Story by Linda B. Ross Illustrations by Joanne Renaud - Zaner

Story by Linda B. Ross
Illustrations by Joanne Renaud
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Practice Words
backbreaking
meant
spread
strength
energy
victory
Virginia
plantation
powerful
wiry
boasted
obstacle
exaggerated
extraordinary
exclaimed
extend
intense
foreman
fortune
awe
steel-drivers
driving
driven
Civil War
blows
blew
swung
tunneled
crowd
f ield
heart
country
machine
guarantee
worth
doubled
The Tale of John Henry
Story by Linda B. Ross
Illustrations by Joanne Renaud
ISBN: 978-0-7367-7393-5
Copyright © Zaner-Bloser, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Zaner-Bloser, Inc., P.O. Box 16764, Columbus, Ohio 43216-6764, 1-800-421-3018
www.zaner-bloser.com
Printed in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11
25160
5 4 3 2 1
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The Tale of John Henry
A tall tale is a story with characters or events
that are greatly exaggerated.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: An Extraordinary Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2: A Steel-Driving Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 3: Big Bend Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 4: Man Against Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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Chapter 1: An Extraordinary Boy
John Henry’s story began in Virginia, about
20 years before the Civil War. His parents were
slaves on a plantation. So when John Henry was
born, he was a slave, too.
When he was born, thunder rumbled.
Lightning lit up the night. It was as if the sky
were announcing his birth. John’s parents knew
right away their son was extraordinary. For one
thing, he was twice as big as any newborn
baby they’d ever seen. For another, he was more
handsome than any baby had a right to be.
2
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As John Henry grew up, he worked in the fields
beside his parents. The young boy worked from
dawn until dusk. He had twice the strength of a
grown man—and three times the energy. John Henry
grew like an oak tree. By the time he was 10, he
was a head taller than his father.
“You will be a mighty man,” said his father
with pride.
“You will also be a good man,” said his mother
with a smile.
And they were both right.
3
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When the Civil War ended, enslaved people
were set free. By this time, John Henry had
grown into a powerful young man. He was
known as the strongest worker on the plantation.
John could easily carry 100 pounds of crops in
each arm! Now that he was free, he could seek
his own fortune.
So John Henry kissed his parents goodbye.
Then he set off to find where in the wide world
he belonged.
4
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Chapter 2: A Steel-Driving Man
John Henry walked for miles and miles. He
stopped when he saw a group of men working
with hammers. They were steel-drivers, laying
down railroad tracks. John Henry watched as
the men hammered steel spikes into the tracks.
Suddenly, his heart beat faster. “This is what I
was meant to do!” he said aloud.
So John walked over to the foreman and
asked him for a job. The foreman looked John
Henry up and down. “You ever drive any steel
before?” he asked.
5
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[Art spec: Across spread. John Henry is swinging
strike a spike on a railroad track. We can see the
arms. A thin, wiry man is holding the spike in pl
Asian, or Native American. A Caucasian forema
ing on. In the background, other railroad worke
watch John Henry. They are men of mixed ethni
Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and Caucasi
“I’ve never done steel-driving work before,”
said John Henry. “But I’m big, and I’m strong. I
guarantee that you won’t be sorry if you hire me.”
The foreman handed John a hammer. “Show
me what you can do,” he said.
A thin, wiry man named Little Willie held a
spike for John Henry. John Henry looked intently
at the spike. And with one powerful swing, he
brought that hammer down.
6
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Henry is swinging back a large hammer to
k. We can see the muscles rippling in his large
ng the spike in place. He could be Hispanic,
Caucasian foreman is standing nearby, lookr railroad workers have stopped working to
n of mixed ethnicities—African American,
nic, and Caucasian.]
CLANG! Sparks flew as the hammer landed
directly on the head of the spike. John Henry swung
a second time and then a third. That’s all it took—
three blows—and the spike was set.
The foreman looked at John with awe. He’d
never seen a spike driven so quickly. Usually,
it took two or three men and more than a dozen
hammer strikes.
“You’re hired, young man!” the foreman
exclaimed, and he clapped John Henry on the back.
7
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And that’s how John Henry became a steeldriver for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. From
that day on, Little Willie worked alongside him.
Every steel-driver had a partner, called a “turner.”
The turner placed the spike and turned it each time
it was hit. That was Little Willie’s job. John Henry
and Little Willie made a great team. No team could
match them, although many tried.
There wasn’t a man alive that could match
John’s speed and power. He hammered for 12 hours
without stopping and never missed a stroke. After a
while, John began using two hammers. Each hammer
weighed 14 pounds. Then he worked even faster than
before. Soon word spread near and far—John Henry
was the best steel-driver in the country!
8
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11.
Why did?
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12.
How did?
6.
How was?
Page number:
1.
Stem #
Q-Matrix Question: Day 2
3. How did a turner help a steel-driver?
2. What were the steel-drivers building?
1. Why was John Henry able to leave the plantation to seek his fortune?
Q-Matrix Questions: Day 1
9.
10.
Which did? Who did?
7.
What did?
8.
Where/
When did?
5.
Why was?
1.
2.
3.
4.
What were? Where/
Which was? Who was?
When was?
Q-Matrix
True Tale
The
Stories
of John
About
Henry
Whales
Practice Page 1
See Teacher Guide pp.
p. XX68, 69, 70, 71
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True Tale
The
Stories
of John
About
Henry
Whales
Practice Page 2
See Teacher Guide p. 69
XX
nation
noun
energy
location
announce
strategy
plantation
announcing
partner
dedication
fields
turner
imagination
chief
eight
length
piece
weighed
strength
Willie
neighborhood
drive
sudden
rumble
drivers
suddenly
rumbles
driving
usual
rumbled
driven
usually
exaggerate
mean
easy
exaggerated
meant
easily
slave
intent
wire
enslave
intently
wiry
enslaved
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True Tale
The
Stories
of John
About
Henry
Whales
Practice Page 3
See Teacher Guide p. 71
XX
eat
bread
steak
The machine was ahead.
The steam drill roared and hissed!
Word spread near and far.
They chose John Henry to lead the project.
I like to use a lead pencil.
Carving out the tunnel was backbreaking.
John Henry said he was meant to be a steel-driver.
John Henry was a steel-driver for the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad.
The foreman measured the tunnels.
John Henry and Little Willie made a great team.
cow
snow
John Henry had twice the strength of a grown man.
A crowd gathered on Big Bend Mountain.
John and his fellow workers made good progress.
The owners of the C & O Railroad made a decision.
John Henry was a powerful man.
He was known as the strongest worker on the plantation.
Three blows and the spike was set.
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9
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Chapter 3: Big Bend Mountain
That summer, the owners of the C & O
Railroad made a decision. They would extend
the railroad through the Allegheny Mountains.
They chose John Henry to lead the project.
At first, John and his fellow workers made
good progress. But after months of work, they
came face to face with a big obstacle. The
obstacle was Big Bend Mountain, and it stood
right in the railroad’s path. The railroad would
have to go around the mountain or through it.
The railroad bosses decided to go through it.
10
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Big Bend Mountain was a mile thick.
The steel-drivers and turners spent their days
hammering spikes into solid rock. Hour by hour,
they slowly chipped away at the mountain.
But when John Henry brought his hammer
down, the rock shattered like glass! John
tunneled through 20 feet of mountain every day.
But even at that rate, it would take months to
get all the way through.
11
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Carving out the tunnel was backbreaking work.
To make matters worse, the days were blazing
hot. The intense heat made many men feel faint.
John Henry didn’t like seeing his friends sick. So
he began doing their work while they rested in
the shade.
When the men thanked him for his help, John
just smiled. “A man’s not worth much if he doesn’t
help his friends,” he said.
12
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One day, a salesman came to the mountain.
He brought a new steam-powered drilling machine
with him. “This machine can out-drill any man,” he
boasted to the foreman. “There isn’t a man alive
who can do what this machine can do.”
The foreman thought quickly. If the machine and
John Henry worked side by side for a day, they’d
get through a lot of rock!
So he said, “I’ll put my man up against your
fancy, new machine!”
13
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Chapter 4: Man Against Machine
The next morning, a crowd gathered on Big
Bend Mountain. All the steel-drivers and all the
turners were there to cheer John on.
John and Little Willie waited inside the tunnel
on one side of the mountain. The steam drill
waited on the other side. Then the foreman blew
his whistle, and the contest began.
Sparks flew from John Henry’s hammers! On
the other side of the mountain, the steam drill
roared and hissed! At the end of two hours, the
machine was ahead.
14
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John Henry doubled his efforts. He swung his
hammers faster and harder. The steam drill hissed
and roared. By noon, John was catching up to
the machine!
The contest continued through the afternoon.
“John Henry doesn’t have a chance!” said the
salesman. The foreman just shrugged.
When the sun went down, the foreman blew
his whistle, and the contest was over.
15
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The foreman measured the tunnels drilled by
John Henry and the steam drill. “The machine
drilled 10 feet!” he announced. “John Henry drilled
40 feet!”
The salesman left with his machine. It took
some time, but John Henry, Little Willie, and the
other men finished that tunnel. Some folks say that
John Henry’s likeness is carved right into the rock
inside. And if you listen carefully, you can hear
two 14-pound hammers drilling their way to victory
over the machine.
16
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The Tale of John Henry
Summary
See Teacher Guide p. 71
Read this summary with your family.
Chapter 1: An Extraordinary Boy
John Henry was born in Virginia about 20 years before the
Civil War. He and his parents were slaves. John Henry was
an extraordinary boy. He had twice the strength of a grown
man and three times the energy. After the Civil War, John
Henry was a free man. He said goodbye to his parents and
left the plantation to seek his fortune.
Chapter 2: A Steel-Driving Man
Chapter 3: Big Bend Mountain
Chapter 4: Man Against Machine
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Level Q-1
Fiction
Dear Family,
Please take a few moments to read this book with your child. Here are a few
ideas for your book discussion.
1.Invite your child to read The Tale of John Henry aloud to you. If he or she
has difficulty with a word, please provide the word. It is important that this
reading be enjoyable for your child.
2.The Tale of John Henry is a fictional story. Ask your child to retell the
story to you in his or her own words. Ask your child to tell you about the
characters, setting, and events, and about the problem and how it was
solved.
3.Ask your child to read the summary on the inside back cover of the book.
4.The activities on the tear-out practice pages in the center of the book are
usually completed in school. If your child brings some of them home,
please review them with him or her.
5.Invite your child to read and practice the words in the box on the inside
front cover of the book.
Thank you for helping your child grow as a reader.
Sincerely,
Your child’s teacher
This book belongs to
1-800-421-3018
www.zaner-bloser.com
90000
PRINTED IN THE USA
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9 780736 773935
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