Fables, Folk Tales, & Tall Tales Student's Choice Book Project

Student’s Choice Book Report

Fables, Folktales, and Tall Tales

This quarter you will read three fables, tall tales or folk tales. You will write a summary of each fable and/or tall tale and/or folk tale. You will then choose one special story from your reading to use for your chosen project.

FABLES: In a fable, characters are animals that talk and act like people. They are usually short stories. They contain a lesson or moral about life. TALL TALES: In tall tales, the characters contain superhuman traits (Gluskabe and the Snowbird). Tall tales explain how something in nature came to be (Night and Day, Grand Canyon, etc.). They often contain hyperbole (gross exaggerations) and similes (comparisons which use the words “like” or “as” to compare things). FOLK TALES: These are stories told by people and are passed down from generation to generation.  People explained how things came to be the way they are and explained history through folk tales.  They come from all over the world.

1)      Scrapbook Page – A creative twist to the ‘boring’ book report. The scrapbook will have 6 main parts including the title of the book, author, genre, characters, setting, events or problems and solutions, the main theme of the book (the ‘message’) and the student’s opinion of the book. Other parts may be added including pictures, descriptive words about the story, funny parts, and etc.

2)      Box It! – Students can combine their artistic and writing abilities to evaluate literature in the “Box It” Project. The “Box It” will have 7 parts including the plot summary (including events or problems and solutions), title of the book, author, genre, characters, setting, and the student’s opinion of the book. Other parts may be added including pictures, descriptive words about the story, funny parts, and etc.

3)      Newspaper Article: The Main Character’s in Town – Students pretend to interview the main character of a fable, tall tale, or folk tale. Students generate at least five thoughtful questions and then answer them from the character’s point of view. One thoughtful question must include the moral of the story. Students present their interviews to the class with one student playing the interviewer, and the other playing the character.

Student's Choice Form (doc file)

Create a Scrapbook Page (doc file)
Scrapbook Page Instructions, Sample, and Rubric

A New Cereal On The Shelf (doc file)
Box It! Instructions, samples, and rubric

The Main Character's in Town (doc file)
Reporter's instruction, graphic organizer, and rubric for The Main Character's in Town

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