Primary Type: Lesson Plan
Status: Published
This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!
Resource ID#: 31147
Tall Tales: A Tale of Our Own
Students will learn about the characteristics of tall tales by exploring the classic story Paul Bunyan and then writing a tall tale of their own. Students
work collaboratively and have an opportunity to share their original stories!
Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 5
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter,
Computers for Students, Internet Connection,
Speakers/Headphones, Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft
Office, Java Plugin
Instructional Time: 2 Hour(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: tall tale, narrative writing, story elements, plot, characters, dialogue, Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed,
Pecos Bill, Steven Kellogg
Instructional Design Framework(s): Direct Instruction, Writing to Learn, Cooperative Learning
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
Tall Tale TChart.docx
Tall Tale Rubric.docx
Johnny Appleseed.docx
Paul Bunyan.docx
Pecos Bill.docx
Characteristics of Tall Tales.docx
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will:
write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop.
use a use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students will know:
page 1 of 4 the difference between fact and fiction.
how to work in cooperative groups.
how to write sentences.
how to write paragraphs.
the elements of a narrative writing.
how to organize a narrative writing.
how to write dialogue.
how to complete and use graphic organizers for writing.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
What are the characteristics of tall tales?
Why are exaggerations so important in tall tales?
What makes a tall tale an interesting genre to read?
How are tall tales historical?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Day One
1. The teacher will begin the lesson by explaining to students that they would be learning about tall tales. However, before the lesson begins, each student will be
given an 8.5 x 11 sheet of white copy paper. The students will be instructed to draw a fish and color it on the paper. (This should be a quick drawing, about 5-10
minutes.)
2. Once all of the students are finished with their fish drawings, they will hang their fish for all to see. The teacher will explain to students that often when people go
fishing they exaggerate the sizes of the fish they catch, usually stating that the size of the fish is larger than it really is. These are called "fish tales."
3. The teacher continues, "Now that we can see all of our fish, I am going to ask each one of you to tell your own 'fish tale' of how you caught your 'fish' in three
sentences or less." Students should get the idea that their stories should be exaggerated. (The teacher can model with a "fish story" of his/her own. The teacher's fish
can be drawn ahead of time.)
4. The teacher continues, "Now that we have practiced exaggerating, we are going to use this skill to write some tall tales. However, before we begin writing, we are
going to learn about some classic tall tales. Many of the original tall tales were part of the oral storytelling tradition and were written at the time the settlers were
moving to the West. As the settlers moved out west, life was very difficult. They encountered many hardships, including the weather, disease, and natural disasters.
Tall tales were humorous ways that settlers dealt with the hardships in their lives. Tall tails were written in the everyday language of the settlers, so sometimes the
language is difficult to understand. Also, the idea of bragging about your abilities was considered funny by the settlers."
5. The teacher continues, "Before we start looking at different tall tales, we are going to look at the unique characteristics of tall tales."
6. The teacher will project the Characteristics of Tall Tales handout and review the items on the list. The teacher can also make individual copies of this handout to
give to each student.
7. The teacher continues: "Now we are going to be watching a video about a tall tale and I want you to look for the different characteristics of tall tales. I will give
each of you two sticky notes, and you can jot down the characteristics as you see them in the video."
8. The teacher will play the classic Reading Rainbow episode about Paul Bunyan.
9. By the time the video is finished, have piece of chart paper ready titled "Characteristics of Tall Tales in Paul Bunyan." Students will share the characteristics of tall
tales identified from the video, and the teacher will write them on the chart paper.
11. The teacher will also draw a T-chart with the left-hand column labeled "Fact" and the right hand column labeled "Fiction." The students will decide which ideas
from the tall tale were fact and which were fiction. Students will tell the teacher which ideas to place in each column.
Day Two
1. The teacher will project the Characteristics of Tall Tales handout and give each student 2-3 sticky notes.
2. The teacher will explain to the students that a tall tale will be read, and during the reading, the students should be jotting down the characteristics of tall tales that
they hear in the story.
3. The teacher will read a tall tale. The following books are suggested, but teachers can use other tall tale books they may have.
Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg (Note: This is the same book included in the Reading Rainbow episode, so students will not hear a new story.)
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg
Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
4. The teacher will create a chart paper titled "Characteristics of Tall Tales in [title of book]." The class will tell the teacher the characteristics of a tall tale they heard
in the story, and the teacher will write them on the chart paper.
5. The teacher will also draw a T-chart with the left-hand column labeled "Fact" and the right hand column labeled "Fiction." The students will decide which ideas from
the tall tale were fact and which were fiction. Students will tell the teacher which ideas to place in each column.
Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Day Three
1. The teacher will partner students and they will read another tall tale as a pair, jotting down the characteristics of tall tales they find on a sheet of notebook paper.
See the attachments for retellings of the stories of Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Pecos Bill.
2. The teacher will monitor students as they are reading and writing down the characteristics of tall tales and ask the questions or make the comments suggested in
the Feedback to Students section.
3. The teacher will give each student a copy of the attached Tall Tale T-Chart, and students will fill in the fact and fiction columns based on the tale they read in Step
1.
page 2 of 4 4. Once the students have finished writing their characteristics, they will share ideas with other partners using the Meet and Greet Strategy.
When using the Meet and Greet Strategy, all students, as partners, stand up and put one hand in the air. At the teacher's signal, all students begin walking around.
Students should stay with their partners. When the teacher signals again, each pair of students must stop and touch hands with another pair of students. At that point,
the two pairs will share their ideas about characteristics of tall tales that they found in their respective stories.
Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Day Four
1. The teacher will explain to the students that they will each be writing a tall tale. Quickly review the characteristics of the tall tales using the chart from Day One of
the Teaching Phase.
2. The teacher will review the attached rubric for a tall tale so students understand how their story will be assessed.
3. The teacher will explain to the students that their tall tale needs to be built upon the following requirements:
Create a main character with special abilities or a rare talent.
Invent some kind of problem, task, or test for the main character to solve against impossible odds.
Set the story in the present, in a place you are familiar with.
4. Students will write their tall tale. (The teacher can provide a graphic organizer that students have used for narrative pieces of writing before so the students can
plan their stories.)
5. When students are finished, their tall tales will be assessed using the attached tall tale rubric.
Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
1. The teacher should review the guiding questions with the class.
2. Students will present their original tall tales to the class, either by reading it aloud or giving a poster presentation.
3. The student should be able to clearly identify the required elements of the tall tale prompt that are included in their writing.
Summative Assessment
1. The teacher will explain to the students that they will each be writing a tall tale. Quickly review the characteristics of the tall tales using the chart from Day One of
the Teaching Phase.
2. The teacher will review the attached rubric for a tall tale so students understand how their story will be assessed.
3. The teacher will explain to the students that their tall tale needs to be built upon the following requirements:
Create a main character with special abilities or a rare talent.
Invent some kind of problem, task, or test for the main character to solve against impossible odds.
Set the story in the present, in a place you are familiar with.
4. Students will write their tall tale. (The teacher can provide a graphic organizer that students have used for narrative pieces of writing before so the students can
plan their stories.)
5. When students are finished, their tall tales will be assessed using the attached tall tale rubric.
Formative Assessment
During the Guided Practice, Day Three, Step 2, the teacher will monitor the students as they are writing down characteristics of tall tales to determine their
understanding of this concept.
During the Guided Practice, Day Three, Step 4, the teacher will monitor the students as they are working together and ask the suggested questions or make the
suggested comments that are found in the Feedback to Students portion of the template.
Feedback to Students
What other characteristics of tall tales do you find in the story?
Why is ______________ (name some idea or event in the story) not considered a characteristic of a Tall Tale?
Why is ______________ (name some idea or event in the story) considered a characteristic of a Tall Tale?
What elements of tall tales are missing from this story?
How do you know that is a fact from the story?
How do you know that is a fictional statement from the story?
What exaggerations are found on this page? (point to page)
What parts are true in this story? What parts are made up in this story?
I like the way the two of you are working together.
I like the way the two of you are respecting each others ideas.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
The teacher will have extra copies of tall tales for students to read along as the teacher reads the tall tale during the Teaching Phase, if desired.
To help some students develop their ideas, they can use an existing tall tale character and develop a new adventure for that character.
Extensions:
The teacher might search for videos from "Liar's Contests," which are often a part of festivals in many Southern states. Participants compete to see who can spin
the most outlandish original tall tale about themselves. Preview the videos in advance to be sure the content is appropriate.
Students can use their tall tales to create Reader's Theaters scripts.
Students can tape a reading of their tall tale to serve as a "radio show."
page 3 of 4 Students can create a pourqoi tale about how their character came to have his/her special ability or talent. A pourquoi story ("pourquoi" means "why" in French),
also known as an origin story or an etiological tale, is a fictional narrative that explains why something is the way it is, for example why a snake has no legs, or why
a tiger has stripes. Many legends and folk tales are pourquoi stories.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Computers for Students, Internet Connection, Speakers/Headphones, Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Office, Java
Plugin
Special Materials Needed:
8.5 x 11 sheets of white copy paper
Sticky notes
Chart paper
Markers
Tall tale books; suggested works:
Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg (Note: This is the same book included in the Reading Rainbow episode that students will watch.)
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg
Pecos Bill by Steven Kellogg
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Name of Author/Source: Anonymously Submitted
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.5.RL.1.1:
LAFS.5.RL.1.2:
LAFS.5.W.1.3:
LAFS.5.W.2.4:
Description
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
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.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and
clear event sequences.
a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event
sequence that unfolds naturally.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show
the responses of characters to situations.
c. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience. (Grade­specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
page 4 of 4