeat it.
Write the words hot and cone and have students say the three words and
listen to the vowel sound in each. Underline or in born and explain that
in some words when the letter o is followed by the letter r, the o does
not stand for the long or short o sound; it stands for another sound.
•Ask students to find other words in the book that have the same vowel
sound as born. (storks, more, and before) Write the words on the board.
•Have students brainstorm other words with the phonograms -orn, -ore,
and -ork, such as corn, horn, torn; sore, tore, store; cork, fork, and pork.
Connect Vocabulary: Words for Measurements
•Have students reread page 2. Ask: What do we measure in years? Discuss
using years to measure time. Ask: What other measurement words can
you find in the story? Help students find words that describe
measurements and help them distinguish which words describe time,
which describe length, and which describe weight.
•Create three word webs on the board and use them to record units used
to measure time, length, and weight. Encourage students to brainstorm
units not mentioned in the story. Have students give examples of things
that might be measured in each unit.
Grammar/Word Study: Comparatives
•Have students reread pages 2 and 8. Point out the words big, bigger,
and biggest and write the three words on chart paper. Underline -er and
-est. Say: Paul was a big man. He was bigger than the trees. He was the
biggest man of all.
•Explain that -er and -est are added to describing words, such as big, when
the words are used to compare things. Write on the board: He was bigger
than the trees. Say: Two things are being compared—Paul and the trees—so
I added -er to big. Write: He was the biggest man of all. Say: More than
two things are being compared—Paul and all men—so I added -est to big.
•Have students add -er and -est to the word tall and then use each of the
three words in a sentence.
6
Paul Bunyan
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
Tall-Tale Exaggerations
Exaggeration
Statement Without
Exaggeration
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Skills Bank
Build Comprehension
Analyze Character
••Explain Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer
“Paul Bunyan” or draw it on the board. Say: The people or animals
that a story is about are the characters. When we think about who
the characters are and why they act the way they do, it is called
analyzing characters.
••Model Say: Let’s analyze the characters in Paul Bunyan. To analyze
characters, I need to ask myself whom this story is about. Take a
picture walk through the story and identify the people in each
picture. Say: I see that the characters in this story are Paul Bunyan
and his family and friends. Paul is the main character. In the center
of the web on the graphic organizer, write Paul Bunyan. Then say:
We know that Paul Bunyan is the main character. Now we need to
analyze him, or tell about who he was and why he acted the way he
did. Let’s start by telling who Paul was. I see that Paul was the biggest
baby ever seen. He grew into a man who was more than 30 feet tall!
In the first web oval, write man who was more than 30 feet tall.
••Guide Say: Let’s analyze what Paul was like. Look at the picture on
page 6. What word would you use to describe Paul as a young boy?
(Allow time for students to respond, assisting if needed.) Yes, Paul
was always hungry. He ate a lot of food! Write always hungry in the
second oval on the graphic organizer. Say: Look at the picture on
page 9. How do you think Paul felt about being so tall? (Again allow
time for students to respond.) Yes, Paul looks happy and proud. I
think he was proud of being special and different. In the third oval
on the graphic organizer, write proud of being special.
••Apply Ask students to work with a partner to analyze Paul
throughout the rest of the story. Remind them to think about
who the character is and why he acts the way he does. After each
partnership shares, record their ideas on the graphic organizer.
Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite
students to echo-read.
8
Paul Bunyan
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________
Paul Bunyan
Analyze Character
Paul Bunyan
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Notes
10
Paul Bunyan
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Notes
Paul Bunyan
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
11
Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
Making Comparatives
Word
small
clean
sweet
hard
cold
loud
strong
fast
-er
-est
Directions: Have students add -er and -est to the words in the first column and write the comparative
forms in the second and third columns.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC