Teacher Resouce Guide

1
Teacher Resource Guide
and Lesson Plan Activities
Teacher resource guide written by Mera Kathryn Corlett
Lesson plan activities created by Mera Cossey Corlett
This resource guide includes information about the show and
ideas for follow-up lessons to use in your classrooms. The
activities were designed for 2nd-5th grade classes; however,
feel free to adapt them as needed.
Illustrations by Stephanie Gobby, www.stephaniegobby.com
StoryTime Theatre was developed by Blue Apple’s
Education Department in 2012 as a way of introducing
students to story genre. In the spirit of the Blue Apple
founders, the Outreach Department creates a new,
original play each year featuring a different genre of
story and the culture from which it originated. A
folktale from Appalachia was performed in 2012;
2013 focused on myths from four Native American
tribes; 2014 examined legends of Daniel Boone. Last
year, the team used the fairytale of Rumpelstiltskin to
explore the German culture where the Brothers
Grimm collected the story.
This year, we are tackling tall tales from the American frontier. Please let us know of any projects
inspired by this module at P.O. Box 4261, Louisville,
KY 40204 or [email protected]. We delight
in hearing about all class adventures!
Watch for this symbol throughout the resource
guide for activities that help meet Common Core
and other standards in your classroom.
This year’s Story Time Theatre focuses on the genre of
tall tales and two particular folk heroes; Paul Bunyan and
Annie Christmas. Tall tales are a uniquely American
story genre. Unlike other story genres, tall tales’ main goal
is to entertain. In her book American Tall Tales, Mary
Pope Osborne wrote, “The heroes and heroines of the
tales were like the land itself - gigantic, extravagant,
restless, and flamboyant.” By using exaggerations in their
storytelling, new settlers could laugh at the fierce land
they were learning to survive in.
The name Paul Bunyan has almost become synonymous
with the tall tale genre, but the story of Annie Christmas
might be new to many. She is not a tall tale commonly
told in this region. Her stories originate from New
Orleans and towns along the Mississippi River. While we
know that the stories about Paul Bunyan were complete
fiction, it is believed that Annie Christmas is based on a
real woman who worked on the docks.
We encourage you and your class to look into other
stories about Paul Bunyan and Annie Christmas!
We hope you have enjoyed this year’s performance of StoryTime Theatre: Skyhigh Tales. We request that
you take a few moments to fill out a short survey to help us understand how we can continue to meet your
classroom needs. Visit the link below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5W939R5
2
Annie Smith began her work with Blue Apple Players in 2000 as a cast member of touring musicals. Throughout her 15 plus years with the company, she has performed lead roles in more
than ten musicals, including the 2015 tour of Johnny Appleseed. Annie is also a teaching artist
for Outreach Programs. She has brought her prior administrative and marketing experience
from Dinsmore & Shohl Attorneys and top hotels in the area to lead special events, marketing,
and other administrative areas for Blue Apple. Annie is married to Corey Smith, a sound
technician she met through Blue Apple more than 12 years ago.
Tony Pike is an actor based out of Louisville, KY. Working on his third Blue Apple tour,
Tony is a former student of Western Kentucky University's Theatre. He is a company
member of Savage Rose Classical Theatre in Louisville where he has been seen as Petruchio
in Taming of the Shrew, Mr. Martini in the Bald Soprano and Ferdinand in Shakespeare’s
The Tempest. He has also been seen at the Cannes International Film festival, Short Film
Corner staring in the Rivera/Sennet production of “Writing the Big One”.
Felisha Lovett is a typical college graduate, still seeking to find herself. After graduating, she
moved back to her hometown, Louisville, Kentucky, to volunteer at her middle school alma
mater, starting her own extra-curricular course in creative writing, aiding preteens in how to
express themselves through the written word. Currently, her efforts are in presenting her film
work to the world through festivals, but in the meantime, she works part time at Hennes &
Mauritz. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her mother and father, reading, and
playing videogames. She feels honored to have been asked to return to the stage for this
Walden Theatre/Blue Apple Players’ show.
April Singer, a Louisville native, is a 2005 graduate of Hanover College, where she double
majored in Theatre and Sociology. She has performed locally with many companies including
The Bards Town Theatre, Looking for Lilith, The Alley Theatre and Theatre 502. She
previously toured with Kentucky Shakespeare’s Education Department, performing in and
around the Commonwealth. She also stars in the locally produced web series, Bagged and
Bored. April is thrilled to be doing her first show with Walden Theatre/ Blue Apple Players.
Mera Kathryn Corlett—Playwright/Director
Mera Kathryn began her work at Blue Players as a member of the touring company in
2011. Currently, she serves as an Artistic Associate where her focus has primarily been on
early childhood and elementary programming. This is the third script she has created for
the coming; previous plays were Rumpelstiltskin and On the Trail of Daniel Boon. Mera
Kathryn has played an active role in Blue Apple’s touring musical productions, drama
residencies, and professional development for teachers. Prior to Blue Apple, she worked
for Kentucky Shakespeare as a touring actor, workshop facilitator, and lead teacher for
Camp Shakespeare. Upon graduating Cum Laude from Hanover College with degrees in
theatre and theology, she received the Henry C. Long Citation for Scholarship and General
Excellence, the most distinguished award a female graduate can receive.
3
A tall tale is a story with roots in the oral storytelling tradition that focuses on a main character who must
solve a problem and uses humorous exaggerations.
Have students listen to or read other tall tales. Suggestions are Pecos Bill, Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, John Henry,
Sal Fink. You may even want to incorporate folktales from other cultures that include tall tale characteristics such as Big Joe
Mufferaw (Canada), Baron Munchausen (Germany), Finn MacCool and his wife Oonagh (Ireland), and Doña Flor (Latin
American).
Tell your students, “Now it is time for you to create your own tall tale.” Let them know that they are welcome to use the
beginning of Lana T. Luper’s story (text below and on page 7) or they can choose to invent a new tall tale hero.
Remind students to include the following four elements in tall tales as they write or draw their stories.
The main character has a
regular job, but is largerthan-life or super-human in
his or her abilities.
The character has a
problem or problems that
he or she solves in a funny
way.
Details in the story are
The characters use
exaggerated beyond belief. everyday language and are
This is called hyperbole.
like common people in
behavior.
Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy:
RL.2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain through
key details in the text; RL9: Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (eg. mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes.
Lana T. Luper describing when she built a 500 pound hot fudge sundae:
”It was early November. Colder than sweater weather, too warm
for a parka. Super scoopin’ time, for sure!”
?
There are often wild and wondrous occurrences going along with the
birth and beginnings of tall tale heroes. Paul Bunyan was supposedly delivered to his parents by five giant storks; his cry was so loud, it scared all the
fish out of the water. John Henry as an infant reached for a steel hammer
instead of a baby rattle. When he was a newborn, Pecos Bill wrestled with
bear cubs. Slue Foot Sue showed up riding on the back of a giant catfish!
Ask students, “Are there any special stories you have heard about your
birth? Often families pass down stories like that. When babies are born,
their weight, length and exact time of arrival. Tall tale characters grow and
change dramatically. Have you ever thought about how much you have
grown? This exercise in measuring and math will give you a chance to
figure it out.”
First, your students will need the information about how long each was
at birth. It may be recorded on a document or a family member may
remember. If the information is not available, help students make their best
guesses. (The average for a full-term newborn is 20 inches.)Next, have
students find out their present heights by using a yard stick or measuring
tape. Then, show them they will just need to do simple math by subtracting
their original length from their present height. Feel free to come up with
more complex math questions having to do with measurement for more
advanced students.
For the final step, have students create an equation to exaggerate there
actual height to one a size like Paul Bunyan’s.
Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practices:
MD.A.1: Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such
as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes; MD.A.4: Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in
terms of a standard length unit.
Recall: Gather Facts
What was Mrs. Agnes Actual against
being told in schools?
Interpret: Find Meaning
Why did she feel that way?
Analyze: Take Things Apart
What hyperboles appear in the stories that Ms. Actual would consider
“not the truth”?
Synthesize: Bring Things Together
What are the main goal of these hyperboles?
Evaluate: Make Judgments
Why are tall tales important? Should
Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy:
W 2 Write informative/explanatory texts to
examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly; W 8: Recall information from experience or
gather information from print and digital sources;
take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into
provided categories; SL4: Describe people, places,
things, and events with relevant details, expressing
ideas and feelings clearly.
4
In order to keep listeners entranced and to
make stories more interesting, good storytellers find various ways of describing characters
and happenings in the stories. It is for this
reason that idioms are often found in tall
tales.
Tall tales are filled with devices known as
idioms. Idioms are common phrases or
terms whose meaning are not literal, but they
can be understood by their popular use.
Some idioms have been passed down from
generation to generation. Sometimes the
meanings of idioms are obvious because they
are familiar, sometimes they just make sense
and sometimes they confuse. Idioms are not
only present in English, they are found in
most languages and cultures. In fact, when
learning a new language, idioms are typically
the most perplexing to non-speakers.
Use the hand-out sheet provided on pages 5
and have your students see how many idioms
they can match. Next, using page 6, have you
students list as many idioms as they can think
of. They may want to return to this page as a
resource when they are developing their new
tall tale.
Common Core Standards for English Language
Arts and Literacy:
L5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative
language, word relationships, and nuances in
word meanings; L5.b: Recognize and explain the
meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
In recent years, researchers in the field of education are noting the
importance of leisure education in curriculum. Leisure education
includes physical education, recreation and teaching students the importance of developing healthy and well rounded hobbies. In Skyhigh Tales,
the importance of leisure activities is accentuated by contests held in Paul
Bunyan’s camp, a short vacation for Annie Christmas and the enjoyment
brought in storytelling. This section focuses on the importance of
students’ developing healthy leisure activities and the benefits of healthy
choices.
In the play, Skyhigh Tales, Annie Christmas says, “I’ll be! I don’t
remember when I last had me a good old time. I think I better put on the
dog because this spring chicken needs a night out. ” She is referring to
taking time off from her hard work in order to relax and enjoy her self.
“Leisure time” is defined as the time one has when he or she is not
working, at school or attending to chores. Simply put, it is your free time.
Finding fun and healthy ways to spend your free time is important.
Mention to students that Paul Bunyan, Hattie and the men in the logging
camps enjoyed contests—especially log splitting contests. Annie Christmas
enjoyed dancing, playing cards and arm-wrestling. Ask your class what
things they enjoy doing in their free time? Provide time for discussion for
a group activity.
A “Fun Things To Do” chart can be found on page 8. Have your
students use it as a checklist for creative and healthy activities. There are
empty categories for specifics. The chart can serve as a checklist or
students can time activities, writing in how much time was spent doing
them. The checklist can be sent home and returned. Discussion can be
held about leisure activities. Be certain to discuss how much time is
spent on activities such as watching t.v. and playing video games, noting
that these are fun activities for now and then, but they ought not take
the place of more active and creative activities.
Practical Living: Physical Wellness:
Enduring Knowledge: Students will understand that: physical activity provides opportunities for social interaction, challenges, and fun; participation in regular physical activity has physical, mental, and social benefits; regular participation in healthrelated, physical activity supports the goals of fitness and a healthier lifestyle throughout
life.
-
Storms are powerful, mysterious and impossible for
humans to manage. Problems with the weather often
appear in Tall tales. Characters wrangle cyclones with a
lasso, battle flood waters, and create rain to end a
drought.
Fill the two-liter bottle ¾ of the way to the top with
water. Then, add about ½ cup of vegetable oil. Next, add
five drops of blue food coloring. Screw the lid on tightly
so it is very secure. Then, reinforce the lid with packing
tape.
Have your students read or listen to Pecos Bill Rides a
Tornado (page 9), Drought Buster (page 10), or Annie
Christmas Stems the Tide (page 11 & 12). Lead the class
in a discussion why the hyperbole in these stories would
be entertaining to a storyteller’s audience.
To make a storm in the bottle, simply shake the bottle.
Twirl the bottle around in a circle to create a tornado or
cyclone effect. Create storm waves by turning the bottle
on its side and invert it back and forth.
After the discussion, explain that the class is going to
participate in a scientific investigation. They will be creating a storm in a bottle. For this project, you need:





a two-liter soda bottle (without a label)
water
vegetable oil
blue food coloring,
clear packing tape.
(If there are enough supplies, smaller “storms” can be
made by using 1 liter bottles or single serve bottles and
adjusting the ingredients so every student may have his/
her own.)
Next Generation Science Standards:
2-ESS2-1: Compare solutions designed to slow or prevent
wind from changing the shape of the land; 2-ESS2-2:
Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of
land and bodies of water in an area.
5
Idiom Match-Up
An idiom is a form of expression that is particular to a
certain person or a group of people. These days we use
idiom for a specialized vocabulary or an expression that
isn’t obvious, like “piece of cake” which means an easy
Definition from vocabulary.com
task.
Can you match these popular idioms to their actual meanings?
“A tough cookie”
“Hold your horses”
Very angry
Teasing /deceiving someone
“I am all ears”
A strong-willed person
“Quick as lightning”
Does not move quickly
“Older than dirt”
“Madder than a wet hen”
“Ants in your pants”
“A humdinger”
“Go fly a kite”
“Slow as molasses”
“Pulling your leg”
Slow down/Be patient
Leave me alone
Very fast
Been around for a long time
Fidgeting, moving around
Wonderful, marvelous thing
Listening closely
6
My Idioms
What idioms do you use? Make a list of idioms you have heard
or used. Use them in your next storytelling and writing project.
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Story Prompt
Lana T. Luper describing when she built a 500 pound hot fudge sundae:
”It was early November. Colder than sweater weather,
too warm for a parka. Super scoopin’ time, for sure!”
Use the boxes below to write or draw the beginning , middle and end of this Tall Tale.
Beginning
Middle
End
7
8
Activities
Read a book
Pretend
Play outside
Create a
craft project
Invent a game
Read to/with
someone
Listen to music
Make-up a play
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
9
Pecos Bill Rides a Tornado
A Kansas Tall Tale
Retold by S.E. Schlosser
N
Found on americanfolklore.net
ow everyone in the West knows that Pecos Bill could ride
anything. No bronco could throw him, no sir! Fact is, I only
heard of Bill getting' throwed once in his whole career as a
cowboy. Yep, it was that time he was up Kansas way and decided to ride
him a tornado.
Now Bill wasn't gonna ride jest* any tornado, no ma'am. He waited
for the biggest gol-durned tornado you ever saw. It was turning the sky
black and green, and roaring so loud it woke up the farmers away over
in China. Well, Bill jest grabbed that there tornado, pushed it to the
ground and jumped on its back. The tornado whipped and whirled and
sidewinded and generally cussed its bad luck all the way down to Texas.
Tied the rivers into knots, flattened all the forests so bad they had to
rename one place the Staked Plains. But Bill jest rode along all
calm-like, give it an occasional jab with his spurs.
Finally, that tornado decided it wasn't getting this cowboy off its back
no-how. So it headed west to California and jest rained itself out. Made
so much water it washed out the Grand Canyon. That tornado was down
to practically nothing when Bill finally fell off. He hit the ground so
hard it sank below sea level. Folks call the spot Death Valley.
Anyway, that's how rodeo got started. Though most cowboys stick to
broncos these days.
THE END
*This story is written in the vernacular—the way words are pronounced—and spells some words differently. Rather than spelling “just”
correctly, the author has spelled it the way a storyteller would say it.
10
Drought Buster
A Nebraska Tall Tale
Retold by S.E. Schlosser
B
Found on americanfolklore.net
ack in the early days, the Plains folk were often in need of a
good drought buster during the hot summer months. The sun
would shine and shine, and the clouds would scuttle right quick over the
Plains without dropping rain. One year, it got so bad that Febold Feboldson, that legendary Swede who could bust the driest drought in a
day, got annoyed. He liked his fishin', right enough, and there was no
fishin' to be had in that drought. So he sat down and thought up a way to
bust that there drought.
Febold Feboldson decided to build huge bonfires around all the lakes
in the region. If he kept the fires real hot, the lake water would evaporate
and form clouds. Febold set to work at once hauling wood and building
bonfires. Soon, there were so many clouds in the sky on account of all
the vaporizing water that they bumped into one another and made rain.
Once the pump was primed, so to speak, the rains came regularly
again. But were the settlers happy? No sir. Now they had no place to
swim!
THE END
11
Annie Christmas Stems the Tide
Excerpt from Speaking Out: Storytelling and Creative Drama for Children
I
*Used with special permission from author Jack Zipes*
t was a rainy spring, and Annie Christmas was all alone way up
near Minnesota. Her children had all gone and married themselves
off, and she was returning to New Orleans on her keelboat with clothes
and food for some customers in New Orleans. But she was having a
difficult time of it because it was raining cats and dogs up north, and
the river was rising and acting up. Everyone up there in Minnesota told
her to dock her boat because the rain would not let up and the river
would become ferocious.
"In seven days time it will rise up like a tidal wave and rush down south
and flood all the towns in Louisiana!"
"It will wipe New Orleans off the face of the map!"
When Annie Christmas heard that her favorite city was threatened, she
cried out, "It's my river and my city, and I take responsibility for this
here river! I'll ride her down south and stop her shenanigans!"
"You can't do that," the people cried.
"You wait and see," she replied.
So Annie Christmas jumped on top of her keelboat, and she rode that
bucking river as though it were a wild horse that needed taming. The
Mississippi flung her here and there and everywhere. She almost
drowned a hundred times and was knocked off her keelboat five
hundred times. But Annie Christmas was a fighter and a survivor, and
she finally made it to New Orleans, three days before the floods were
going to arrive.
New Orleans was quiet and peaceful, and nobody knew the floods were
coming.
"Get up!" she shouted. "If you don't start packing bags of sand along
the shores, you won't have a city anymore!"
Scared and frightened, the people of New Orleans jumped out of their
beds and began packing the banks of the Mississippi with bags of sand.
In the meantime, Annie Christmas called out to her sons and daughters
12
Annie Christmas Stems the Tide (Cont.)
Excerpt from Speaking Out: Storytelling and Creative Drama for Children
*Used with special permission from author Jack Zipes*
and said to them, "You've been lazy long enough. Now come with me.
We're going to build a damn and redirect this wild river toward Texas."
"Why Texas?" one of her sons asked.
"That's just one big desert, son," she answered. "And they could use
some water. Besides they got too many gamblers and crooks there, and
maybe the water will wipe them away."
Well, you wouldn't have believed your eyes even if you had been there.
Annie Christmas took her six huge daughters and six huge sons, and
they went a hundred miles north of New Orleans, and within two days
they built a gigantic dam covering the Mississippi. Then Annie
Christmas showed them how to dig a riverbed heading toward Texas,
and they took their shovels and pikes, and within a day there was a sort
of canal leading off to Texas.
Just as they finished, they could hear the water rumbling, grumbling,
thundering, plundering, roaring, and soaring.
"Here she comes!" Annie Christmas yelled, and just as the first tidal
wave hit the dam and bounced off the walls, she jumped on top of it and
began wrestling it to the ground. The water ran all over her, but she
bounced up and grabbed hold of the tip of the wave and held it in a
headlock, forcing the water to enter the riverbed and the canal toward
Texas. Up and under she went, but Annie Christmas managed to drag
the water away from the walls of the dam toward Texas. She waged a
huge battle and almost drowned a thousand times, but she always came
back up riding the water until it was clear that the Mississippi would
not flood New Orleans.
Annie Christmas disappeared at the end of the day, but her body was
never found. Some say she drowned. Some say she became part of the
Mississippi, and that's why it's never threatened New Orleans again.
Her six daughters and six sons refused to hold a funeral for her.
"She's still alive in our hearts," they declared. And all the people of
New Orleans gave their blessing, and to this day they believe that Annie
Christmas is still alive.
13
Special thanks to:
Mera Cossey Corlett & Kevin Corlett, Paul Lenzi & Geraldine Anne
Snyder, Communities in Schools of Clark County, The Shubert
Foundation and countless others who donated plaid clothing to the
crowd-sourced backdrop project!
Blair, Eric, and Micah Chambers-Goldberg. Paul Bunyan: A Retelling of the Classic Tall Tale. Minneapolis, MN: Pic-
ture Window, 2005. Print.
McCormick, Dell J. "The Winter of the Blue Snow." Paul Bunyan Swings His Axe. Caldwell, Id.: Caxton Printers, 1936.
N. pag. Print.
Osborne, Mary Pope., and Michael McCurdy. "Paul Bunyan." American Tall Tales. New York: Knopf, 1991. N. pag.
Print.
Schomp, Virginia. Paul Bunyan and His Big Blue Ox. New York, NY: Cavendish Square, 2014. Print.
Untermeyer, Louis, and Everett Gee Jackson. "Paul's Courtship." The Wonderful Adventures of Paul Bunyan. New
York: Heritage, 1945. N. pag. Print.
York, M. J. Paul Bunyan. Mankato, MN: Child's World, 2013. Print.
Cohn, Amy L., and Molly Bang. "Strong as Annie Christmas” and “Paul Bunyan, the Mightiest Logger of Them All."
From Sea to Shining Sea: A Treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs. New York: Scholastic, 1993. N. pag.
Print.
Annie and the Storm, Partner Read-Alouds: Tall Tales. Key Education. Web. <http://
carsondellosa.secure.miisolutions.net/media/cd/pdfs/Activities/Practice/Annie%20and%20the%20Storm-Early%
20Learning-P-K.pdf>.
Asbury, Herbert. "Down the River to Dixie." The French Quarter; an Informal History of the New Orleans Underworld.
New York: A.A. Knopf, 1936. N. pag. Web.
Franco, Betsy. "Annie Christmas." Tall Tale Math (2013): n. pag. Scholastic Teaching Resources. Web. <https://
esvcs.scholastic.com/images/products/collateral_resources/pdf/34/0545333334_e002.pdf>.
Hamilton, Virginia, Leo Dillon, and Diane Dillon. "Annie Christmas." Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy
Tales, and True Tales. New York: Blue Sky, 1995. N. pag. Print. *
McCullough, L. E. "Annie Christmas and the Natchez Trace Bandits." Plays of America from American Folklore for
Children. Lyme, NH: Smith and Kraus, 1996. N. pag. Print.
Saxon, Lyle, Edward Dreyer, and Robert Tallant. "Riverfront Lore." Gumbo Ya-ya. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1945. N.
pag. Print. *
Zipes, Jack. "Spreading Tales, Opening Minds - Sample Sessions."Speaking Out: Storytelling and Creative Drama for
Children. New York: Routledge, 2004. N. pag. Web
*Contains some mature content*
Please participate in our StoryTime Theatre survey. Visit:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5W939R5