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  • Grades 3-5
  • Visual Arts
  • Fiction & Creative Writing
  • Myths, Legends, & Folktales

Cryptozoology & Tall Tales
How is folklore an expression of culture and traditions?

In this 3-5 lesson, students will write tall tales about cryptids from folkloric records. Students will explore the structure and history of tall tales. They will become cryptozoologists to research a tall tale about a North American cryptid and perform an interactive story, monologue, or news report.

 

Lesson Content

Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

  • Make text-to-self connections. 
  • Apply reading comprehension strategies.
  • Analyze the story elements of a tall tale.
  • Analyze the similarities and differences between folkloric characters and creatures.
  • Write an informative text, explaining, persuading, or entertaining an audience.
  • Identify meanings of terms unique to literary language.
  • Present a report to the class in the form of a dramatic interactive story, monologue, or news report.
  • Respond to literature through writing and discussion.

 

Standards Alignment

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Websites

Books

  • Tall Tales (Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, The Gum-Chewing Rattler, Miss Sally Ann and the Panther)
  • Cryptids (Bear Lake Monster, Bigfoot/Sasquatch, Chessie, Chupacabra, Kraken, Tahoe Tessie, Honey Island Swamp Monster, Mothman)

 

Teacher Background

Teachers should be familiar with American tall tales, cryptozoology, cryptids, and how to write an interactive story, monologue, or news report. Teachers should be cognizant that tall tales are an exaggerated and fictional representation of the American West settlement and experience of indigenous peoples. It is important to review a print or digital text prior to introducing a tall tale to your students. Like many classic American books, tall tale versions can contain problematic content such as implicit bias, racism, stereotyping, and a limited point of view. 

 

Student Prerequisites 

Students should be familiar with different types of stories, such as tall tales, folktales, and fairy tales. 

 

Accessibility Notes

Adapt student handouts as needed and allow extra time for task completion. Digital, print, and audio versions of the recommended books might be available. 

  • Adaptation

    Rebecca Haden

  • Editor

    JoDee Scissors

  • Updated

    November 5, 2021

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Content Specialist, Digital Learning

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