Curated OER
Simile Stories
Fourth graders view song lyrics and identify similes in the song text. In this similes lesson, 4th graders define and identify similes on a worksheet. Students write their own similes using various adjectives.
Curated OER
Patricia Polacco, Author and Illustrator
Learners conduct Internet research about the studenT author and illustrator Patricia Polacco. They compose letters to Ms. Polacco and, after revising and editing their work, send them in the mail.
Curated OER
Sun, Sand, and Hippos
Students conduct research on varied aspects of hippopotamuses and in doing so, synthesize and evaluate a variety of information sources.They summarize content knowledge from varied resources and apply this knowledge by creating a mural...
Curated OER
Just Plain Fancy
Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Just Plain Fancy. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer questions,...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Comparing Key Ideas and Details in Fiction and Nonfiction
Learners recognize the differences between fiction and nonfiction texts. In this genre study lesson, students discuss what nonfiction means and write the definition. Learners listen to a read aloud and vote whether the text is fiction or...
Curated OER
Ivan the Fool
Pupils read a classic folk tale, Ivan the Fool, and complete shared reading activities. In this reading activities lesson, students complete a shared reading of the folk tale and write a summary for the story.
Curated OER
Tell Me a Whopper!
Sixth graders investigate tall tales as a literary genre. They listen to a number of tall tales to discover how exaggeration is used as a story element. They write and publish a tall tale using word processing software. They illustrate...
Curated OER
Can You Stretch the Truth?
Students study folk tales. They write a class folk tale and then one of their own using a famous character or known celebrity as their main character. They put on a class play of one of the student's folk tales.
Curated OER
Bunyan, Appleseed, and More
Ninth graders listen to a variety of tall tales and compose their own tall tale. In this tall tale lesson, 9th graders complete KWL chart about tall tales. Students discuss the elements of tall tales and then read example tales....
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
Legends and Myths: Trickster Tales
Middle schoolers work in groups to research the characteristics of various myths and legends. They read tales, illustrate them, record oral storytelling efforts and write an original folktale. Students then invite parents to a dramatic...
Curated OER
Four Folk Tales About HYO: The Confucian Tradition of Filial Piety
Learners explore the nuances of Confucianism. In this Korean society lesson, students complete jigsaw reading assignments on the Hyo. Learners compare their own reverence for parents to that described in the pieces about Korea.
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
Little Red Hen
First graders listen to the story "The Little Red Hen". They buddy read the story and then illustrate their own interpretation of the story on story paper. Students then use AlphaSmart to type their stories in sequential order.
Curated OER
A Tall Tale
Seven quick slides give your class the "facts" on Paul Bunyan. This tall tale was made up to entertain lumberjacks and many interesting points are detailed here. As you study various folk tales, show this presentation to portray one of...
Curated OER
Elements of the Oral Tradition
Various genres of oral tradition are outlined and defined in these slides. Give your class examples of folk tales, fairy tales, parables, fables, legends, and myths before reading an example of one of these stories. This overview acts as...
Activated Story Theatre
Orpheus- A Greek Myth: Reader's Theatre Script
Is this any way to treat a Greek Myth? By all means, turn the tale of Orpheus into a reader's theatre exercise.
Teach-nology
The Terrific Taxi
What would you wish for if you were granted one wish? Kids read a story about a taxi that bestows wishes upon its passengers in a short cloze activity. They use ten words at the bottom of the page to fill in the blanks throughout the...
Curated OER
Animal Act
Young scholars create original tales that use animals to portray human behavior.
Curated OER
Land of the Rising Sun
Students survey aspects of traditional and modern Japanese customs and beliefs in the seven lessons of this unit. Both the culture and the geography of the country are studied in this unit.
Curated OER
Storytelling with the Opaque Projector
Students create illustrations for a folktale that are shown with an opaque projector during the story reading. They are assigned a picture description and do not know how their picture fits into the story until all of the illustrations...
Curated OER
Porter's Pig Problem
In this tall tale worksheet, students read the tall tale, then make up their own ending for the story. The worksheet also provides students with a definition of a tall tale.
Curated OER
A Fish Story
Young scholars closely examine and analyze an American tall tale. They find the key features of a tall tale and compose a tall tale of their own. Student groups write, edit and present their tales to the class.
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.