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22 Writing Tall Tales

Page
104
from
Write on Track

Writing Tall Tales

Start-Up Activity

Read the opening page aloud to your class. Then ask the following questions to prompt their thinking about real people who could have tall tales written about them:

  • Who is your favorite president and why?

  • Who is your favorite sports star?

  • Who is your favorite singer?

  • What friend of yours can do something amazing?

Help students realize that the answers to any of these questions would make good people to write a tall tale about. The key is to make the person able to do the impossible.

Think About It

“Humor is the truth; wit is an exaggeration of the truth.”

—Stan Laurel

You are viewing: 22 Writing Tall Tales

21 Writing Time-Travel Fantasies
23 Writing Alphabet Books

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State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.A

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.B

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.C

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.D

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.5

Page 105 from Write on Track

Sample Tall Tale

Have volunteers read each paragraph in the sample tall tale. Afterward, discuss the side notes:

  • What foe or problem does the main character face?
  • Who is the main character? What makes him interesting?
  • What are some of the "wild actions" that happen in the tale?
  • How does the main character save the day?

Point out to your students that Davy Crockett was a real person, but obviously, this story is exaggerated so much it cannot be true. Tall tales need to have exaggeration.

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Page 106 from Write on Track

Writing a Tall Tale

Lead your students through the tips for creating a hero, choosing a worthy foe, and creating action against the foe. Remind students that the actions of the hero and the foe should be exaggerated until they can do impossible things.

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Page 107 from Write on Track

Writing, Revising, and Editing

Once students are ready to write their first drafts, lead them through the tips for hooking the reader, adding action, ending the story, and illustrating it. Then unleash your students' imaginations to create wild tall tales.

After they have completed their first drafts, review the revising and editing tips. Then have students work with partners to improve their tall tales.

When the tales are finished, arrange a "Campfire Story Session." Have students sit in a ring if possible and read their tall tales aloud to each other.

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