Teacher’s Guide: Tall Tales
™
Casey Jones
Reading Objectives
•C
omprehension: Analyze character;
Make predictions
• Tier Two Vocabulary: See book’s
Glossary
• Word study: Description
• Analyze the genre
• Respond to and interpret texts
• Make text-to-text connections
• Fluency: Read with inflection/tone:
volume
Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue
Level Q/40
Writing Objectives
• Writer’s tools: Onomatopoeia
• Write a tall tale using writing-process
steps
Related Resources
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•
•
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Comprehension Question Card
Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart
Using Genre Models to Teach Writing
Daniel Boone, Sal Fink, Paul Bunyan
(Level R/40)
Unit-at-a-Glance
Day 1
Prepare to Read
Day 2
Read “Casey Jones”*
Day 3
Read “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Slue”*
Day 4
Reread “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue”*
Day 5
Days 6–15
®
B
While you are meeting with small groups,
other students can:
• read independently from your classroom library
• reflect on their learning in reading response
journals
• engage in literacy workstations
Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce Skills*
Write a tall tale using the process writing
steps on page 10.
e n c h m a r k
E
d u c a t i o n
C
o m p a n y
Day 1
Prepare to Read
Build Genre Background
• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask:
Who can explain what the word genre means?
(Allow responses.) The word genre means “a kind
of something.” Classical music and rock music
are different kinds of music. Each has its own
characteristics that we can use to identify that kind
of music. In the same way, we can identify literary
genres by their characteristics. As readers, we pay
attention to the genre to help us comprehend.
Recognizing the genre helps us anticipate what will
happen or what we will learn. As writers, we use our
genre knowledge to help us develop and organize
our ideas.
• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make
a list. Allow responses. Post the list on the classroom
wall as an anchor chart.
• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the
chalkboard. Write Tall Tales in the web’s center
circle.
• Say: Tall tales are one example of a literary genre.
Think of any tall tales you know. How would you
define what a tall tale is?
• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a
classmate and jot down any features of a tall tale
they can think of. Then bring students together and
ask them to share their ideas. Record them on the
group web. Reinforce the concept that all tall tales
have certain common features.
Introduce the Book
• Distribute the book to each student. Read the title
aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the
cover and table of contents.
• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week
we are going to read tall tales that will help us learn
about this genre. First we’re going to focus on this
genre as readers. Then we’re going to study tall tales
from a writer’s perspective. Our goal this week is to
really understand this genre.
• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3
while others follow along. Invite a different student
to read the web on page 3.
• Point to your tall tales web on chart paper. Say: Let’s
compare our initial ideas about tall tales with what
we just read. What new features of this genre did
you learn? Allow responses. Add new information
about tall tales to the class web.
• Post this chart in your classroom during your tall tales
unit. Say: As we read tall tales this week, we will
2
come back to this anchor chart. We will look for how
these features appear in each tall tale we read.
• Ask students to turn to pages 4–5. Say: Some tall
tales are based on real people, while others represent
hardworking people of the 1800s. Let’s read about
the origins of some tall tales.
• Have a student read aloud the information about the
origins of tall tales while others follow along.
• Say: Casey Jones and Pecos Bill are two popular
tall tale heroes created in the early 1900s. Casey
Jones was a train engineer while Pecos Bill was a
cowboy. What can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow
responses. Prompt students to understand that the
railroad and the American West still appealed to
Americans’ imaginations in the early 1900s.
Introduce the Tools Writers Use:
Onomatopoeia
• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5.
• Say: Many writers use onomatopoeia. This technique
brings the sense of hearing into their descriptions.
The tall tales in this book have several examples of
onomatopoeia. Let’s practice identifying onomatopoeia
so we can notice it in the tall tales we read.
• Distribute BLM 1 (Onomatopoeia). Read aloud
sentence 1 with students.
• Model Identifying Onomatopoeia: The first
sentence describes the sound the birds make. The
writer uses the word chirp to describe the sound.
The word chirp sounds like the noise birds make. The
writer uses onomatopoeia to make the description of
the birds’ sound come alive.
• Ask students to work with partners or in small groups
to identify the examples of onomatopoeia in the
remaining sentences, to complete two sentences
using onomatopoeia, and to write their own
sentence with onomatopoeia.
• Bring the groups together to share their findings.
Point out that some examples of onomatopoeia are
real words such as chirp and clatter. Other examples
of onomatopoeia are made-up words such as boi-oioing and vroom.
• Ask each group to read one of the sentences
students completed. Use the examples to build
their understanding of how and why writers
use onomatopoeia. Remind students that using
onomatopoeia can help the reader imagine vivid
sounds in a tall tale.
• Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer
student-written sentences to chart paper, title the
page “Onomatopoeia,” and post it as an anchor
chart in your classroom.
©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: 978-1-4509-0008-9
two american tall tales
Day 2
Before Reading
5
Onomatopoeia
Directions: Read each sentence. Underline the example of onomatopoeia in
the sentence.
1. The birds start to chirp as the sun rises.
2. The horn made a loud beep as the car pulled into the driveway.
3. The spring snapped back . . . boi-oi-oing!
4. Pots and pans fell to the floor with a clatter.
5. Jason loved the VROOM! of the cars on the racetrack.
Directions: Complete each sentence below with an example of onomatopoeia.
Possible answer: croak, say
6. On summer evenings, frogs ____________________________________
krr-rib-it
_________________________________________________________________.
answer: whistled, roared
7. The winter wind Possible
_______________________________________________.
Directions: Write a sentence with your own example of onomatopoeia.
Onomatopoeia will vary. Example: The hungry cat
8. _________________________________________________________________
meowed.
_________________________________________________________________
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following
questions on chart paper.
What is a literary genre, and how can
understanding genres help readers and writers?
What did you learn today about the tall tale genre?
How can readers recognize when authors are using
the technique of onomatopoeia?
Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas
and report them back to the whole group as a way
to summarize the day’s learning.
Management Tips
• Throughout the week, you may wish to use
some of the reflect and review questions as
prompts for reader response journal entries in
addition to turn and talk activities.
• Have students create genre study folders. Keep
blackline masters, notes, small-group writing,
and checklists in the folders.
• Create anchor charts by writing whole-group
discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart
paper. Hang charts in the room where students
can see them.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Introduce “Casey Jones”
• Reread the tall tales anchor chart or the web on
page 3 to review the features of a tall tale.
• Ask students to turn to page 6. Ask: Based on
the title and photograph, what do you predict
this tall tale might be about? Allow responses.
• Invite students to scan the text and look for
the boldfaced words (crisscrossed, spitfire,
throttle, terrified, douse). Say: As you read,
pay attention to these words. If you don’t
know what they mean, try to use clues in the
surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll
come back to these words after we read.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the tall tale, focusing on
the genre elements they noted on their anchor
chart. They should also look for examples of
onomatopoeia and think about how the author’s
use of onomatopoeia helps them imagine the
characters, setting, and events.
Read “Casey Jones”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to read the tall tale silently,
whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to
monitor their understanding of the text and their
use of fix-up strategies.
Management Tip
Ask students to place self-stick notes in the
margins where they notice examples of
onomatopoeia or features of the genre.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Analyze Character
• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze the
Characters and Plot” questions on page 13, or use
the following steps to provide explicit modeling
of how to analyze characters in a tall tale.
• Explain: The main character in a story always has
at least one problem to solve. Other characters
may help the main character, or they may make
it harder for him or her to solve the problem.
When we analyze a character, we think about
what the character does and says. Then we can
two american tall tales
3
Day 2 (cont.)
describe the character traits shown by these words
and actions. Character traits in tall tales
are even more obvious, since the main character
often has special strengths and skills that are
exaggerated. For example, Casey Jones hangs from
the front of a train and grabs a little girl off the
tracks while the train is moving, proving that he
is strong and brave. Analyzing characters helps us
understand and appreciate a tall tale.
• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Analyze Character) and/or
draw a chart like the one below.
• Model: In “Casey Jones,” the people want Casey to
get his picture taken after he rescues the little girl.
Casey refuses because he wants to get the train to
the station. From these details, I can conclude that
Casey Jones is not proud or boastful. His job is more
important to him than being honored as a hero.
Analyzing the character of Casey Jones helps me
better understand the story.
• Guide Practice. Work with students to analyze the
main character in this tall tale. Help them locate
important words and actions of the main character
and identify the character traits that they show.
Ask students to think about how the character
traits lead to the solution of the main character’s
problems.
• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies folder.
What the Character
Says and Does
Casey Jones
Character Traits
blows the train whistle certain
ways when going slowly or fast
stylish, fun-loving
saves a little girl stranded
on the train track
strong, brave
refuses to get his picture taken
not proud or
boastful
performs a risky feat to get the
train to the station on time
responsible,
daring
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Remind students that when they answer questions
on standardized assessments, they must be able
to support their answers with facts or clues and
evidence directly from the text.
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent comprehension questions.
4
two american tall tales
•S
ay: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find
It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is
right in the book. You can find the answer in one
place in the text.
• Model. Read the first Find It! question. Say: When
I read the question, I look for important words that
tell me what to look for in the book. What words
in this question will help me? (Allow responses.)
Yes, I’m looking for the words people, relied, and
trains. On page 6, I read about people traveling on
trains. Then I read, “They relied on trains to bring
them supplies.” This sentence answers the question.
• Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Find It!
questions to use with students.
Focus on Vocabulary: Description
• Explain/Model: Descriptive words create vivid
pictures in readers’ minds. For example, the author
of this tall tale describes “a huge machine, weighing
thousands of pounds barreling down the tracks.”
The words huge, machine, and barreling create a
vivid description. Sometimes readers can figure out
the meaning of an unfamiliar word by looking for a
description of the word in a text.
• Practice. Ask students to find some descriptive
words in the tall tale. List the words. (For example:
glamorous, quick, powerful)
• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in this tall tale.
What can you do if you don’t know what these
words mean? (Allow responses.) Besides looking in
the glossary or a dictionary, you can look for clues in
the text to help you define the unfamiliar word. One
strategy you can use is to look for a description of
the word in the text.
• Ask students to work with partners to complete
the “Focus on Words” activity on page 13 using
BLM 3 (Focus on Description). Students should read
the sentences around the boldfaced word to find
a description that helps define the word. They
should determine the word’s meaning through the
description.
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups of
students to share their findings. Then have pairs of
students work together. Ask one student to name
one of the words. The other student should use the
word in a sentence that includes a description to
define it. The first student should then identify the
descriptive clues. Partners continue to take turns
naming words and making up sentences. Finally,
have the whole group discuss how descriptions help
them figure out the meanings of words.
• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies
folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 3
Page Word
6
7
crisscrossed
spitfire
Description
Definition
“going from small towns
to big cities and places in
between”
went back and
forth
“She’s quick and powerful,
but temperamental.”
an unpredictable
but strong and
dependable
machine
“. . . he let out the throttle an instrument
and steam was powering
that makes the
the engine at full-speed.”
train go faster
8
throttle
8
terrified
“She stood on the tracks . . very frightened
. too afraid to move.”
8
douse
“Douse the fire . . . throw
throw water on
all the water we have on it.”
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to reread
the “Features of a Tall Tale” web on page 3 and
decide whether these features are present in “Casey
Jones.” Ask groups to share and support findings.
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume
• You may wish to have students reread the tall tale
with partners during independent reading time. Have
them focus on reading with appropriate
volume to reflect the story events. Explain that
increasing or decreasing volume can show a
character’s feelings. For example, they might read
Casey’s words on page 8 loudly to show excitement.
Ask students to read the characters’ words on page
10. Encourage them to discuss the feelings each
character shows and to express those feelings by
speaking more loudly or more softly.
Before Reading
Introduce “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue”
• Ask students to turn to page 14. Say: Today we
are going to read “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue.”
This tall tale is written in a different format
from the other tall tale we read. Notice how in
the margins there are notes to you, the reader.
The first time we read the text, we will read
to understand the tall tale, focusing on style,
characters, and conflicts. Tomorrow, we will read
this tall tale like a writer and use the notes in the
margin as a model for how we can write our own
tall tale.
• Say: Let’s look at the title and illustrations of
this tall tale. What do you predict it might be
about? Allow students to share predictions.
• Ask students to scan the text and look for
the boldfaced words (glimpsed, clenched,
ornery, fumed, observed, disappointment).
Ask: What do you notice about these words?
Why do you think they appear in boldfaced
type? Allow responses. Encourage students to
notice that these words describe characters’
emotions and actions.
• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings
of these words. Look for descriptions in the text.
After we read, we will talk about how you used
descriptions and other context clues.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the tall tale, focusing on
how the characters and plot support the solution
of the problems. Encourage them to notice the
author’s use of onomatopoeia.
Read “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot
Sue”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to read the tall tale silently,
whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor
their understanding of the text and their use of
fix-up strategies.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Analyze Character
• Say: Yesterday we analyzed Casey Jones. We
thought about what he did and said and what
traits these words and actions show. Pecos
Bill and Sluefoot Sue have strong, identifiable
character traits, too. What traits do these
characters show? What words and actions
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
two american tall tales
5
Day 3 (cont.)
demonstrate these traits? Allow responses. As
students share their character analyses, synthesize
their responses into a whole-group chart.
• Discuss Characters Across Texts. Lead a discussion
using the following questions.
How is Casey Jones similar to Pecos Bill? How are the
two characters different?
Which character is more exaggerated?
How are the stories’ settings related to the main
characters’ traits?
Where has the author used onomatopoeia? How do
these examples help you better appreciate the events
in the story?
Sluefoot Sue
Pecos Bill
What the Character
Says and Does
Character Traits
tames a wild horse
determined, talented
warns Sue not to
ride Widow Maker
kind, protective
makes a lasso out of
rattlesnakes
clever, creative
lassoes Sue down
from outer space
brave, skillful
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer
Look Closer! questions. The answer to a Look Closer!
question is in the book. You have to look in more
than one place, though. You find the different parts
of the answer. Then you put the parts together to
answer the question.
• Model: Read the second Look Closer! question.
Say: I will show you how I answer a Look Closer!
question. This question asks me to identify cause
and effect. I know because it has the clue word
because. Now I need to look for other important
information to look for in the book. What
information do you think will help me? (Allow
responses.) Yes, I’m looking for how Sue felt when
Pecos Bill pulled her back to Earth. On page 19, I
read about Pecos Bill pulling Sue back down. On
page 20, I read that Sue sighed in disappointment.
I have found the answer in the book. I looked in
several sentences to find the answer.
• Guide Practice. Use the Flip Chart to help you
develop other Look Closer! questions.
Focus on Vocabulary: Description
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the
“Focus on Words” activity on page 21 using BLM 3,
which they started on Day 2. Have groups of students
share their findings.
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Pair students. One
partner should act out a word, and the other should
make up a sentence about the pantomime using the
word portrayed. Then students can change roles.
Reflect and Review
•T
urn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
discuss the following questions and report their
ideas to the whole group.
Do you think Pecos Bill and Sue are well-matched
opponents? What character traits support your
answer?
Think of a time when you used similar traits, such
as cleverness or patience to deal with a challenge.
Explain what happened.
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume
•Y
ou may wish to have students reread the tall tale
with partners during independent reading time.
Have them focus on reading with appropriate
volume. Ask students to discuss the two characters’
changing attitudes and feelings throughout the
story. Then each student should find a passage
that illustrates one or more change and read the
passage using louder and quieter voices as needed.
Page
Word
Description
Definition
glimpsed
“Bill glimpsed a beautiful woman
downriver. He saw that she wore
a bustle skirt.”
saw briefly
16
16
clenched
“With one hand she clenched the held
reins. With the other she held a
tightly
pistol tightly.”
17
ornery
“But Widow Maker is ornery . . .
He’s a cranky steed most of the
time.”
hard to get
along with
17
fumed
“Widow Maker fumed. He
started snorting and bucking and
wouldn’t stop.”
acted
angry
“‘Uh oh,’ observed Pecos Bill. He
could see that if Sue reached . .
. Mars, she might not come back
again.”
saw
19
20
6
two american tall tales
observed
“. . . Sue sighed in
sadness
disappointment. She was sad that
she had not taken a trip to Mars.”
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 4
Before Reading
Set a Purpose for Rereading
• Have students turn to page 14. Say: Until now,
we have been thinking about tall tales from the
perspective of the reader. Learning the features of
tall tales has helped us be critical readers. Now we
are going to put on a different hat. We are going
to reread “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue” and think
like writers. We’re going to pay attention to the
annotations in the margins. These annotations will
help us understand what the author did and why.
Reread “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot
Sue”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Have students read silently or whisper-read.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor
their understanding of the text and annotations.
After Reading
Analyze the Mentor Text
• Explain to students that the text they have just read
is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches.
This text is designed to help them understand what
writers do to write a tall tale and why they do it.
• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with
students. Encourage them to comment on the
writer’s style, character and plot development, and
use of literary techniques such as onomatopoeia.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer
Prove It! questions. The answer to a Prove It!
question is not stated in the book. You have to look
for clues and evidence to prove the answer.
• Model. Read the second Prove It! question. Say:
I will show you how I answer a Prove It! question.
This question asks me to make an inference. I know
because it says, “What clue tells you . . .” Now I
need to look for other important information in
the question. What information do you think will
help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to find out
what Pecos Bill says or does as he pulls Sue back to
Earth. On page 19, I read that “a big old grin was
crowding his face” after Pecos Bill lassoed Sue. I
have located the clue I need.
• Guide Practice. Use the Flip Chart to help you
develop other Prove It! questions and support
students’ text-dependent comprehension strategies.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Analyze the Writer’s Craft
• Ask students to turn to page 22. Explain: In the
next few days, you will have the opportunity to
write your own tall tale. First, let’s think about
how the author wrote “Pecos Bill and Sluefoot
Sue.” When he developed this tall tale, he
followed certain steps. You can follow these
same steps to write your own tall tale.
• Read step 1. Say: When you write your tall tale,
the first thing you’ll do is decide on the hero
or heroine you want to create. Let’s recall the
heroes of the tall tales we read. Each tale has
a hero who uses strength and skills to solve a
problem. What hero with special skills can we
think of? Allow responses. Write down students’
ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 2. Say: In the tall tales we read, the
heroes had a problem. For example, Casey Jones
had to save a little girl and still get the train to
the station on time. What problem could our
character have? What characters could help
him or her solve the problem? What could our
characters be like? Let’s make a list of characters
and their traits. Allow responses. Write down
students’ ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write a
tall tale, you need a setting and plot. “Pecos Bill
and Sluefoot Sue” takes place in Texas in the Old
West. This is a perfect setting for the plot. The
characters ride horses and are sharp-shooters.
When you write your tall tale, think about what
setting is right for your characters. What plot,
or actions, will help you show how your hero or
heroine solves the tall tale’s problem? Choose a
problem and some of the characters the class has
brainstormed and work as a group to construct a
possible setting and plot.
Build Comprehension: Make Predictions
•E
xplain: We learned yesterday that a tall tale
has a hero with superhuman strength and skills
who must defeat a bully or solve a challenge.
The story is funny and has exaggerations.
When you read a tall tale, you can predict
what will happen next by keeping in mind
the hero’s or heroine’s special skills and the
challenge he or she must face. For example,
when Casey Jones says he wants to get the
train to the station on time, we can predict
that he will think of an amazing way to do so.
Making predictions about what will happen
next in a tall tale can help you understand
the hero’s problem and appreciate the story’s
entertaining elements.
two american tall tales
7
Day 4 (cont.)
Day 5
• Model: When I make predictions about a tall tale,
I think about the main character’s problem or the
bully he or she must face. I also think about the
character’s special strength and skills. For example,
when Pecos Bill wants to get Sue down from space,
I can predict that he will use his skills as a cowboy.
I think about the setting and what it has to do with
the character’s problem. I think about each event
of the plot and what will happen next based on the
traits of a tall tale.
• Guide Practice. Invite students to work in small
groups to make predictions based on specific
events in “Casey Jones” and “Pecos Bill and
Sluefoot Sue.” Ask each group to share and
explain how making predictions helps them better
understand the story.
Analyze & Synthesize
Reflect and Review
• Ask and discuss the following questions.
How is thinking about a tall tale as a reader different
from your thinking as a writer? How is it similar?
What new words have you added to your vocabulary
this week? Which is your favorite?
Which tall tale character do you find most
interesting? Why?
How can you use descriptions and onomatopoeia to
make your writing vivid and interesting?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Volume
• You may wish to have students reread the tall tale
with partners during independent reading time. Have
them focus on reading with appropriate volume
to reflect the feelings and traits of the characters.
Ask students to read the dialogue on page 19.
Invite them to take turns reading the first three
paragraphs, making their voices quieter or louder to
reflect the content of the conversation.
8
two american tall tales
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take It
Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to a Take
It Apart! question, you must think like the author.
• Model. Read the first Take It Apart! question. Say: This
question asks me to think about the author’s purpose.
I know because it asks why the author used particular
words. Now I need to look for other important
information in the question. What information do you
think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to
look on page 15 to find what the author is describing
with the words part dragon and part mule. The
words are used to describe the horse, Widow Maker,
and how difficult he is to ride. Thinking about the
author’s purpose helped me find the answer.
• Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Take It
Apart! questions to use with students.
Summarize & Make Connections
Across Texts
• Engage students in a discussion about the two
tall tales in this book. Invite a different student to
summarize each tall tale. Encourage other students
to add their ideas and details.
• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the
book. Say: Good readers think about how literary
works are related. We know, for example, that
both of these tall tales share certain features. They
both have a hero or heroine with special strengths
and skills. They both have a challenge. What else
do they have in common? (Allow responses.) Today
we will think about the characters in both tall tales.
We’ll think about how the characters and the story
endings are alike and different and what we can
learn from thinking about the ending.
• Ask students to work individually or in small groups
to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).
• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate
a whole-class discussion or keep students in their
small groups for a literature circle discussion. If you
choose to conduct literature circles, share the rules
for good discussion on page 9. Each group should
discuss and be prepared to share its ideas about
these prompts.
How are the characters’ special strengths and skills
similar? How are they different?
Which character is most like a person you might
really meet? Which character is least like a person
you might really meet? Why?
Which tall tale’s plot did you find most
entertaining? What did you like about it?
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 5 (cont.)
• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you
will ask them to share their important text-to-text,
text-to-world, and text-to-self connections.
• While each small group of students discusses the
book, confer with individuals or small groups. You
may wish to revisit elements of the genre, take
running records, or model fluent reading skills.
Hero or Heroine
Casey Jones
Pecos Bill and
Sluefoot Sue
Casey Jones
Pecos Bill
Bully or Challenge saving a little girl on the getting Sluefoot Sue
tracks; getting the train back from space so he
to the station on time
can marry her
How does the
author describe
the hero or
heroine?
smart, stylish, strong,
determined, brave
a talented cowboy,
kind, loving, strong
How does the
author describe
the bully or
challenge?
Casey has only thirty
seconds to get the girl
off the tracks; Casey
was piloting a flying
train, gripping the wheel
so tightly it cut a hole
in his gloves.
Pecos Bill observes
that Sue may not
return if she goes to
Mars; he makes a lasso
out of rattlesnakes,
lassoes her on the
first try, and pulls her
to Earth with a few
strong pulls.
How does the tall
tale end?
Casey Jones flies the
train in over the valley
and reaches the station
on schedule.
Pecos Bill makes
a lasso out of
rattlesnakes and gets
Sue down from space.
They get married and
travel all over the
world and space.
Ask other students to identify the descriptions
that help define the word.
Reread for Fluency:
Oral Reading Performance
• Discuss with students the character traits shown
by the various characters in the tall tales.
• Say: Different characters in the tall tales show
traits such as pride and bravery. When you read
the tall tales aloud, you can demonstrate your
understanding of these traits through your
expression. This helps your listeners appreciate the
characters more and understand the story better.
• Invite individual students to read a section of one
of the tall tales with expression to help listeners
understand the character’s traits.
• Encourage students to have fun with their readings
and to make them as dramatic as possible.
• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s
interpretation. Think about alternate ways to
interpret the character traits.
Review Writer’s Tools: Onomotopoeia
• Ask students to look for other examples of
onomatopoeia in titles from your classroom
library or the school’s library. Each student should
select one title at his or her independent reading
level. Ask students to read pages specifically to
find an example of onomatopoeia.
• Invite students to share their examples with
the class. Encourage students to discuss how
the onomatopoeia helps them better imagine
sounds described in the stories. Point out that
not all students will have found examples in the
books they chose. Onomatopoeia is not a tool all
writers use all of the time.
Rules for Good Discussion
• Pay attention to the person who is talking and do
not interrupt him or her.
• Think about what others are saying so you can
respond and add to their ideas.
• Allow and encourage everyone in the group to speak.
• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.
Reinforce Skills
If time permits, choose from the following activities to
reinforce vocabulary and fluency.
Reinforce Vocabulary: Descriptive Definitions
• Have students work in pairs.
• Ask each pair to choose one of the glossary words
and write a short paragraph that includes both the
word and a description of the word.
• Ask pairs to share their paragraphs with the group.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
two american tall tales
9
Days 6–15
Write a Tall Tale
• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide students
through the steps of process writing. Allow
approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students
work independently, circulate around the room and
monitor student progress. Confer with individual
students to discuss their ideas and help them move
forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing
strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing for additional support.
• Before students begin planning their tall tales, pass
out copies of BLM 5 (Tall Tale Checklist). Review the
characteristics and conventions of writing that will be
assessed. Tell students that they will use this checklist
when they complete their drafts.
• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six
traits of writing as they pertain to tall tales.
Days 6–7: Plan
• Ask students to use BLM 6 (Tall Tale Planning Guide)
to brainstorm the hero, other characters, setting, and
plot for their story.
• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a
Tall Tale” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The
Writer’s Craft” on pages 22–23 of the book.
• Confer with individual students and focus on their
ideas. Did students develop a hero with superhuman
strength and skills? Did students set the tall tale in
a place that will support the hero’s special abilities?
Where can students add humorous exaggerations?
Days 8–9: Draft
• Tell students that they will be using their completed
Tall Tale Planning Guides to begin drafting.
• Say: Remember that when writers draft their ideas,
they focus on getting their ideas on paper. They
can cross things out. They can make mistakes in
spelling. What’s important is to focus on developing
your characters, setting, and plot. You can make
corrections and improvements later.
• Confer with students as they complete their
drafts. Use the Tall Tale Checklist to draw students’
attention to characteristics of the tall tale genre that
they may have overlooked. Focus on how students
have organized their ideas and the voice of the
writer. Did students introduce characters at the
beginning of the story? Did they set up a problem
and then show a resolution? Does the tall tale have a
strong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?
• Pair students for peer conferencing.
Days 10–11: Edit and Revise
• Based on your observations of students’ writing,
select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing.
• Remind students to use the Tall Tale Checklist as they
edit and revise their tall tales independently.
10
two american tall tales
• Confer with students, focusing on sentence fluency,
word choice, and conventions. Did students include
both long and short sentences? Do the sentences
read smoothly? Have students used interesting words
and phrases? Did they include onomatopoeia? Did
they use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and
grammar?
• You may want students to continue their editing and
their revision at home.
Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and
Illustrations
• Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft.
• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with one
or more drawings that depict specific characters or
events in their tall tales.
• Confer with students about publishing plans and
deadlines.
Days 14–15: Publish and Share
• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop
their works. You have worked very hard. And one
of the great joys of writing is when you can share
it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They
publish their books so that people can buy them.
They make their work available on the Internet. They
hold readings. We can share our writing, too.
• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing
students’ work:
Make a class display of students’ completed tall tales.
Hold a class reading in which students can read their
tall tales to one another and/or to parents.
Create a binder of all the tall tales and loan it to the
library so that other students can read the.
Create a binder of tall tales for your classroom library.
Name _________________________________________________
Date _________________
Title ______________________________________________________________________________
Tall Tale Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
Yes
No
Name _________________________________________________
1. My tall tale has a strong lead.
 
 
 Tall

2. My tall tale has a setting with time and place.
3. The main characters are based on real people.
4. The main character (hero or heroine) has superhuman
strength and skills.
5. The hero has a helper.
6. The hero outwits the “bully” in the tall tale.
7. I tell the problem at the beginning of the tall tale.
8. I have 3 to 5 events in my tall tale.
9. I have a solution to the problem in the tall tale.
10. My tall tale is funny with exaggeration.
11. I used figurative language in my tall tale.
Quality Writing Checklist
Date ____________________
Tale Planning Guide
 
Directions:

 Use the steps below to plan
 


1. Decide
on a hero or heroine.
 
 
 
2.
characters.
 Brainstorm

Yes
No
Characters
your own tall tale.
Traits, Actions Based on Traits
Character 1:
I looked for and corrected . . .
_______________

2:
Character

_______________
Character

3:
_______________

4:
Character

_______________
 


3. Brainstorm setting
 
• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• subject/verb agreement
• verb tense
• punctuation
• capitalization
• spelling
• indented paragraphs
and plot.
Setting
two american tall tales
Blm 5
©2011 Benchmark education company, llc
Problem
TallTalesCasey_TG.indd 5
Events
8/13/10 3:59 AM
Solution
two american tall tales
TallTalesCasey_TG.indd 6
Blm 6
©2011 Benchmark education company, llc
8/13/10 3:29 AM
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ___________________
Onomatopoeia
Directions: Read each sentence. Underline the example of onomatopoeia in
the sentence.
1. The birds start to chirp as the sun rises.
2. The horn made a loud beep as the car pulled into the driveway.
3. The spring snapped back . . . boi-oi-oing! 4. Pots and pans fell to the floor with a clatter.
5. Jason loved the VROOM! of the cars on the racetrack.
Directions: Complete each sentence below with an example of onomatopoeia.
6. On summer evenings, frogs ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________.
7. The winter wind _______________________________________________.
Directions: Write a sentence with your own example of onomatopoeia.
8. _ ________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
two american tall tales
blm 1
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Analyze Characters
Directions: Use the charts below to analyze characters.
What the Character
Says and Does
Character Traits
Casey Jones
Sluefoot Sue
Pecos Bill
two american tall tales
blm 2
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date _________________
Focus on Description
Directions: R
eread each tall tale. Use descriptions in the text to figure out
the meanings of the words.
Casey Jones
Page
Word
Description
6
crisscrossed
7
spitfire
8
throttle
8
terrified
8
douse
Definition
Pecos Bill and Sluefoot Sue
Page Word
16
glimpsed
16
clenched
17
ornery
17
fumed
19
observed
20
disappointment
two american tall tales
Description
blm 3
Definition
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Make Connections Across Texts
Directions: Fill in the chart. Use it to compare and contrast the two tall tales.
Casey Jones
Pecos Bill and
Sluefoot Sue
Hero or Heroine
Bully or Challenge
How does the author describe the hero or heroine?
How does the author describe the bully or challenge?
How does the tall tale end?
1. Which characters in the tales are alike? How are they alike?
_____________________________________________________________
2. How are the endings alike? How are they different?
_____________________________________________________________
two american tall tales
blm 4
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date _________________
Title ________________________________________________________________________­______
Tall Tale Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
Yes No
1. My tall tale has a strong lead.
2. My tall tale has a setting with time and place.
3. The main characters are based on real people.
4. The main character (hero or heroine) has superhuman strength and skills.
5. The hero has a helper.
6. The hero outwits the “bully” in the tall tale.
7. I tell the problem at the beginning of the tall tale.
8. I have 3 to 5 events in my tall tale.
9. I have a solution to the problem in the tall tale.
10. My tall tale is funny with exaggeration.
11. I used figurative language in my tall tale.
Quality Writing Checklist






















Yes No
I looked for and corrected . . .








• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• subject/verb agreement
• verb tense • punctuation
• capitalization
• spelling
• indented paragraphs
two american tall tales
blm 5








©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Tall Tale Planning Guide
Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own tall tale.
1.
Decide on a hero or heroine.
2.
Brainstorm characters.
Characters
Traits, Actions Based on Traits
Character 1:
_______________
Character 2:
_______________
Character 3:
_______________
Character 4:
_______________
3.
Brainstorm setting and plot.
Setting
Problem
Events
Solution
two american tall tales
blm 6
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC