Core Knowledge Foundation
Fairy Tales and Tall Tales Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology
Enrich a unit on fairy tales and tall tales with a set of read-aloud lessons. Second graders hone writing, vocabulary, comprehension, and literary analysis skills as they read classic stories. Complete with extension projects, discussion...
Pottsgrove School District
Tall Tales
Young readers compare and contrast digital and print versions of tall tale text. The resource includes a character analysis in which pupils compare and contrast traits, and make inferences about what the characters do and say. They...
Curated OER
Mrs. Watson Tall Tales
Tall tales are so much fun! Introduce your class to Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Davy Crockett, among others! Learn about their lives before reading some of the tall tales as a class. Then, write some tales of your own!
Curated OER
Tall Tales: Larger Than Life Stories
Review the elements of tall tales with your class. Take a look at their genesis and purpose. Different types of figurative language found in tall tales are included such as hyperbole, simile, and metaphor. Before reading an American tall...
Other
David Holt: The Roots of Mountain Music
This is a short history of the major influences that have combined to create mountain music, one of which is minstrel music. Provides a good decription of minstrel music in general. Includes names and descriptions of specific songs,...
Read Works
Read Works: The Industrial Revolution the Legend of John Henry
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage shares the legend of a many named John Henry, a "steel drivin' man," according to legend. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Larger Than Life
Students will write a tall tale narrative including larger than life characters with unusual skills or abilities using exaggeration, humor, surprise endings, and story elements (setting, characters, conflict, resolution).
Other
Mad River Theater Works: The Ballad of John Henry [Pdf]
Scroll down this study guide to find the lyrics to the Ballad of John Henry, which was collected from individuals in the West Virginia mountains in the 1920's. Discusses the different versions of the song and the history behind it.
ibiblio
Ibiblio: John Henry: The Steel Driving Man
This ibiblio.org site deeply explores the truth behind the legend of John Henry. Content includes interviews with numerous scholars who take a look at how this legend may have been created. Scholars also analyze historical facts versus...
S.E. Schlosser
American Folklore: John Henry: The Steel Driving Man
At this site read about John Henry, the steel-drivin' man who uses two hand-held hammers to dig a tunnel faster than a steam drill!
Curated OER
John Henry: The Steel Driving Man
Comprehensive ibiblio.org site that provides the story, music, and resources around the legend of John Henry.
Curated OER
John Henry
Comprehensive ibiblio.org site that provides the story, music, and resources around the legend of John Henry.
Curated OER
John Henry Statue
Exploring the icons of American culture, NPR presents a piece on John Henry, railroad worker of the late 1800s whose "Tale has become the stuff of myth." See the art inspired by this "Steel-drivin' man," and hear "John Henry," the...
Curated OER
John Henry Building a Railroad
Exploring the icons of American culture, NPR presents a piece on John Henry, railroad worker of the late 1800s whose "Tale has become the stuff of myth." See the art inspired by this "Steel-drivin' man," and hear "John Henry," the...
Curated OER
John Henry as Defense Worker
Exploring the icons of American culture, NPR presents a piece on John Henry, railroad worker of the late 1800s whose "Tale has become the stuff of myth." See the art inspired by this "Steel-drivin' man," and hear "John Henry," the...
Curated OER
Carving of John Henry
Exploring the icons of American culture, NPR presents a piece on John Henry, railroad worker of the late 1800s whose "Tale has become the stuff of myth." See the art inspired by this "Steel-drivin' man," and hear "John Henry," the...