Curated OER
Men of Steel
Students explore early 20th century steel making. In this U.S. history steel making activity, students view and describe a postcard and a picture depicting exaggerated aspects of the steel industry. Students listen to a poem about Joe...
Curated OER
Collaborative Tall Tale Lesson Plan
Using Keynote, pupils will collaborate with their peers to create a tall tale. Each person in the group will participate by creating slides, adding text, and recording their voice. Tip: Have each group present their tall tales to the...
Curated OER
Parts-of-Speech Tall Tales
Here is a lesson that can work for virtually any grade level! Pupils study parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, proper nouns, and adverbs. They create fill in the blank tall tails on a web page for their classmates to complete.
Curated OER
Exaggeration
Students read the tall tale of Pecos Bill and identify an exaggeration in the story which they state as being part of a tall tale. In this exaggeration lesson plan, students identify the exaggeration by drawing a picture.
Curated OER
Tall Tale
In this tall tale worksheet, students read a tall tale about a pig named Porter. Students finish the story on a separate piece of paper.
Curated OER
Tall Tales and Urban Legends
Students identify and interpret what tall tales, urban legends, and cyberlore are and to find them in their own lives. They practice telling and listening to these types of tales and explore why people tell them. Students also identify...
Curated OER
Frog Tall Tales
Students identify and interpret a tall tale by creating one their own as it relates to the theme on frogs. Students apply frogs as their guide and basis for their tale. Students critique each others works and share them with the class.
Curated OER
Home of the Brave
Students use various types of people and the special places they each call home. They discover houses, like the world, are always changing. Students start out by brainstorming what was the one thing that made a house a home. They were...
Curated OER
Storytelling
Students explore the origins of folktales, fairytales, myths, legends, fables, and folktales in the ten lessons of this unit. A storytelling festival is held to feature the results of the variety of activities presented in the unit.
Curated OER
Podcasting Gone Digital
Students prepare a podcast activity for their lesson on tall tales. In this tall tales and technology lesson, students work in groups to prepare sentences about tall tale characters. Students make drawings for the information, take...
Curated OER
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Students hear the story How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Wallace Bleef and share their own summer experiences. They write a tale about one event that happened during their summer using exaggeration.
Curated OER
Westward Expansion
Students examine how the events that took place during the time of the Westward Expansion affected the pioneers and Native Americans through the seven lessons of this unit. Enhancements in transportation over time are also a part of the...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: "Knot" the Whole Truth
The writer will analyze and discuss the tall tale format after reading Jerry Spinelli's tale of Cobble's Knot, told in Chapter 20 of Maniac Magee. Then writers will need to create an interesting character in a special situation which...
Other
Tall Tales and Tricksters
This site talks about what a tall tale is and also lists some tall tales and their characters. There are many book references to help.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Lesson Plan: Writing Folktales
With this lesson plan, students examine the American tradition of folk tales and tall tales, then write and illustrate their own original tale. Provides links to more information, an assessment rubric, extension ideas, and a list of...
Aaron Shepherd
Aaron Shepherd: The Legend of Lightning Larry
At this site listen to a tale retold and read by author Aaron Shepherd. Information provided for Reader's Theater as well as extras provided by the author such as writing ideas and posters.
Aaron Shepherd
Aaron Shepherd: The Legend of Slappy Hooper
Aaron Shepherd: The Legend of Slappy Hooper
S.E. Schlosser
American Folklore: Tall Tales
This site provides brief tall tales from many different states. The site also provides what they all have in common.
Other
Stories for Scouts: Tall Tales and Campfire Stories
Goofy stories and larger-than-life adventures populate this list of tall tales.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Spelling and Writing
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students proofread and correct mistakes in a writing piece, and then apply the writing process to create a tall tale story. Additionally, this lesson helps students understand the purposes and elements...
Other
Paul Bunyan: The Giant Lumberjack
This online version of the tall tale of Paul Bunyan features illustrations of this American folk hero.
Other
Learning Activities: Paul Bunyan and His Blue Ox
Several suggested activities for engaging small children in the American folk tale of Paul Bunyan. The lesson plan and story include discussion, an online jigsaw puzzle, and coloring pages.
Wisconsin Historical Society
[Archived Content]wisconsin Historical Society: Paul Bunyan
Many legends live on in Wisconsin (and elsewhere) about Paul Bunyan, a giant of a lumberjack and a folk hero. This article describes how the legends have survived and grown.