Learning Through Folktales: Paul Bunyan

Grade Levels: 1–2, 3–5 Focus: Folktales • Vocabulary • Critical Thinking • Writing

Objectives

Students will:

• Read and discuss the folktale Paul Bunyan

• Explore exaggeration and tall-tale elements

• Learn new vocabulary and use context clues

• Build comprehension through questioning

• Reflect on personal preferences in writing

Materials

• Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg

• Student journals

• Chart paper / whiteboard

• Vocabulary cards (optional)

Lesson Plan

1. Shared Reading

Read Paul Bunyan aloud.
As you read, pause to ask:

• How do the pictures help tell the story?

• What makes this story a tall tale?

• What clues show that this story is exaggerated?

2. Class Discussion

Use these questions to deepen comprehension:

• Do we chop down trees the same way today as in Paul’s time?
  → What tools do people use today to cut wood? (chainsaws, machinery)

• What tall-tale exaggerations did you notice?
  → (Paul’s size, Babe turning cold ground into ice, giant pancakes, etc.)

• What big or unfamiliar words did you hear? What do you think they mean?
  → Model using context clues from the text.

• How did Babe the Blue Ox help Paul throughout the story?

• How did Paul and his crew remove the tree stumps?
  → Discuss the humorous exaggerations (e.g., using special oversized tools).

• Who were Paul’s helpers or friends in the story?
  → Sourdough Sam, Babe, the crew, etc.

• How did you feel about Paul cutting down so many trees?
  → Prompt a discussion about conservation vs. storytelling exaggeration.

Vocabulary Focus

Introduce or review:

Pioneer

• Definition: A person who is among the first to explore or settle a new place.

• Kid-friendly explanation: Someone who moves to a new area and builds homes, farms, and towns before cities are built.

• Activity: Students draw or describe something a pioneer might do.

You can also add optional vocabulary: logging, timber, exaggerated, lumberjack, frontier.

✏️ Journal Writing

Prompt:
“We have read several folktales this year. Which one is your favorite and why?”

Encourage students to include:

• The title of the folktale

• A description of the characters

• What made it interesting or funny

• A personal connection or feeling

Optional challenge:
Have students include one new vocabulary word in their response.

Optional Extensions

• Create a class anchor chart: “Traits of a Folktale / Tall Tale”

• Students illustrate Paul and Babe with their favorite part of the story

• Compare tall tales: Paul Bunyan vs. Pecos Bill vs. Johnny Appleseed

• Build a “GIANT footprints” hallway display for Paul Bunyan