Teacher Resource Guide

and Lesson Plan Activities

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 Ameri-

can frontier. Please let us know of any projects

inspired by this module at P.O. Box 4261, Louisville,

KY 40204 or info@blueappleplayers.org. We delight

in hearing about all class adventures!

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.

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

Illustrations by Stephanie Gobby, www.stephaniegobby.com

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!

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Teacher resource guide written by Mera Kathryn Corlett

Lesson plan activities created by Mera Cossey Corlett

Watch for this symbol throughout the resource

guide for activities that help meet Common Core

and other standards in your classroom.

Annie Smith began her work with Blue Apple Players in 2000 as a cast member of touring mu-

sicals. 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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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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 sto-

ries that Ms. Actual would consider

“not the truth”?

Synthesize: Bring Things Together

What are the main goal of these hy-

perboles?

Evaluate: Make Judgments

Why are tall tales important? Should

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.

?There are often wild and wondrous occurrences going along with the

birth and beginnings of tall tale heroes. Paul Bunyan was supposedly deliv-

ered 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.

The main character has a

regular job, but is larger-

than-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

exaggerated beyond belief.

This is called hyperbole.

The characters use

everyday language and are

like common people in

behavior.

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!”

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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.

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 deter-

mine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in

terms of a standard length unit.

Common Core Standards for English Lan-

guage 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.

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 impor-

tance 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.

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.

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.

After the discussion, explain that the class is going to

participate in a scientific investigation. They will be creat-

ing 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.

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.

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.

(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.)

In order to keep listeners entranced and to

make stories more interesting, good storytell-

ers 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.

-

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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.

Practical Living: Physical Wellness:

Enduring Knowledge: Students will understand that: physical activity provides op-

portunities for social interaction, challenges, and fun; participation in regular physi-

cal activity has physical, mental, and social benefits; regular participation in health-

related, physical activity supports the goals of fitness and a healthier lifestyle throughout

life.

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.

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

task.

Can you match these popular idioms to their actual meanings?

“A tough cookie”

“Hold your horses”

“I am all ears”

“Quick as lightning”

“Older than dirt”

“Madder than a wet hen”

“Ants in your pants”

“A humdinger”

“Go fly a kite”

“Slow as molasses”

“Pulling your leg”

Very angry

Teasing /deceiving someone

A strong-willed person

Does not move quickly

Slow down/Be patient

Leave me alone

Very fast

Been around for a long time

Fidgeting, moving around

Wonderful, marvelous thing

Listening closely

Definition from vocabulary.com

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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.

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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

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Activities Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Read a book

Pretend

Play outside

Create a

craft project

Invent a game

Read to/with

someone

Listen to music

Make-up a play

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Pecos Bill Rides a Tornado A Kansas Tall Tale

Retold by S.E. Schlosser

Found on americanfolklore.net

N 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 pro-

nounced—and spells some words differently. Rather than spelling “just”

correctly, the author has spelled it the way a storyteller would say it.

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Drought Buster A Nebraska Tall Tale

Retold by S.E. Schlosser

Found on americanfolklore.net

B 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 Fe-boldson, 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

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Annie Christmas Stems the Tide Excerpt from Speaking Out: Storytelling and Creative Drama for Children

*Used with special permission from author Jack Zipes*

I 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

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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.

12

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

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!

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