TALL TALES

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TALL TALES

• FIFTH GRADE WEL
• Mrs. June Weissman

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Tall Tale Genre

• one of four categories of folktales found in
  North America
• 1. variants of European folktales
• European Jack and the Bean Tree became
  Appalachian Jack and the Beanstalk
• 2. folktales of African-Americans
• 3. tales of Native American tribes
• 4. tall tales

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Tall Tale Characteristics

• reflect hardships endured by the settlers who
  faced the challenge of carving a nation from a
  wilderness
• heroes embody courage, brute force, and
  cleverness
• reflect values of thrift, hard work, and
  perseverance
• characters highlight a frontier idealism

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Heroes

• have a physical or personality
  trait that is exaggerated
• face hardships must overcome an obstacle to
  achieve resolution of the story
• must do something that has a huge effect on the
  people or environment s/he contacts
• are three-dimensional and humorous

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Tales

• rich in imagery--appeals to all the senses
• title grabs the reader
• fully described setting which is important to
  story
• contains a logical order, which includes a
  beginning, middle, climax, and ending
• enhanced by amusing and/or intriguing dialogue

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Mechanics

• perfect spelling
• perfect use of grammar
• sophisticated language, rich vocabulary
• compound sentences
• figurative language similes and metaphors
• correct format for quotations

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Appearance

• neat, crisp paper
• clever art work
• style relates to mood of story
• illustrations consistent with content
• neat handwriting or easy to read font

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Presentation

• animated storyteller
• frequent eye contact
• lots of expression
• words are clearly pronounced and audible
• makes story believable
• uses props and illustrations to add depth to
  presentation