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Tell A TALL Tale | |
(Grades 4 - 7)
Overview
Here is an opportunity for students to use their enormous imaginations coupled with the latest technology to tell a tall tale of their choosing. From Paul Bunyon and Calamity Jane to Johnny Appleseed and Pecos Bill, there are many stories available. Once students have completed a number of activities designed to familiarize them with the elements of a tall tale, they will author and produce a newscast (recorded with a digital video camera) to be shared with the class, their parents or even the entire school! This unit involves writing that encourages students to embrace a point of view and support it. It encorporates art, geography, historical Americana, all in an engaging way! For each story the children read, they complete a Tall Tale Sheet in which they summarize that story, critique it and select an outstanding example of exaggeration, as well as a simile they think is particularly engaging. They also keep a United States map up-to-date, creating a key symbol for each of the stories they read.The culminating activity has the students take on the personae of a newscaster bringing their own individual perspectives to the story as they “tell it like it is” in a simulated television studio format! Kids will dive into authoring and producing a newscast, which could include headlines such as; "Pecos Bill Lassoes a Tornado", "Annie Christmas Saves A Boat and Its Passengers in New Orleans"; "Bess Call Wins Wrestling Match", "Stormalong Fights the Squid"; A Blue Snow Falls in Minnesota" or "Sweet Betsey Hits a Drought on the Oregon Trail".