EVERYDAY HEROES INQUIRY
Exploring Tall Tales
DAY 1 ACTIVITY
15-20 Minutes
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Explore special traits of tall-tale characters
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Recognize and create exaggerations
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Pick a personal hero
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Paper or notebook
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Pencil, pen, or other writing tool
THIS WEEK
We’re thinking about
the question:
"How can we celebrate our everyday heroes?”
Your challenge this week is to create a “Tall-Tale Trading Card” that describes the special traits and talents of your personal hero.
Let's Get Started!
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Look at this postcard.
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Ask yourself:
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What’s going on here?
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What seems real?
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What seems fake?
People used to send postcards like the one above for fun! The pictures were not real, but they told a good story… like the story of a corncob so big that it took a cart to move it!
These were called tall-tale postcards.
Tall tales are stories where the people seem much bigger, stronger, or smarter than they really are. The stories are exaggerated.
tall tale:
a story about larger-than-life people and events
exaggerated:
made to seem bigger or greater than it is
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This picture shows a statue of a tall-tale character.
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What’s something you notice about it?
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How would you describe the person in it?
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The man in the statue is Paul Bunyan. He is a tall-tale character.
Paul Bunyan was a lumberjack. Lumberjacks cut down trees so that towns and farms could be created.
"Disney’s Paul Bunyan (1937)" video
Here is a short video that shares some tall tales about Paul Bunyan.
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When you watch the video, look and listen for things Paul Bunyan does that would be impossible for most people. See if you notice Paul doing these things:
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Clearing many trees with one swing of his axe
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Pushing stumps into the ground with his feet
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Moving the big blue ox by himself
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These impossible parts of the story are called exaggerations.
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Watch the video and see these exaggerations for yourself!
The story above made Paul Bunyan seem like a superhero!
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Being strong was an important trait for lumberjacks like Paul Bunyan who had to cut down big trees in the forest.
trait:
a quality that makes one person different from another
Your challenge this week: Create a “Tall-Tale Trading Card” that describes the special talents and traits of a real-life hero. Today, you're going to choose your hero!
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A trading card – like this one of Paul Bunyan – usually contains a picture of a person with some important facts about them.
People often collect or trade these cards with other people.
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The trading card you create will describe a real-life hero. This might be a person in your own family, your community, or anywhere in the world.
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Think about:
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Who are the heroes in your life?
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What makes them special? What trait or talent do you admire about them?
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Are they strong like Paul Bunyan?
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Do they have a skill or talent?
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Is there something else special about them, like kindness or courage?
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You're going to:
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Make a list of the heroes in your life (or use the "Everyday Heroes" handout if you like).
Write:
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Make a list of three people that you think are heroes in your life.
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Include an important trait or talent for each person.
Talk:
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Choose one of the heroes from your list.
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Practice talking about your hero in an exaggerated way.
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Need help? Look at the example below. Notice how each sentence about Paul Bunyan is a bigger exaggeration! Can you do the same with your hero?
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1st try: Paul Bunyan is so strong he can cut down a forest by himself.
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2nd try: Paul Bunyan is so strong he can clear a forest with one swing of his axe.
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3rd try: Paul Bunyan is so strong he can clear a whole forest with one swing of his axe, or sometimes with just a sneeze!
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