Writing a Tall Tale

Contributor: Melissa LaRusso. Lesson ID: 10392

In this lesson you will explore familiar tall tales and create one of your own with the use of graphic organizers.

categories

Writing

subject
English / Language Arts
learning style
Auditory, Visual
personality style
Otter
Grade Level
Intermediate (3-5)
Lesson Type
Quick Query

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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Last weekend, I had a soccer game that lasted for ten hours.

We played a team with a real-life giant as a goalie. He must have been 7 feet tall. It was impossible to score a goal against him.

My team worked magic to defeat her. We flew through the air and scored the winning goal.

giant goalie stopping a ball from scoring

  • Have you ever told a story filled with exaggerations?
  • Did you exaggerate your story to capture the listener's attention and get a reaction from them?

What Is a Tall Tale?

A tall tale is an exaggerated story about people, places, and unusual things. Tall tales are filled with exaggeration.

They are mostly based on legends about real people like Daniel Boone, Annie Oakley, and Paul Bunyan.

As you listen to this read-aloud about the legend of Paul Bunyan, pay attention to how the stories about Paul become increasingly exaggerated as time progresses.

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  • Which exaggerations stand out the most? 
  • What do you think about his size as a baby and the size of his bottle?
  • Do you think that Babe, the blue ox, is an exaggeration?

Continue to the greatest Got It? section of all time!

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