Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 1
TEACHER’S GUIDE: TALL TALES
™
Reading Objectives
• Comprehension: Analyze character;
Evaluate author’s purpose
• Tier Two Vocabulary: See book’s Glossary
• Word study: Direction definitions
• Analyze the genre
• Respond to and interpret texts
• Make text-to-text connections
• Fluency: Read with
inflection/intonation: volume
Johnny Appleseed
Gets His Name
Glooscap Makes the Seasons
Writing Objectives
• Writer’s tools: Metaphor
• Write a tall tale using
writing-process steps
Related Resources
• Comprehension Question Cards
• Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart
• Using Genre Models to Teach Writing
• Davy Crockett; John Henry; Keelboat
Annie (Levels P/38 and K/20)
Level O/34
Level K/20
Genre Workshop titles are designed to accommodate a combination of whole- and small-group instruction.
Use the suggested timetable below to help you manage your 90-minute literacy block. You may also conduct
the entire lesson within small-group reading time by adjusting the length of time needed per group.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Days 6–15
Prepare
to Read
Before Reading
Before Reading
Before Reading
Analyze and
Synthesize
Write a
tall tale.
Small Group #1*
(15 minutes)
Read “Johnny
Appleseed
Gets His Name”
Read “Glooscap
Reread “Glooscap
Literature Circle
Makes the Seasons” Makes the Seasons” Discussion
Small Group #2*
(15 minutes)
Read “Johnny
Appleseed
Gets His Name”
Read “Glooscap
Reread “Glooscap
Literature Circle
Makes the Seasons” Makes the Seasons” Discussion
Small Group #3*
(15 minutes)
Read “Johnny
Appleseed
Gets His Name”
Read “Glooscap
Reread “Glooscap
Literature Circle
Makes the Seasons” Makes the Seasons” Discussion
Whole Group
(20 minutes)
After Reading
After Reading
Whole Group
(25 minutes)
After Reading
Use the
timetable
and daily
suggestions
provided.
Reinforce Skills
*Select the appropriate text to meet the range of needs and reading levels of your students.
While you are meeting with small groups, other students can do the following:
• Read independently from your classroom library
• Reflect on their learning in reading response journals
• Engage in literacy workstations or meet with literature circles/discussion groups
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
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 2
Day 1
Prepare to Read
Build Genre Background
• Write the word genre on chart paper. Say: Have
you ever heard the word genre? (Allow time for
responses.) The word genre means “a kind of
something.” All the members in a certain genre have
things in common. For example, there are different
kinds of magazines, such as sports magazines and
news magazines. All sports magazines focus on sports,
the people who play them, and the equipment they
need. As readers and writers, we focus on genres of
literature. As readers, we should notice the genre of
what we read. Recognizing the genre helps us know
what content to expect in the text. As writers, we use
our understanding of genre to help us develop and
organize our ideas.
• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make
a list. Allow time for responses. Post the list on the
classroom wall as an anchor chart.
• Draw a concept web on chart paper or on the board.
Write Tall Tale in the center circle of the web.
• 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
that they can think of. Then bring students together
and ask them to share their ideas. Record the ideas
on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all tall
tales have certain common features.
• Ask students to turn to pages 4–5. Say: The tall tales
in this book have very different origins. Let’s read
how the story about each hero came to be.
• Have a student read aloud the biographical and
background information while others follow along.
• Say: Settlers and Native Americans both told tall
tales, and we still enjoy them today. What does this
suggest about tall tales? Allow time for responses.
Prompt students to understand that all kinds of
people enjoy reading fantastic stories that show
ways to overcome challenges.
Introduce the Tools Writers Use: Metaphor
• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5.
• Say: Writers use metaphor, a way of comparing two
things that gives a surprise, to make their writing
forceful and vivid. The tall tales we will read contain
metaphors. Let’s practice identifying metaphors so
we can notice them in the tales we read.
• Distribute BLM 1 (Metaphor). Read aloud the first
sentence with students.
Introduce the Book
• Distribute the appropriate-level book (O/34 or K/20)
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. 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 time for responses. Add new information to
the class web.
• Display this chart in your classroom during your tall
tales unit. Say: As we read tall tales this week, we
will come back to this anchor chart. We will look for
how these features appear in each tale we read.
• Model Identifying Metaphor: Mother is not really
an oak tree. This metaphor compares her to an oak
tree. How might a mother be like an oak tree for her
family? She is probably strong like the oak. Like an
oak tree, she can always be counted on to be there.
The metaphor gives a vivid sense of the mother.
• Ask students to work with a partner or in small
groups to identify the metaphors in the remaining
sentences and discuss how the things compared are
alike. Then have them cooperatively write one or
more sentences of their own showing metaphor.
• Bring the groups together to share their findings.
Point out that writers may construct metaphors using
is or was, or they may imply one thing is another
without using is or was.
©2009 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: 978-1-60859-853-3
2
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 3
Day 2
• Ask each group to read one or more sentences they
wrote. Use the examples to build their understanding
of how and why writers use metaphor. Remind
students that the metaphors an author uses can help
the reader understand what a character or event is
like or how a character feels.
• Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer
student-written sentences to chart paper, title the
page “Metaphor,” and post it as an anchor chart in
your classroom.
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk: Write one or more of the following
questions on chart paper:
Why do we need to classify literature into genres
when we read? When we write?
What did you find most interesting about the tall
tale genre in today’s lesson?
What steps would you give a reader to help analyze
metaphors?
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.
Before Reading
Introduce “Johnny Appleseed Gets His Name”
• 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 illustrations, what do you predict this tall
tale might be about? Allow time for responses.
• Invite students to scan the text and look for the
boldfaced words (tend, steadfast, sow, snickered,
zesty, encouraged, lamented). 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 to focus on the
genre elements they noted on their anchor chart.
They should also look for examples of metaphor
and think about how the author’s use of metaphor
helps them understand the characters and events.
Read “Johnny Appleseed
Gets His Name”
• Place students in groups of three or four based on
their reading levels. Ask students to read the tall
tale silently or whisper-read. If students need more
support, you may have them read with a partner.
• Observe students as they stop and think about the
tall tale. Monitor individual students’ understanding
of the tale and, when necessary, confer briefly with
them to be sure they recall useful fix-up strategies.
Management Tip
Ask students to place self-stick notes in the margins
where they notice examples of metaphor or features
of the genre when they are reading.
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: We learned yesterday that tall tales
entertain and teach about good character qualities.
The writer describes larger-than-life characters,
exaggerating to make us laugh and admire the hero
or heroine. When you read a tall tale, you need to
pay close attention to the characters. The hero or
heroine will show superhuman courage, strength,
and cleverness in outwitting an enemy. Recognizing
the hero or heroine’s traits in a tall tale can help you
understand why the author wants us to admire the
character.
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
3
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 4
Day 2 (cont.)
• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Analyze Characters)
and/or draw a chart like the one below.
Character
Hero: Johnny
Appleseed
Bully: farmer
Details
showing
character
takes good care of apple rude; closed to new things;
trees; heart of a bear;
later, ashamed of bad
gentle as a lamb; friendly; behavior
steadfast, determined;
barefoot; strange-looking
Actions
showing
character
wants to live outside; as
an adult, walks across the
country sowing apple
seeds; doesn’t reply to
rude laughter; gives
farmer apple
laughs at Johnny; calls him
a fool; tries an apple;
apologizes and honors
Johnny
Summary of someone who loves
character
people and animals and
devotes his life to giving
them the apples he loves
someone who made fun of
what he didn’t understand
but who admitted his
mistake and made up for it
• Model: When I analyze story characters and their
deeds, I think about the descriptions and details the
writer provides. I ask myself, “What does the writer
say about the character? What does the character
think, feel, and say? What does this show about the
character?” I also think about what the character
does. For example, Johnny Appleseed is described
as friendly and gentle. I know he loves apple trees
because he takes good care of the orchard. He
stays outside as much as he can and goes barefoot,
showing that he loves being close to nature. I know
he is dedicated because he works day after day, year
after year to achieve his goal. His unusual appearance
shows he is original and doesn’t care about outside
appearances. These traits cause me to admire Johnny
Appleseed. They also make me curious about his life.
• Guide Practice: Work with students to analyze the
character of the mocking farmer. Help them
understand that this character is a bully who presents
Johnny with a challenge to overcome. Ask students
to think about what this character leads Johnny to do.
• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies folder.
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 appropriate-level Comprehension Question
Card (O/34 or K/20) with small groups of students to
practice answering text-dependent comprehension
questions.
4
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
• Say: 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 on the
Comprehension Question Card. 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 do you think will help me? (Allow student
responses.) Yes, I’m looking for the words planted,
orchards, and Pennsylvania. On page 8 [Bridges: 9],
I read, “Eventually he planted orchards from
Pennsylvania to the Great Plains.” [Bridges: “He
planted apple orchards everywhere he went.”] This
sentence has the words I’m looking for—the Great
Plains. [Bridges: everywhere]. This sentence answers
the question.
• Use the Comprehension Flip Chart to help you
develop other Find It! questions to use with students.
Focus on Vocabulary: Direct Definitions
• Explain/Model: Authors sometimes provide the
definition for an unfamiliar word in the text. For
example, in the sentence, “Arturo showed me how
to sauté, or quickly fry, the apples.” The words
quickly fry provide a direct definition of sauté.
Authors may also provide a definition in another
sentence to be sure you understand a hard word.
• Practice: Ask students to scan a short piece of text,
such as a newspaper article, for words they do not
know. Have individual students find the meaning of
the words in a dictionary. List the words and their
definitions on the board. (for example: dreary—very
gloomy; eccentric—very different in appearance or
behavior) Then have students take turns making
up sentences that use the definition and the word
together.
• 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 time for responses.) You might
look in the glossary or in a dictionary if there is one
available. If there is none available, you need to look
for clues in the text to help you define the unfamiliar
words. One strategy you can use is to look for direct
definitions in the text.
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete
the Focus on Words activity on page 13 using BLM 3
(Focus on Direct Definitions). Explain that students
should read the sentences around each boldfaced
word to find a word or phrase that defines the word.
They should be able to explain how they identified
the definition.
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 5
Day 3
Word
Definition in Text
Before Reading
7
tend
“took good care” (to take care of)
Introduce “Glooscap Makes the Seasons”
8
steadfast
“determined”
8
sow
“plant”
9
snickered
“laughed at”
10
zesty
“sharp and sweet”
11
encouraged
“urged”
12
lamented
“was sorry for”
• Ask students to turn to page 14. Say: Today we are
going to read “Glooscap Makes the Seasons.” This
tall tale is written in a different format from the
other tall tale we have 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 tale, focusing on the characters, problem, and
solution. Tomorrow, we will read this tale like a
writer and think about 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? Give
students time to share their predictions.
• Ask students to scan the text and look for the
boldfaced words (perish, famine, pledged,
despised, banish). Ask: What do you notice about
these words? Why do you think they appear in
boldfaced type? Allow time for responses. Help
students express that these words are fairly difficult
and will need to be defined.
• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings of
these words. Look for direct definitions in the text.
After we read, we will talk about how you used
direct definitions and other context clues provided
by the author.
Page
• Transfer Through Oral Language: Ask groups of
students to share their findings. Then pair students
and give each pair one target word. Have them act
out or draw a picture showing its meaning. Ask other
students to identify the word using only the action or
the picture.
• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies
folders to continue on Day 3.
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk: Ask partners or small groups to
reread the features of a tall tale on page 3 and
decide if all of these features were present in
“Johnny Appleseed Gets His Name.” Ask groups to
share and support their findings.
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Intonation: Volume
• You may wish to have students reread the tall tale
with a partner during independent reading time.
Have them find passages where they think they
should vary the volume. Model how to increase
volume to show excitement or exclamation or to
decrease volume to show sadness, calmness, or
secrecy. Ask students to consider whether they should
read loudly or softly when the farmer ridicules
Johnny and when Johnny gives the farmer an apple.
Note Regarding This Teacher’s Guide
The genre models in the Bridges books are
adapted for a lower reading level. To facilitate
whole-group instruction, citations from the Bridges
version of this book are shown in square brackets.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to focus on how the characters and
events suggest how we should feel about the hero.
Encourage them to notice uses of metaphor.
Read “Glooscap Makes
the Seasons”
• Place students in groups of three or four based on
their reading levels. Ask students to read the tall
tale silently or whisper-read. If students need more
support, you may have them read with a partner.
• Observe students as they stop and think about the
tall tale. Monitor individual students’ understanding
of the tale and, when necessary, confer briefly with
them to monitor their use of fix-up strategies and
their understanding of text.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Analyze Character
• Say: Yesterday we analyzed Johnny Appleseed and
the farmer. Johnny Appleseed had many larger-thanlife character traits that we admired. Which characters
in this tall tale have superhuman qualities? How
did you feel about these characters? Allow time for
responses. As students share their analyses, synthesize
their responses into a whole-group chart like the one
at the top of page 6.
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
5
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 6
Day 3 (cont.)
Character Hero: Glooscap, Summer
Bully: Winter
Details
showing
character
Glooscap: protector; mightiest
spirit; stronger than a thousand
men; the size of a million men
Summer: wise and gentle giant;
all heart; helpful
Winter: cunning and
hateful giant; icicle for
a heart; tricky
Actions
showing
character
Glooscap: pledged to save
people from famine; searched
for Winter; persuaded Summer
to help; made seasons to give
people what they needed
Summer: defeated Winter; happy
to help; gave half a year to
Winter
Winter: deceived and
drugged Glooscap; tried
to defeat Summer; felt
ashamed at defeat, not
being wanted; agreed to
compromise
Summary of Glooscap: a wise spirit who looks Winter: an evil and
after his people and understands treacherous giant who
character
their needs
despises living things
Summer: a good-natured,
delightful giant who brings
life back to the land
• Discuss Characters Across Texts: Lead a discussion
using the following questions:
How are Johnny Appleseed and Glooscap similar?
How are they different?
How is the act of traveling important in each tale?
Why does Glooscap need help to solve the problem?
How does his solution compare to Johnny
Appleseed’s solution?
Where in the tales has the author used metaphor?
How do these examples of metaphor help you
understand the characters better?
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment
• Use the appropriate-level Comprehension Question
Card (O/34 or K/20) with small groups of students to
practice answering text-dependent 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 first Look Closer! question on the
Comprehension Question Card. Say: I will show you
how I answer a Look Closer! question. The question
says, “By the end of the story, how are Winter and
Summer alike? How are they different? [Bridges:
Look at pages 19 and 20. How will Winter and
Summer be alike? How will they be different?] Use a
Venn diagram for help in answering the question.”
This question asks me to compare and contrast. I
know because the question has the clue words alike
and different. It also asks me to use a Venn diagram.
(Draw a Venn diagram on the board. Label one
side Summer and the other side Winter. Label the
intersection Both.) Now I need to look for other
important information in the question. These words
tell me what to look for in the book. What
6
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
information do you think will help me? (Allow
student responses.) Yes, I’m looking for sentences that
tell about Summer and Winter. Now I will look back
in the book. On page 20, I read that Summer and
Winter decided to spend an equal amount of time with
the people. This is how they are alike. I will put that
information where the circles of the Venn diagram
overlap. Summer was still sweet and agreeable, while
Winter was still disagreeable. This is how they are
different. I will put this information in my Venn
diagram too. (Write “agreeable” in the Summer
section and “disagreeable” in the Winter section.)
I have found the answer in the book. I looked in
several sentences to find the answer.
• Guide Practice: Use the Comprehension Flip Chart
to help you develop other Look Closer! questions.
Focus on Vocabulary: Direct Definitions
• 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.
Page
Word
Definition in Text
15
perish
“in danger of dying” (to die)
15
famine
“nothing to eat” (a lack of food causing starvation)
15
pledged “promised”
15
despised “hateful,” “an icicle for a heart” (hated)
18
banish
“told . . . to leave” (to drive away; to force to leave)
• Transfer Through Oral Language: Form small
groups of students and have them create a skit in
which the characters use the target words in contexts
that are appropriate to their meanings. Encourage
them to use each word several times.
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk: Ask partners or groups to discuss
these questions and report their ideas to the whole
group:
Could Glooscap have solved the problem without
Summer’s help? In what way was each character
important to the solution?
Why was wisdom important to the solution of the
problem?
What other aspects of life could Glooscap resolve for
the people?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Intonation: Volume
• Have students reread the tall tale with a partner. Ask
pairs to mark places where they intend to vary the
volume. Model for students how to read with louder
volume to suggest excitement or strong emotion and
softer volume to suggest calm, sadness, or secrecy.
Ask students to consider whether they should read
loudly or softly when they encounter exclamation
points, when Glooscap hears the whale’s song, and
when Winter admits defeat.
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 7
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 a different hat on. We are going
to reread “Glooscap Makes the Seasons” to 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 he
did it.
Reread “Glooscap Makes
the Seasons”
• Place students in groups of three or four based on
their reading levels. Ask students to reread the tall
tale silently or whisper-read and to pay attention to
the annotations. If students need more support, you
may have them read with a partner.
• Observe students as they stop and think about the
tale. Confer briefly with individual students to
monitor their use of fix-up strategies and 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, development and use of a heroic
character and a bully, plot development, and use
of literary techniques such as metaphor.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment
• Use the appropriate-level Comprehension Question
Card (O/34 or K/20) with small groups of students to
practice answering text-dependent 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 first Prove It! question on the
Comprehension Question Card. Say: I will show you
how I answer a Prove It! question. The question says,
“What clues on page 15 tell you that Glooscap is a
helpful spirit?” This question asks me to analyze
character. I know because the question says, “what
clues tell you that Glooscap.” Glooscap is the main
character in the tall tale. Now I need to look for
other important information in the question. What
information do you think will help me? (Allow
student responses.) Yes, I need to find actions that
show Glooscap’s helpfulness. I need to find clues and
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
evidence about his character. On page 15, I read that
Glooscap guided and looked after the tribe. When
they asked him for help, he pledged to help and
went to speak to Winter. Glooscap is helpful to the
people. I have located the clues and evidence I need.
• Guide Practice: Use the Comprehension Flip Chart
to help you develop other Prove It! questions and
support students’ text-dependent comprehension
strategies.
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 “Glooscap Makes the Seasons.” When she
developed this tall tale, she followed certain steps.
You can follow these same steps to write your own
tall tale.
• Read step 1 with students. Say: When you write your
tall tale, the first thing you’ll do is decide on a hero
or heroine who uses special strengths or skills to
solve a problem. Let’s turn back to pages 7 and 15
and look again at the descriptions of the hero and
his solution to a problem in each tall tale we read.
Write characters’ names, skills, and solutions on chart
paper. What hero or heroine would you like to create
and what problem would you like this character to
solve? For example, I might write a tall tale about a
cowhand who is a super-strong woman who uses
magical powers to fill a dry river with water. What
other heroes or heroines with special abilities could
we create? (Allow time for responses. Write down
students’ ideas on chart paper.)
• Read step 2 with students. Say: In the two tall tales
we read, the traits of the heroes and the bullies lead
them to act a certain way. The bullies do something
to cause a problem, and the heroes use their abilities
to solve the problems. For example, Johnny Appleseed
uses his friendliness, patience, and tasty apples to
change the attitudes of wheat and corn farmers.
Who could our bully be? What actions could grow
out of our hero’s and bully’s personalities? Let’s list
their traits and actions. (Allow time for responses.
Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.)
• Read step 3 with students. Say: Before you’re ready
to write a tall tale, you need a setting and plot.
“Glooscap Makes the Seasons” took place in the
North Country. This setting meant that a severe
winter would come. When Winter refused to leave,
Glooscap, the protector spirit, had to travel south
to enlist the help of Summer. When Summer meets
Winter in the New England region, she defeats him,
and he must agree to withdraw from the area for
six months. When you write your tall tale, think
about what setting is right for your characters.
What actions will you use to show the hero’s way of
solving a problem? Choose one of the heroes and
bullies that the class has brainstormed, and work as
a group to construct a possible setting and plot.
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
7
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 8
Day 4 (cont.)
Day 5
Build Comprehension: Author’s Purpose
Analyze and Synthesize
• Explain: When authors write, they have a purpose to
achieve with their text. In these tall tales, the author
wanted to entertain, but also show how a hero’s
special strengths and abilities permitted him to solve
a problem. The author wants to show that the hero is
a good person whom we should admire. As readers,
we notice how the hero or heroine gets things done
and decide whether we admire the character.
• Model: The hero of “Glooscap Makes the Seasons”
is mighty and wise. He guides and looks after a
tribe. His protective, helpful nature is shown by his
willingness to talk to Winter. He shows wisdom by
balancing the seasons of Winter and Summer, giving
people a time to rest from their work and to think.
When I see how he acts to save his starving people
and wisely balances pleasant and cold seasons to
meet human needs, I understand that he uses his
powers to do good. I admire him as the author wants
me to.
• Guide Practice: Invite students to work in small
groups to identify the characteristics the author
admires in “Johnny Appleseed Gets His Name.”
Then have them describe the hero’s qualities and
tell whether they admire this character. Have them
explain their reactions. Ask each group to share and
support their ideas with examples from the tall tale.
Reflect and Review
• Ask and discuss the following questions:
How is thinking about a tall tale as a reader different
from thinking about a tall tale as a writer? How is it
similar?
Which of the new words you learned this week has
been most difficult to learn? Which new word have
you enjoyed using most?
Which of the tall tale heroes you’ve met do you
admire more? Why?
How can you use direct definitions or metaphor as a
writer?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Intonation: Volume
• You may wish to have students reread the tall tale
with a partner during independent reading time to
focus on varying their volume to suit the context. For
example, have volunteers model appropriate volume
for the dialogue when the people call out to Glooscap
for help, for the description of Glooscap falling into a
deep sleep, and for the angry shouts of Winter.
8
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment
• Use the appropriate-level Comprehension Question
Card (O/34 or K/20) with small groups of students to
practice answering text-dependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take
It Apart! Questions. The answer to a Take It Apart!
question is not stated in the book. You must think
like the author to figure out the answer.
• Model: Read the first Take It Apart! question on the
Comprehension Question Card. Say: This question
says, “The author uses a metaphor to tell how strong
Glooscap is. Find this on page 15.” This question asks
me to think about the text structure. I know because
the question asks me to find a metaphor. Now I
need to look for other important information in the
question. What information do you think will help
me? (Allow student responses.) Yes, I need to reread
page 15 to look for a comparison that tells about
Glooscap’s strength. I start reading where it says,
“Glooscap was the mightiest [Bridges: a powerful]
spirit . . .” I notice clue words like was and stronger.
The author is comparing Glooscap’s strength to the
strength of a thousand men. The author used a
metaphor to emphasize the spirit’s strength.
• Use the Comprehension Flip Chart to help you
develop other Take It Apart! questions to use with
students.
Summarize and 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. They both have a bully. What else do
they have in common? (Allow time for responses.)
Today we will think about the hero and bully in both
tales. We’ll think about how the characters and the
endings of the tales are alike and different, and what
we can learn from them.
• Ask students to work individually or in small groups
to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 9
Reinforce Skills
If time permits, choose from the following activities
to reinforce vocabulary and fluency.
Reinforce Vocabulary: Guess My Word
• 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 below. Each group should discuss and be
prepared to share their ideas about the prompts that
follow:
Which characters were most alike, and how were
they alike?
Which character did you most admire? Which did you
admire the least? Why?
Which tall tale’s problem did you identify with the
most? Which tall tale’s solution was most pleasing
to you?
• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you
will ask them to share the important text-to-text,
text-to-world, and text-to-self connections they have
made.
• While each small group of students discusses the
book, confer with individuals or small groups of
students. You may wish to revisit elements of the
genre, take running records, or model fluent reading
skills.
• Place students in small groups. Create a card for
each word, writing only the first and last letters of
the word and inserting short blanks for each letter
you leave out. Display the cards.
• Have each group make up sentences for the words
in the glossary. However, tell them to use the
definition in place of the word.
• Then have one group read its sentences aloud
to another group. The listeners must choose the
correct card from the tray and spell the word
correctly. If they do, they receive a point. When
the first group has read all its sentences, they
become the listeners and can earn points.
• The team with the most points at the end of one
complete cycle wins the game.
Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance
• Discuss with students how each character in the
tall tales they read had a unique personality.
• Say: The author used dialogue, actions,
description, and literary techniques like metaphor
to help you understand each character and
his or her reaction to events. When you read
the tall tales aloud, you can demonstrate your
understanding of a character’s personality and
feelings through your expression. This helps your
listeners appreciate the character more and
understand the story better.
• Invite individual students to read a section of one
of the tales with expression that helps listeners
understand the character’s personality and mood.
• 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 characters.
Review Writer’s Tools: Metaphor
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.
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
• Ask students to look for other examples of
metaphor 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 metaphor.
• Invite students to share their examples with the
class. Point out that not all students will have
found examples in the books they chose. Metaphor
is not a tool all writers use all of the time.
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
9
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page 10
Days 6–15
Write a Tall Tale
• Use this 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. Conference 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 tale, 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 tall tale 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 would support the hero’s special
abilities? Where might the student add humorous
exaggerations?
Days 8–9: Draft
• Tell students that they will be using their completed
Tall Tale Planning Guide to begin drafting their stories.
• Say: Remember that when writers draft their tales,
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, the setting, and the plot. You will have an
opportunity to make corrections and improvements
later.
• Conference 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 tale? Did they set up a problem
and then show a resolution? Does the tale have a
strong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?
• Pair students for peer conferencing.
Days 6–15
• Remind students to use the Tall Tale Checklist as they
edit and revise their stories independently.
• Conference with students. Focus 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 use examples of metaphor? Did they
use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and grammar?
• You may want students to continue their editing and
revision at home.
Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations
• Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their
tall tales.
• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with one
or more drawings that depict specific actions in their
tall tales.
• Conference with students regarding their 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. 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 them.
• Create a binder of all the tall tales for your classroom
library.
Days 10–11: Edit and Revise
• Based on your observations of students’ writing,
select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing.
10
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page BLM1
Name _________________________________________________
Date ___________________
Metaphor
Directions: Read each sentence. Underline the words that
tell what two things are compared in each
metaphor. On the line, write one way that the
two things are alike.
1.
Mother was a steadfast oak for the family.
___________________________________________________
2.
The library’s network of shelves was a maze that
confused and trapped Jared.
___________________________________________________
3.
To Mavis, her granddaughter was a fresh spring
breeze blowing in the front door.
___________________________________________________
4.
Albert’s stubborn pride was an iron suit of armor.
___________________________________________________
In the space below, draw or write your own sentence
using metaphor.
_______________________________________________________
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
BLM 1
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page BLM2
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Analyze Characters
Directions: Use the chart below to analyze characters.
Character
Hero: ________________
Bully: ________________
Details showing
character
Actions showing
character
Summary of
character
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
BLM 2
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page BLM3
Name _________________________________________________
Date ___________________
Focus on Direct Definitions
Directions: Reread each tall tale. Use context clues to
find the definition of each word.
Tall Tale
Johnny
Appleseed Gets
His Name
Glooscap Makes
the Seasons
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
Page
Word
7
tend
8
steadfast
8
sow
9
snickered
10
zesty
11
encouraged
12
lamented
15
perish
15
famine
15
pledged
15
despised
18
banish
BLM 3
Definition in Text
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page BLM4
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Make Connections Across Texts
Directions: Use the chart to answer the questions below.
Tall Tale
Johnny Appleseed
Gets His Name
Glooscap Makes
the Seasons
Hero or heroine
Johnny
Glooscap, Summer
Bully or challenge
Farmer
Winter
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. How are the heroes alike? How are they different?
__________________________________________________________
2. How are the bullies alike? How are they different?
__________________________________________________________
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
BLM 4
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page BLM5
Name _________________________________________________
Date ___________________
Title ________________________________________________________________________________
Tall Tale Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
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 exaggerations.
11. I used figurative language in my tall tale.
Quality Writing Checklist
I looked for and corrected . . .
• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• subject/verb agreement
• correct verb tense
• punctuation
• capitalization
• spelling
• indented paragraphs
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
BLM 5
YES
NO
YES
NO
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y04784_TG.qxd:RulesatSchool
4/12/11
4:08 PM
Page BLM6
Name _________________________________________________
Date ____________________
Tall Tale Planning Guide
Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own tall tale.
1. Decide on a hero.
2. Brainstorm characters.
Characters
Description, Abilities,
Traits
Actions Based on Traits
Hero:
_______________
Helper:
_______________
Bully/Bad
Guy(s):
_______________
3. Brainstorm setting and plot.
Setting
Problem
Events
Solution
TWO AMERICAN TALL TALES
BLM 6
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC