Read it, Write it, Tell it Head 11
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Cy Gatton

Storytelling Lesson

Storytelling Extensions
Extensions

Storytelling PDF Downloads

Is This Story a Tall Tale?

Complete Storytelling Unit		  

 

8 Storytelling
Episode: Cy Gatton

Lesson Overview

The purpose of the lessons in this unit is to help Ohio students in grades 3-7 see the interrelationships of all of the Literary Text benchmarks explored in Read It, Write It, Tell It units 1-7. The lessons revolve around the fiction genre tall tales and storytelling. The lessons are divided into two sections: Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-7.

Ohio Academic Content Indicators

English Language Arts: Reading: Literary Text: Character Development, Setting, Plot, Point of View, Theme, Genre, Mood, and Figurative Language: Grades 3-4.

Cy Gatton
Episode Overview

This episode highlights Cy Gatton, a storyteller and folk hero from Richland County, Ohio. The tall tale portion of the episode tells of Cy’s rivalry with Rusty McNabb in the Apple Cider Race. Rusty sabotages Cy’s wagon and drives away his horses. Cy needs an alternative way to carry the eleven cider barrels he must transport for the race. He mixes magical Richland County soil with rabbit food to produce gigantic rabbits.

Access this episode's Before Viewing and After Viewing discussion guides by downloading the complete unit guide.

Storytelling Lesson

Materials:

  • A tall tale familiar to your students. Click here for ideas and suggestions.
  • Student Handout “Is the Story a Tall Tale?”

Procedure:

  • Review the elements of a tall tale. Create and display a list of the elements.
  • View, read, recite, or review a tall tale with which the students are familiar. Each of the Read It, Write It, Tell It episodes is a tall tale. The following websites are sources of tall tales:
    • Wikipeida’s Folklore of the United States: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Folklore  
    • Tall Tales American Folklore:
      •  http://www.americanfolklore.net/tt.html
      • Retellings of American folktales and legends, Native American myths, weather folklore, ghost stories and more from each of the 50 United States of America. Check out characters such as Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, Pecos Bill, Johnny Appleseed and Ethan Allen as we explore American folktales from every region.
  • Have the students complete the handout “Is the Story a Tall Tale?” and discuss the evidence of tall tale elements in the selected story.
  • As a group, brainstorm elements for a tall tale the students will create and tell.
  • Allow students time to create the tall tale individually or in groups.
  • Have the students tell their tales to the class. The sample rubric at the end of this lesson may be used to evaluate the tale.